Staying warmer In the mountains (hot tent?)

[RB]

Not to jack the thread, but staying warm has not been a problem, having a battery to power my CPAP for more than one night is the problem! If I could get that figured out I could stay in the mountains more! As has been mentioned an extra layer of synthetic while in the bag helps I have to do this when it gets cold with my 15 degree bag.

[spoonman]

Listen to the kifarucast about sleeping bags and Aron tells you what to do to prepare for a cold night before you ever get in your bag.  When you heat one of your meals and close the top, put it in your bag to pre heat it. Boil a cup of water and put it in your nalgene and then put that in your bag. Lots of good ideas out there to ore heat your bag before you get in it.

[JimmyHoffa]

Not to jack the thread, but staying warm has not been a problem, having a battery to power my CPAP for more than one night is the problem! If I could get that figured out I could stay in the mountains more! As has been mentioned an extra layer of synthetic while in the bag helps I have to do this when it gets cold with my 15 degree bag.

Does the battery need to be warmer?  Is it out in the cold, below freezing?

[kselkhunter]

If the Op is cold in a 0F bag in 30F weather, that suggest perhaps something may be wrong with your bag or you could use a better insulated pad. Or the Op is just a really cold sleeper meaning even lower temp bag rating may be needed.


A sleeping bag liner can add 5-10F to the warmth rating of your sleep system, and keeps your bag cleaner.  Also for me my down booties really help.   As do wool long underwear and a warm beanie cap. 

Unless you are waking up to feed the stove throughout the night, the titanium backpacking stoves don't typically keep a fire going all night so that wouldn't help much for your sleeping.  They're nice to dry clothes out and go to bed in a warm tent, but that stove will go out during the night.   


 





 

[RB]

Not to jack the thread, but staying warm has not been a problem, having a battery to power my CPAP for more than one night is the problem! If I could get that figured out I could stay in the mountains more! As has been mentioned an extra layer of synthetic while in the bag helps I have to do this when it gets cold with my 15 degree bag.

Does the battery need to be warmer?  Is it out in the cold, below freezing?

No I have a high pressure so need more power, just can't get more than one night on a battery. Plus the weight of carrying the equipment is not very advantageous to going too far. I went without on my goat hunt in 2016 for two nights and was wiped out physically and mentally between the pack out and two nights of no CPAP, kept the Bears away though with my snoring hahaha.

[huntnnw]

a stove in the backcountry on cold wet days helps a ton and will keep you in longer. Nothing beats coming back if its raining to a shelter and the ability of heat and warmth and waking up to heat. Its a game changer on cold hunts.

[JeffRaines]

OP hasn't mentioned the brand of his bag yet(at least not that I've seen). They're expensive, but I'd look into a Western Mountaineering or Feathered Friends for a true-to-temp rated bag.

As far as a hot tent, they're nice... but those little wood stoves aren't like the big wood stoves in wall tents. You're looking at 2ish hours tops depending on how big your firebox is. Great at the end of a wet day, but its not like a wall tent stove where you can damp it down and it'll burn all night... unless you enjoy waking up every two hours to reload the stove.

Besides, by the time you buy the stove and tent you'll be well above the cost of a better bag... and you'll still need it, so start there!

[Magnum_Willys]

OP hasn't mentioned the brand of his bag yet(at least not that I've seen). They're expensive, but I'd look into a Western Mountaineering or Feathered Friends for a true-to-temp rated bag.

As far as a hot tent, they're nice... but those little wood stoves aren't like the big wood stoves in wall tents. You're looking at 2ish hours tops depending on how big your firebox is. Great at the end of a wet day, but its not like a wall tent stove where you can damp it down and it'll burn all night... unless you enjoy waking up every two hours to reload the stove.

Besides, by the time you buy the stove and tent you'll be well above the cost of a better bag... and you'll still need it, so start there!

    I have hot tent but unless going to be wet I use 2 man tent, 0 montbell degree bag and downmat 7 pad.  Check out Western Mountaineering bags.

[Karl Blanchard]

OP hasn't mentioned the brand of his bag yet(at least not that I've seen). They're expensive, but I'd look into a Western Mountaineering or Feathered Friends for a true-to-temp rated bag.

As far as a hot tent, they're nice... but those little wood stoves aren't like the big wood stoves in wall tents. You're looking at 2ish hours tops depending on how big your firebox is. Great at the end of a wet day, but its not like a wall tent stove where you can damp it down and it'll burn all night... unless you enjoy waking up every two hours to reload the stove.

Besides, by the time you buy the stove and tent you'll be well above the cost of a better bag... and you'll still need it, so start there!

  and 2hrs is pretty generous on burn time. Most of the time the wood supply isn't that quality, so to get good quality heat you are feeding sticks pretty often. As others have said, buy a better bag.....or buy a flourless shelter and Ti stove and a better bag

[jackelope]

Was just going to say....those stoves don't make long term heat. Good for warming up and drying up wet clothes and falling asleep warm, but staying warm all night will keep you awake putting wood in totally defeating the purpose.

[KFhunter]

buy a flourless shelter and Ti stove and a better bag

Yes!   

[Karl Blanchard]

buy a flourless shelter and Ti stove and a better bag

Yes!   

I'd probably go with a floorless shelter though and not a flourless 

[fishngamereaper]

Was wondering what the benefits of flour where... never heard of it but hey, something new and cool comes along once in a while. Good thing I didn't try it..

[Karl Blanchard]

Was wondering what the benefits of flour where... never heard of it but hey, something new and cool comes along once in a while. Good thing I didn't try it..

benefit is you basically become a human wind checker after your first nights sleep

[Hillbilly Zen]

what kind of sleeping bag are you using? Apologies if I missed it. Most of my cold weather sleep time has been in winter backpacking and not hunting season.  On snow and down to well below freezing I use a high quality 20 degree quilt on an inflatable pad stacked on a closed cell foam pad.  If colder weather than that is possible I will add a second blanket.  Some guys love their sub zero mummy bags: i hate mummy bags and will never use one again unless i’m about to freeze to death and somebody set my quilts on fire.  I’d probably just shiver next to the quilt fire first.  I wear thermals and fleece/wool layers, a watch cap or fleece hooded balaclava, and heavy wool socks.  If my coat and pants are dry they go under me.  If wet they go under the inflatable pad and hopefully dont freeze.  In winter I prefer smaller tents.  Like one man or bivy sack small.  Your body can heat it, and it makes up for all the other crap you have to carry to not die in the mountains in adverse conditions.  (Ice axe, crampons, extra food, heavy layers, etc.).   My setup is for light and fast winter travel and not the most comfortable, but I don’t sacrifice sleep.  The quality of your sleeping bag/blanket, and having closed cell foam under your inflatable pad are vital in winter regardless of the tent you are in.  I regard my closed cell foam pad as an indispensable safety item in almost all mountain conditions.  If everything else fails, that bit of modern material and a sheet of plastic can keep your butt alive about anywhere.  You can go big and heavy and make a heated tent, or go to ground like the animals we hunt.  Small spaces your body can heat, get off the ground (inflatables offer very little insulation), bulk up around your body and make sure you aren’t compressing your insulation by putting coats or heavy layers on top of your sleeping insulation.   closed cell foam + inflatable, then quality insulation around your body and a big and heavy heated space or a very small space out of the wind.  Good luck!  If you are out my way i can let you squeeze in a bivy and you can try and take a snow nap if you just want to see if you can sleep that way.