Does the first shop 30 miles in sell sleeping bag liners?

[Pots]

Hello, I'm starting early next year (Goal is before feb 15). I don't know if I will need a sleeping bag liner at night and I'd rather not buy one unless I know I need one. So- does anyone know if they sell them at the first shop I've heard of 30 miles in?

Or should I just invest now.. I have a north face down 20F.

Thanks.

[Sarcasm the elf]

Yes they sell them (at least they did in 2013) but most of what they sell is at MSRP, you could probably buy one on the cheap between now and then if you keep an eye out for sales.

[Pots]

Yes they sell them (at least they did in 2013) but most of what they sell is at MSRP, you could probably buy one on the cheap between now and then if you keep an eye out for sales.

Ok, I'll see if I can nab one... thanks!

[Lone Wolf]

Hello, I'm starting early next year (Goal is before feb 15). I don't know if I will need a sleeping bag liner at night and I'd rather not buy one unless I know I need one. So- does anyone know if they sell them at the first shop I've heard of 30 miles in?

Or should I just invest now.. I have a north face down 20F.

Thanks.

buy one before you get there. it will be cheaper

[Lone Wolf]

Hello, I'm starting early next year (Goal is before feb 15). I don't know if I will need a sleeping bag liner at night and I'd rather not buy one unless I know I need one. So- does anyone know if they sell them at the first shop I've heard of 30 miles in?

Or should I just invest now.. I have a north face down 20F.

Thanks.

buy one before you get there. it will be cheaper

[Venchka]

Don't throw money away on a liner before you have a minimum of R-5 insulation between your bag and the ground.
How well does your bag work at a verified 20 degrees?
What will you be wearing, head to toe, inside your bag?
Water bottles filled with hot water will do more than a liner to keep you warm and only cost a little extra fuel. For a February start, carry extra fuel.
Mid-February in the mountains is winter. Prepare accordingly.

Wayne


Sent from somewhere around here.

[Starchild]

Sleeping bag lines are not weight efficient for the warmth they add, much better to get the proper rating sleeping bag in the first place. However they are cheaper then having a second bag.

[daddytwosticks]

I'm very cold blooded. There is no way I'd hike that time of year with a 20 degree rated bag, especially if 20 degrees is optimistic. Get a better, lower rated bag. Just my two cents.

[Venchka]

I'm very cold blooded. There is no way I'd hike that time of year with a 20 degree rated bag, especially if 20 degrees is optimistic. Get a better, lower rated bag. Just my two cents.

Right on! This was my first reaction yesterday. The month of February is winter. Winter in the mountains at 5,000+ feet isn't like Flatland winter. An economical solution would be a 35-40 degree quilt used over your 20 degree bag. You will probably want or need a 35-40 degree quilt for the summer anyway. Carry both at the start. Or sleep cold.
By the way, there are optimistic 20 degree bags and there are legitimate 20 degree bags. Which one do you have? "I have a north face down 20F" doesn't tell us much.
Earlier this year I purchased a North Face 15 degree bag. I looked it over long and hard for 3 days. I returned it. I bought a 20 degree WM Alpinlite about a month later. The difference between the two bags was night & day. I couldn't be happier.
Good luck to you. I do hope that you know what you're doing.

Wayne

[Sarcasm the elf]

Hello, I'm starting early next year (Goal is before feb 15). I don't know if I will need a sleeping bag liner at night and I'd rather not buy one unless I know I need one. So- does anyone know if they sell them at the first shop I've heard of 30 miles in?

Or should I just invest now.. I have a north face down 20F.

Thanks.

Regarding your question about whether your bag will be warm enough, the best way to find out is to try it. You live a couple of towns over from some very accessible trail heads, as soon as the evening temperatures get down to the 30's, start hitting the trail after school/work on Fridays, camp overnight and see how the bag holds up at various temperatures. Do this a few times until you have slept overnight a few nights when the temperature is in the teens and see how you do.
Personally if I were doing a thru hike starting in Feb I would bring a warmer bag, but I don't know what your situation is and remember being both much warmer and much more broke when I was 17, so I'm not sure if this would fit your needs and budget.

[Venchka]

Regarding your question about whether your bag will be warm enough, the best way to find out is to try it. You live a couple of towns over from some very accessible trail heads, as soon as the evening temperatures get down to the 30's, start hitting the trail after school/work on Fridays, camp overnight and see how the bag holds up at various temperatures. Do this a few times until you have slept overnight a few nights when the temperature is in the teens and see how you do.
Personally if I were doing a thru hike starting in Feb I would bring a warmer bag, but I don't know what your situation is and remember being both much warmer and much more broke when I was 17, so I'm not sure if this would fit your needs and budget.

There it is!
Given your location, you could knock out CT-MA between Christmas & New Years. Get a lot of real world gear testing done in winter conditions. There is no reason why you won't be prepared for winter in the mountains of NC-TN.

Wayne

[slbirdnerd]

From what I hear, chances are you'll be sending more home at Mountain Crossings than buying stuff...

[misprof]

Hi, If you have a Blue Kazoo rated for 20F with 650 down, for me it is optimistic. I do believe it is the lower range of what it will go (think survival). I have one. I sleep cold so for me it gets me down to about Freezing and then I am COLD. You maybe are different or have a different bag. Try it out and see. The extra quilt would be my choice.

[MuddyWaters]

If you have the clothing needed to keep you able to perform camp chores at 15-20f, and sleep in them whenm needed in your 20 F bag, you will be good to the single digits or below.

That is a big benefit of puffy down jackets, pants, mittens, and booties, if bag is sizef generous enough.

[Charlocity2]

I believe they even sell liners at the Amicalola Falls State Park visitor center.

I was surprised to see them on the wall there yesterday. Hopefully I wasn't delirious and didn't just imagine it, as I stopped in after a 14 mile day hike that included up and down the 603 stairs.

[Venchka]

The only thing that a liner is good for is extending the time between washings. Some say that a bag should be washed every 14 nights. I wonder how many thru-hikers follow that schedule? Probably none.

Wayne


Sent from somewhere around here.

[mattjv89]

You could have a couple very cold nights to the point of potentially dangerous if you start that time of year without enough insulation. I started this year nearly a month and a half after you're talking about and it was still in the mid 20's the night before I got to Neel's Gap. A huge +1 to the suggestions to test your kit out this winter before starting. I think you'll have weather in the NW hills of CT and up into MA that is a bit closer to what you might encounter on the trail. Where I grew up in CT closer to the shoreline it's a big to-do if single digits overnight happen.

[Sarcasm the elf]

Where I grew up in CT closer to the shoreline it's a big to-do if single digits overnight happen.

On a side note, this has been changing over the last few years. We had about 10 subzero mornings on the water in Shelton last year and single digit lows have become commonplace for much of southern CT in the winter. I don't remember having weather like this around here when I was a kid.

[Slo-go'en]

I'd go with a more aggressive liner like one of the Summit to Sea "Reactor" liners. I do like my silk liner and use it year round. It can be useful in some hostels. Make sure you have a good insulated pad for the early months. That can make a big difference in comfort level. Wear your light or mid weight thermal tops and bottoms, socks and a hat, inside a tent and you should be fine 99% of the time and live through the other 1%.