Bag liner as warm weather sleeping bag??

[Incahiker]

Just trying to cut down on weight. In the heat of the summer months do you guys use bag liners for summer sleeping bags? Seems like a good way to cut down on some weight since they can weigh from 4-12 ounces? If so, what is the coldest that you can typically sleep in a liner, something like a silk liner? I am usually a warm sleeper, so could I go down to maybe 50 or 60 if I went to sleep with a fleece and long johns, that is if the weather calls for that much clothing?

[Incahiker]

Just trying to cut down on weight. In the heat of the summer months do you guys use bag liners for summer sleeping bags? Seems like a good way to cut down on some weight since they can weigh from 4-12 ounces? If so, what is the coldest that you can typically sleep in a liner, something like a silk liner? I am usually a warm sleeper, so could I go down to maybe 50 or 60 if I went to sleep with a fleece and long johns, that is if the weather calls for that much clothing?

Also, how about just discarding a liner and just carrying a travel blanket with you that covers your whole body, only half the fabric?

[Mrs Baggins]

Two years ago i was day hiking from Gathland State Park to Harpers Ferry. Met a NOBO thru-hiker. It was late June and nearly 100 degrees that day. He said that the week before he'd been in SNP and it had been 30 degrees at night. NEVER assume that just because it's summer and it's warm in most places that it's going to be warm everywhere!

[Appalachian Tater]

I agree. It is a safety issue. It doesn't have to be cold to become hypothermic, especially if you're wet.

[hopefulhiker]

I carried a liner the whole hike. On really hot nights I used my quilt as a pillow and slept inside the liner.. But it did not save the carry weight.

[Blissful]

The marmot Pounder is 40 degree and good for all kinds of conditions.

[bigcranky]

I wished I had a liner in Shenandoah a couple of summers ago, when the nighttime temps never got below 80 - in June! A couple of thrus were using their silk liners only, and staying comfortable.

That said, I'd still carry my summer bag. As soon as the weather cools back off to normal, it can get chilly at night.

[McPick]

Two years ago i was day hiking from Gathland State Park to Harpers Ferry. Met a NOBO thru-hiker. It was late June and nearly 100 degrees that day. He said that the week before he'd been in SNP and it had been 30 degrees at night. NEVER assume that just because it's summer and it's warm in most places that it's going to be warm everywhere!

This is the voice of experience, Inca... Take heed.

The temps in August 2006 exceeded 100 degrees for days in a row. (PA, NJ and NY, etc) I carried a silk liner during my AT hike and used it every night. (Some hikers like them, some don't... Your choice.) Additionally, I carried a full zipper, 25 degree rated down bag the entire hike. I used it mostly as a comforter during warmer weather. Even on the hottest nights, I unzipped it and left it beside me in my tent. Although it probably happened, I can't remember a single morning I didn't wake up with at least a part of it pulled over my shoulders or legs.

As noted by Mrs. B., when (not if) Mother Nature decides to play Murphy, or teams up with Ol' Man Winter to sock it to you, (How many times have you heard your local weather person start off their weather report with, "The unexpected storm brought...?") you will be extremely thankful to yourself (and grateful) for having had the good sense to have kept your sleeping bag with you for your entire hike.

Some of your equipment is like those kids gettin' to Boys' Town, "He ain't heavy... He's my brother." Ya know?

[Tinker]

Just trying to cut down on weight. In the heat of the summer months do you guys use bag liners for summer sleeping bags? Seems like a good way to cut down on some weight since they can weigh from 4-12 ounces? If so, what is the coldest that you can typically sleep in a liner, something like a silk liner? I am usually a warm sleeper, so could I go down to maybe 50 or 60 if I went to sleep with a fleece and long johns, that is if the weather calls for that much clothing?

Bag liners don't block the wind, much less any spray if you're tarping with a bug net. Fleece bags rated to 50+ degrees are typically heavier than down bags rated to 40 degrees. Err on the side of caution. My 40 degree bag weighs 1-1/2 lb. Summer temps in the mountains can get to that or below, and wind chill can make it feel colder still.

[Panzer1]

My 20 degree goose down only weights 2 pounds. I carry it all summer because you never know. What if you get wet and the temps drop. You may need a warm bag. A backpacker should always be prepared. That's what separates us from the idiots.

Panzer

[4eyedbuzzard]

A 40 - 45 degree rated bag is a minimum even for summer anywhere on the AT.

[PJ 2005]

I just bought a twin sized fleece blanket at walmart for 15 bucks. Fold it in half, sew it shut, VOILA! 40-50 degree bag.

It's always a good idea to have a fleece and wool hat with you, but especially important if you're going to cut corners with your sleeping system.

[Pokey2006]

I made this very mistake, going with a flimsy liner instead of a regular summer bag. DON'T DO IT! At least not on a thru. A weekend trip when you know you're in the middle of a heat wave, go for it. However, trying to do it on a thru, you'll end up suffering through many, many sleepless nights. Even in the middle of summer, and even in the mid-Atlantic states, temperatures can drop dramatically at night.

I became so desperate in the Shenandoahs, I considered hiking right through until dawn rather than suffering another night in the cold. Luckily, at my breaking point, I came across a camp store and bought a fleece bag. That plus the liner was just enough to get me through the night.

After my thru, I bought a down summer bag. It only weighs a pound -- less than the fleece and liner put together...and a helluva lot warmer. I'll never go backpacking without it, even in a heat wave.

Each person is different, but better to carry a few extra ounces than shiver through the night.

[TACKLE]

I've got the same story. My 05' hike I got caught with just a fleece liner on Mt Rogers in June. Bought a silk liner to go with it in Harpers Ferry on Labor day and froze again in Maryland. I survived obviously but better planning on my part would've been good. All that said IMO a nice fleece blanket works better and has more uses than the liners.

ALOHA,

TACKLE

[Incahiker]

Great, thanks for the replies. I won't be doing and thru hikes any time soon, I will have to wait till retirement for that, can't take the time off. Whats the lightest summer bag out there? Guess I should just pop up the REI website and see, huh? I still think I will get a liner for some short hikes down here in Georgia where I don't get into the mountains during the summer. The summers down here can be miserable with the humidity. I heard that even though it sounds silly, when you sleep with a liner on when its extremly hot, it actually feels better since it wicks the moisture away from your body. Guess I will find out.

Time to get a warm weather sleeping bag and liner.

[CT5150]

For summer hiking I use a Coolmax mummy liner and a Thermo-Lite 2.0 Bivvy Sack (from Adventure Medical Kits). This combo goes perfectly on top of my foam pad, inside my hammock.

[10-K]

Great, thanks for the replies. I won't be doing and thru hikes any time soon, I will have to wait till retirement for that, can't take the time off. Whats the lightest summer bag out there? Guess I should just pop up the REI website and see, huh? I still think I will get a liner for some short hikes down here in Georgia where I don't get into the mountains during the summer. The summers down here can be miserable with the humidity. I heard that even though it sounds silly, when you sleep with a liner on when its extremly hot, it actually feels better since it wicks the moisture away from your body. Guess I will find out.

Time to get a warm weather sleeping bag and liner.

Since May I've been carrying a 50* Montbell Super Stretch #7. I usually sleep with little or no clothes on and there has been only one time that I woke up cold and felt the need to put on some clothes to get warm.

It weighs right at 1 lb.

[Frolicking Dinosaurs]

In my younger days (before age made me a colder sleeper) I carried a CCF mat and rectangular fleece sleeping bag in the summer. The bag used as a bag was fine for normal nights. On especially warm nights, I zipped it open as a single layer quilt. On especially cold nights, I used two layers of fleece as a quilt. With a noisy, but effective mylar 'space blanket', I've survived (but didn't enjoy) a 30F night with this set up.

[Tinker]

If you are quite sure of what the lowest temperatures will be (say, on a weekend hike), you can carry extra clothing instead of a bag or a bag liner. That way you will be able to wear it around camp. I do this on a regular basis in the summer at lower elevations in New England.

[JAK]

It's a very interesting question. My regular bag is a 3 pound synthetic. When I go without it in summer it is not so much to reduce weight but to reduce volume so I can get by with a smaller pack. The optimal solution would be a lighter down sleeping bag or quilt, which aren't neccessarily expensive but you might not have one when you want to go. You should be prepared for rain too of course. Stuff can get wet. It can be very cold in summer, especially if you are tired and have had to much sun, and depending on where you camp and if its a clear night. One summer I had a fleece bag liner and gortex bivy down on a beach and it was very cold. Last summer I draped fleece over myself and a thin shell of nylon over that and wore a thin wool sweater and was quite warm, but was also up off the beach in the woods.

My suggestions if going without a sleeping bag or quilt...
0. Blue foam pad underneath, and maybe you pack from knees down.
1. Wear your clothing to bed, which should include a thin wool sweater, socks on hands if neccessary.
2. Long fleece blanket, on top only, in folds where needed most.
3. Thin light nylon shell over the fleece blanket.
4. Poncho/tarp over that to keep the rain off.
5. Half way up a hill. Not too low. Not too high. Not too wet. Not too dry.
2. Drape a l