Bag liners

[saimyoji]

Looking around a very little, I couldn't tell if most bag liners have zips or not. I'm shopping around for new bag+liner, but don't want a liner with no zip.

Does your liner have a zip? If not, how inconvenient is it to unzip the bag, then have to scramble out of the liner?

Comments??

[Footslogger]

Mine has no zips. Turned out getting twisted (because of me rolling at night) and was somewhat of a hassle to get in/out of. Sent it home during my thru and haven't used it since.

'Slogger

[Username75]

Mine has no zips. Turned out getting twisted (because of me rolling at night) and was somewhat of a hassle to get in/out of. Sent it home during my thru and haven't used it since.

'Slogger
A few Velcro tabs would stop that, but you will need to cover them with extra tabs when not using the liner,
a bag cover is a better investment like the canvas bad cover
from Mil Surplus, although heavier they are great on cold wet nites.

[Dirtygaiters]

Lots of people hate sleeing bag liners. I don't.

I have a 4 ounce silk bag liner (no zipper) that I use sometimes to extend the warmth of my 30 degree sleeping bag. I get tangled when I'm wearing clothes in it, but when I sleep in just boxers, or naked, I have never gotten tangled. Sleeping in a silk liner is more comfortable to me in warmer months than having the sleeping bag material right up against my skin. So the people who hate liners will just recommend that you just wear a silk or lightweight base layer. However, a silk liner bag is actually about 40% lighter than a silk top and bottom. Also, I like to have something dry to crawl into and next to my skin at night. My base layer might be wet, muddy, dusty, etc, and not only is that unpleasant for me to sleep in, it'll also get the down insulation dirty quicker. So, with just 4 ounces, a silk liner greatly improves the comfort of my sleeping bag. The downside, is crawling out of it without any clothes on.

In seasons/areas where it gets quite cold at night but warms up condiserably by early morning, a silk liner works well. For instance, most of the country in summer, in the mountains in summer, or in the desert in fall and spring. If there's a probability that it will still be frigid until mid morning, then I'll just bring a base layer instead. The idea is that if I'm sleeping naked, I don't want to have to crawl out of my bag in the early morning shivering, and get dressed in the frigid cold.

Silk liners work great to minimize drafts when I use my sleeping bag as a quilt, and would probably have the same benefit if you're using a quilt only. Since they tangle up when I'm wearing significant clothing, I wouldn't use a liner as part of a cold weather sleep system (that is, wearing warm clothes inside a bag). I don't like the idea of carrying extra weight that serves the same function as a sleeping bag, but warms less efficiently, so I wouldn't carry a fleece liner--instead I'd opt for fleece clothing or just a warmer sleeping bag. However, in the summer/late spring/early fall, when there's a possibility of lows in the 40s-50s at night only, it's hard to ignore the versatility and temperature regulation that a silk liner offers.

I wouldn't carry a liner with a zipper because the weight would be way too unreasonable and it's not very hard to wiggle into a mummy shaped liner anyway.

[mweinstone]

liners suck as bad as shelters.the liner is an ill conceved bastardized diaper.

[Tipi Walter]

Although I like the idea of a nice light silk liner(I just like silk), I agree that there's more than enough discomfort sleeping in a zipped up bag as it is(in the winter) without the addition of another bag within a bag. I tried the liner route for several winter months and have to say it's a big hassle. Either get a summer bag and a winter bag, or just a danged good winter bag and leave it at that. One big advantage to a liner is it keeps the bag cleaner, but most of the dirt on a bag ends up around the head on the drawstring tubes, back and front, so a liner wouldn't help with this.

[Dirtygaiters]

In the more humid states, like Missouri, where overnight lows don't commonly get below 68, you can use a liner by itself in July and August as a super lightweight sleeping bag.

[ScottP]

Silk long johns make more sense--they're multipurpose (can wear during day if you have to), and you don't get all tangled up tossing and turning