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Planning an AT trip through Smokies in mid June and need to lighten my load. I was looking at the average low temperatures. I'm trying to swap my sleeping bag out for a super light blanket of such. Now I'm carrying a 3 lb. 600 fill down bag. Can I get away with just a 'bag liner'? Any suggestions? I don't want to spend a bunch of money.
garlic08
04-23-2022, 08:35
Consider a 30F or 40F quilt, down if you can afford it, something in the 1 to 1.5 pound range. Personally I wouldn't head into the Appalachians without some loft in my sleeping insulation. The average temps you see may be at a park office, and it's best to plan for the extremes.
Some years ago I bought a nice enLightened Equipment down quilt for a summer trip, spent some money on it, and have never regretted it--it was the best backcountry gear purchase I've ever made.
Garlic is correct. Quilts really do save weight but are safer in the mountains and close in weight to the bag liners. Check out a 40* Hammock Gear Econ Burrow. Good quality for the price and weight as well as very versatile for multiple seasons, including Summer when it can be opened fully and just slide on late night to keep off the chill.
+1 on above. Plus all the temperatures you see reported, are down in the towns, in the valleys.
LoneStranger
04-23-2022, 13:43
Garlic is correct. Quilts really do save weight but are safer in the mountains and close in weight to the bag liners. Check out a 40* Hammock Gear Econ Burrow. Good quality for the price and weight as well as very versatile for multiple seasons, including Summer when it can be opened fully and just slide on late night to keep off the chill.
This is good advice :)
Almost all my quilts and underquilts are HG Econs. Great value for the dollars.
AvidHikerDude
04-23-2022, 13:50
I use a REI Radiant 19 degree sleeping bag. Has come in quite handy in 23 degree weather, with snow. During those nights, I actually had to open it and fan some of the body heat out of it. During the hot summer months, I use it as either a blanket, if needed, or extra padding on top of my Klymit sleeping pad.
needlefish
04-24-2022, 07:32
Hammock Gear Economy, good value for the money.
HooKooDooKu
04-24-2022, 09:06
The seasonal temps at the highest point in GSMNP in June is hi/lol of 60/49. But that's just average. Typical temps will be +/-10 or so with extreme unlikely weather being +/-20. So while I've experienced temperatures in the 30s at Icewater Springs shelter in July, that's not what you need to plan for. Plan for the lows to be upper 40s, and check the forecast before you leave to know if you need an extra warm layer.
I have a 2lb 32degree bag that that I use in GSMNP unless I know I can expect temps at or below freezing.
illabelle
04-24-2022, 20:10
Early May of 2021 we did a loop hike utilizing a side trail from Clingman's Dome Road. When we returned to our vehicle, we saw sleet and a little bit of snow. Last year was a little unusual, but it wasn't unheard of. Without adequate insulation, we'd have been miserable.
illabelle
04-24-2022, 20:12
Early May of 2021 we did a loop hike utilizing a side trail from Clingman's Dome Road. When we returned to our vehicle, we saw sleet and a little bit of snow. Last year was a little unusual, but it wasn't unheard of. Without adequate insulation, we'd have been miserable.
And a month later, we did a loop that included THIRTY creek crossings, yes, THIRTY! By early June, the temperatures had warmed nicely so that the creek was refreshing, not numbingly cold.
HooKooDooKu
04-25-2022, 09:32
Here's a web page that estimates the weather forecast at elevation.
This one is specifically for Clingman's Dome (highest point in GSMNP).
Check it out before you head out on your trip to get a clue on how much insulation you'll likely need.
https://www.mountain-forecast.com/peaks/Clingmans-Dome/forecasts/2025
For AT weather, check atweather.org
.com
Daybreak
04-25-2022, 18:10
Wow these are both great sites. The first gives only peaks but lots and lots of them. The second has forecasts detailed from NOAA for all AT shelters and also includes PCT prominent spots. On the PCT/JMT, the first gives the weather forecast for the top of Whitney while the second gives it at the PCT/AT trail junction.
Btw if you click on the Whiteblaze odds and ends button you can get to an AT weather button which oops doesn't seem to work,
bigcranky
04-29-2022, 11:27
We've had frost in the Southern Appalachians in June, and pretty late in June. Often the lows are in the low 50s all summer, which is well below the point where I am happy in a bag liner. A 45F quilt need not cost a fortune. My Jacks R Better Shenandoah Quilt was under $200 and has lasted more than a decade of moderate to heavy use.
Can I get away with just a 'bag liner'? Any suggestions? I don't want to spend a bunch of money.
No. You will see 50s, possibly high 40s in June.
My budget choices would be the Marmot Micron 40 or 50.
They have 650 fill, too, but are around 18 and 24 ounces, respectively.
Agree a bag liner is a bad risk/reward wager. Suggest checking out “selling used gear” thread or scope out REI used gear to see if you can pick up a bargain.
jorge99s
05-01-2022, 08:05
I bought a Jacks R Better 40 down quilt years back and have always carried in the summer months in the smokies. They are quality and the price tag should be a little less than other brands but the quality is not lacking.
cmoulder
05-02-2022, 12:35
I bought a Jacks R Better 40 down quilt years back and have always carried in the summer months in the smokies. They are quality and the price tag should be a little less than other brands but the quality is not lacking.
I recently bought a JRB Sierra Stealth quilt (40deg) and the quality is excellent. For a long time I've wanted to try the concept of the dual-purpose quilt. It has a hole in the middle for your head that converts it to a down poncho, which I think will prove useful for a lot of trips where I need the down jacket only in the morning before getting on the trail.
I would just say that possibly the worst experience you can have hiking/camping is to have an insufficiently warm sleeping system. The ratings for bags is the point at which you will be miserable (ask me how I know..). Would tend to use something warmer than you think you will need. This is from someone who has suffered and frozen on the AT more than once, and yes possibly in the Smokies in June. At least you can often make a fire in the shelters.
greentick
06-15-2022, 23:52
Surplus poncho liner if you're cheap. Probably one of the best pieces of .mil gear applicable to hiking.
I would just say that possibly the worst experience you can have hiking/camping is to have an insufficiently warm sleeping system. The ratings for bags is the point at which you will be miserable (ask me how I know..).
That's certainly true with particular brands, but is not a universal truth. A number of brands rate their sleeping bags with reasonable numbers (Western Mountaineering and Feathered Friends are two obvious examples).
cmoulder
06-16-2022, 11:18
That's certainly true with particular brands, but is not a universal truth. A number of brands rate their sleeping bags with reasonable numbers (Western Mountaineering and Feathered Friends are two obvious examples).
I would concur that things are a lot better than they used to be. It seems that "survival" ratings were what used to appear in the ad copy, and now, hopefully, manufacturer peer pressure and customer complaints are pushing things strongly toward realistic "comfort" ratings.
On the hammock side of things, this is practically universal. I know that Hammockgear, UQG, Loco Libre, Jacks R Better and probably all the rest of the cottage/specialist makers have adopted this approach. And even Enlightened Equipment, which was widely recognized as having very, uhh... 'optimistic' ratings, started adding more down to their quilts. I'll confess to having not a clue to what the big operators like Marmot, MH, TNF etc have been doing the last few years.
Of course there will always be people who are naturally cold-natured and need more insulation, or those who complain about the quilt/bag when their ground mat is inadequate, but by and large the situation is a lot better these days.
Tipi Walter
06-16-2022, 12:46
I went the light bag route last summer and got a WM Everlite rated at 45F at 14ozs and what makes it great is it can be either a quilt or a zipped up bag---cuz it has a bottom drawstring for the foot box and a full length zipper in case you need to mummify---which you won't in the summer. It becomes a down blanket too when fully opened.
49431
Whoa, that can’t be the real Tipi.
No Match
06-17-2022, 07:20
Planning an AT trip through Smokies in mid June and need to lighten my load. I was looking at the average low temperatures. I'm trying to swap my sleeping bag out for a super light blanket of such. Now I'm carrying a 3 lb. 600 fill down bag. Can I get away with just a 'bag liner'? Any suggestions? I don't want to spend a bunch of money.
A week ago today, it got down to 20 degrees on LeConte & various other summits in the area, though I don't believe it will do this again this summer, at the least something 40 degrees, and considering that their was an emergency SPOT beacon activation for assistance on Fontana Lake near Eagle Creek due to hypothermia this past week, get over the gram counting, you're not filming a reality survival 'show.'
cmoulder
06-17-2022, 07:40
A week ago today, it got down to 20 degrees on LeConte & various other summits in the area, though I don't believe it will do this again this summer, at the least something 40 degrees, and considering that their was an emergency SPOT beacon activation for assistance on Fontana Lake near Eagle Creek due to hypothermia this past week, get over the gram counting, you're not filming a reality survival 'show.'
Seems to me the OP is indeed practicing due diligence to find out what worst case scenario might be and hopefully preparing accordingly.
To that end, I would advise to add rain and fog to the mix. 40°F and dry is a whole 'nuther world compared to 40°F with rain, and fog can be even worse... it just permeates everything and you can end up totally drenched under a tarp and even inside a tent.
needlefish
06-17-2022, 20:14
Planning an AT trip through Smokies in mid June and need to lighten my load. I was looking at the average low temperatures. I'm trying to swap my sleeping bag out for a super light blanket of such. Now I'm carrying a 3 lb. 600 fill down bag. Can I get away with just a 'bag liner'? Any suggestions? I don't want to spend a bunch of money.
don't know if this is in your budget but it's a good value...https://www.accuweather.com/en/us/hilham/38570/daily-weather-forecast/2085941
needlefish
06-17-2022, 20:17
don't know if this is in your budget but it's a good value...https://www.accuweather.com/en/us/hilham/38570/daily-weather-forecast/2085941
^^^ignore this^^^
look at this>https://hammockgear.com/economy-burrow-custom/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwzLCVBhD3ARIsAPKYTcTQeVvzOlQ-XBV200ZwF9ePoeQcD3lE3eLjfwKX5Yu5w9QDoptqhA8aAigoEA Lw_wcB