Boosting a sleeping bags rating

Moondog55

Moondog55

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Personally I prefer to wear my UL down inside my sleeping bag in cold weather, so I have some protection immediately if I have to get up for any reason, but I know that layering a jacket over the top is more efficient/warmer.
How many of you bother to pull the jacket sleeves inside the jacket body to increase the boost and how many of you add buttons and loops to keep that jacket sliding off in the middle of the night?
One of my reasons for asking is that I'm headed up the hills in a day or so and to keep the weight down I am taking my UL summer down bag that only has 320grams of down in it, EN rated at 5C comfort [ I need to use the female/comfort rating due to age] overnite lows are seldom lower than -3C at this time of year so rather than my usual Goretex bivvy sack I am going to use my Halite overbag, but this leaves me with no safety margin.
So rather than the Uniqlo UL down which is part of my usual sleep system I thought I'd take a bigger and warmer jacket I can wear around camp and take one less fleece layer.
It's the DeadBird Nuclei SV which is too fat to wear inside a summer sleeping bag so it would get layered over the top if I get cold, between the down bag and the Halite.
I've done this before with the Patagonia DAS but while I know about the sleeves technique I've never used it, neither have I ever sewn loops and buttons in strategic places. Hence my question. I quite like the Nuclei SV but I do wish Arcteryx had made it in an XXXL, it really is a size smaller than I prefer
 
I can see why adding buttons, etc. to the jacket would be attractive but I wouldn't bother. If I need extra warmth I'll add the jacket, DIY Polartec Alpha hoodie, or windshirt. If I ever got REALLY cold I would add a combination of those layers.

I have draped my UL Frogg Toggs rain jacket over my shoulders for a bit of warmth. Come to think of it I have also (when sleeping in a tiny shelter) pulled the sleeves into that rain jacket, zipped it up and slid it over the foot end of my bag to keep condensation off my bag.
 
I use the bag rated for 15 degrees colder than the 'predicted' temps. I can always unzip a bag and use it like a quilt and 75% of the time that is how I roll.
 
Balaclava, and/or a “neck warmer” increase the comfort for sure. Take an old or unwanted beanie knit cap and cut off the top for a DIY version to slide down around your neck. Works great with parkas too. I could never get a scarf to stay put, it’s beyond my skill level I think. Down boots are the bomb, too.
 
I typically use a DIY sleeping bag liner all year. Light cotton in summer, fleece in winter. Not only does it add a few degrees, it's much easier to wash than a whole sleeping bag too.
 
Nothing worse than freezing at night while trying to sleep.

Make sure you have some insulation on the bottom, especially if sleeping off of the ground... cot, etc. You can also use a lighter bag as a top quilt on top of a heavier bag. Or, bring a top quilt or blanket. At 5C that's still chilly enough to want more than a 10C rated bag. I've found that the rating is where you can survive, not where you feel comfortable. I've slept on a small cot in my bedroom testing out sleeping bags without a pad and have gotten cold when the room is around 65F/18C.

I wouldn't plan on using clothes to augment my bag's rating when it's really cold. Once you start to sweat, you are screwed. I don't sleep in my clothes. With my surplus arctic down bag I'll sleep naked or with loose shorts only, having a shirt, sweatpants, and socks inside the bag. I'll get dressed in the bag (one advantage of being short). I don't want to sweat. These surplus bags have an opening that can almost be zipped shut and I use the size of the opening to regulate tne temperature. With lighter bags, a thin sleeping pad, and warmer weather, it's loose cotton shirts and shorts, or nothing if I'm too warm. This has always worked for me. This is for recreational camping.
 
I hotrod my -25 bags with synthetic puffer, and/or the removable hood from my Featherd Freinds belay parka.

At -45, keeping the direct cold off my face is key. I put my ruff on the hood of my puffycoat, or that FF hood. Most of the time I side sleep at those temps, so the frost doesn't build over my breathing hole.
 
I've never used the jacket on top technique. Jacket inside the bag has never been an issue, probably because if it's wet 90% of the time just my thin rain shell is wet. - So all my clothes go inside the sleeping bag. I don't wear them, they're just arranged in there for compfort.

I do use a tyvex bivy bag over my sleeping bag. It adds about 5F of compfort. It's the perfect balance of breathable and draft/ wind breaking. Very light and compact too.

I saw a video of a super minimalist hyper ultralight guy. His sleep / shelter system was about 1lb. It included the same tyvek bivy bag, a small (maybe 3x3 ft) comforter, and a tarp.
 
I like a Nalgene full of hot water. Just make sure it doesn’t leak. I’ve had no problems with the white hdpe bottles. I put a sock over it. Balaclava for my face. I haven’t gone below 20.

I do like to zip my jackets over the ends of my hammock under quilts for extra draft protection. If it’s really windy I’ll rig up my poncho as well.
 
Big Money said:
I like a Nalgene full of hot water. Just make sure it doesn’t leak. I’ve had no problems with the white hdpe bottles. I put a sock over it. Balaclava for my face. I haven’t gone below 20.

I do like to zip my jackets over the ends of my hammock under quilts for extra draft protection. If it’s really windy I’ll rig up my poncho as well.
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I use a Nalgene with hot water in single digits. I only use the "plastic" ones and don't use a sock, but it wouldn't hurt. You definately need a sock with a single wall SS bottle.
 
My gut instinct about hot water bottle use is that it is an emergency response to not bringing enough sleeping insulation; useful but not best practice; where-as utilising clothing would mean not having to get up, prime the stove and go though the process of heating water [ best case scenario/ worst case needing to melt snow] to fill a bottle.
I'm not an Ultra-Lite person; I always have a suitable static layer in my pack.
I don't own a dedicated down blanket but I do have a couple of S2S Traveller sleeping bags, these also compress down to the size of a grapefruit, usually used as booster for mates who may not own enough bag and that does work very well, but those would need modifying to wear around camp and I'd rather not do that
 
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