Head Lamp. Sleeping bag liner

[ec.hiker]

I have just about everything I need for my thru except a couple items I have looked on here for them but havent found what I was looking for so what about headlamps
I really like the black diamond spot and backpacker magazine gave it good reviews It is a little pricey compares to all the other headlamos Ive looked at. But have not founf many reviews on there. I am bringing a new book light I bought my first one from the dollar tree and it worked for 6 months before finally running out of juice. For a buck you can't beat it but I still need a head lamp in case i get caught out past dark or for the other million reasons i might neas it.


Also Sleeping bag liner to add a couple degrees warmth to my bag. I havent decided on if I am getting a down bag or not I have a synthetic mummy style bad that is rated to 15 degrees f i was in it at 20 fully dessed I was good but got hot and in the middle of the night i got into my skibbys and froze. I do not like mummy bags so have been keeping my eyes open for a steal off ebay. I just feel trapped in the mummy so I am going to get an envelope bag (IF I FIND ONE) if not I will deal. Either way I want to get a liner for it. THe ones I have seen are the cacoon silk liners and the stuff sack liners niether look like they are going to add more then 1 or 2 degrees any sugestions?

PS the way I put all my gear together was to fist off get a basic kit together and I upgrade little by little if I can afford it. Most of my gear is not high dollar stuff but is super functional and actually with a couple mods some of it I have grown to love/like more than its expensive compeditors. :D

[Trailbender]

I used a Petzl Tikka 2 on my thru. Good headlamp, I still use it. I wouldn't put too much stock in Backpacker, they just want to sell you stuff. For the liner, just wear your thermal baselayer.

[ec.hiker]

Thanks but the big reason I want to get a bag liner is I feel my bag is not warm enough even with my base layer on I am super cold sensative so I like to try to be warm in the bag!


I used a Petzl Tikka 2 on my thru. Good headlamp, I still use it. I wouldn't put too much stock in Backpacker, they just want to sell you stuff. For the liner, just wear your thermal baselayer.

[leaftye]

Check out Zebralight. They are very light, can double as a flashlight, some can take very easy to find AA batteries, and they have a very long lasting moonlight mode that's good for reading. Get that and dump your booklight.

If you feel trapped in a mummy, I can't see why you'd even think of getting a liner. Like Trailbender said, wearing thermals is a better option...in at least a couple ways.

If you're sleeping cold, there are a couple things you could do that I think would make a bigger difference than a liner. If you're not already using a lightweight bivy, use one. Add more padding to your sleeping pad...for some reason lots of people don't make the connection between having a super thin pad (or nothing at all) and sleeping cold.

[BrianLe]

I'm not clear on your criteria for a headlamp, but if it's just a backup for another lamp, then I'd get the lightest little pinch-light LED that you can (that's what I use as a backup).
A question I think you should be clear on is whether you require a light that you can use to hike at night or not. If so, then a decent headlamp that casts a fair bit of candlepower and has enough battery capacity to provide good "run time" is worth it. If not, then go light. Starting early this year I went with a sort of standard headlamp, but with lithium batteries. At Pearisburg along with various other swaps I swapped to a Petzl e+lite, plenty of light for camp use, can night hike with it in a pinch but wouldn't choose to do so.

Bag liner: note that both of these topics do have extensive past threads that a search will uncover, here as well as on other forums. Differing opinions on this one; my opinion is that bag liners don't add much temperature rating, that weight is much better applied to a bag with more down stuffed into it. But I use one when I borrow my wife's bag to keep it a bit cleaner. Search for past threads ...

[leaftye]

Differing opinions on this one; my opinion is that bag liners don't add much temperature rating, that weight is much better applied to a bag with more down stuffed into it.

Yep. Down is better, but one HUGE advantage to a down bag is that it's possible to add more insulation. The money for a liner could buy a few ounces of down and make a bag warmer without making the sleep system more inconvenient to use.

[ec.hiker]

DIdn't thnk the lilner would make me feel any more constricted good to know it will.

[Trailbender]

Thanks but the big reason I want to get a bag liner is I feel my bag is not warm enough even with my base layer on I am super cold sensative so I like to try to be warm in the bag!

Get a warmer bag. Bag liners are usually about 10 ounces, and add maybe 10 degrees. A warmer bag will be warmer and lighter than a bag with a liner.

[skinewmexico]

Walmart has some great deals on nice LED headlamps. Or my BD Spot just arrived via UPS, set me back $20 on Steep and Cheap.

[Sassafras Lass]

Thanks but the big reason I want to get a bag liner is I feel my bag is not warm enough even with my base layer on I am super cold sensative so I like to try to be warm in the bag!

I'm with you there. My butt and thighs freeze solid in the winter, even if I'm active, and for that reason I'm hiking with baselayers (which many people naysay). Additionally, I feel that a sleeping bag liner gives you not only extra warmth but a barrier between your sweaty, stinky, dirty self and your sleeping bag - if 4 oz. of comfy warm silk keep me from washing my sleeping bag more than twice on the trail, then why the heck not?

DH and I have the Cocoon silk liner and we both have the Petzl Tikka XP2 headlamp - I love my headlamp. Love it. After studying the various ways in which headlamps can vary, I decided that it was the best. Spent 'bout $50 on it but haven't regretted it at all. Plus it comes in purple, couldn't pass that up :D

[Sassafras Lass]

DIdn't thnk the lilner would make me feel any more constricted good to know it will.

It won't - at least mine doesn't. Mine is huge - a 1-size-fits-all deal, and I'm swimming in it. Have never felt stifled or uncomfortable in it. And I still think it necessary for the reasons I said, and I'm not someone who sleeps with nothing on - I pack on the whole kit n' kaboodle when sleeping outside in winter.

[leaftye]

I'm with you there. My butt and thighs freeze solid in the winter, even if I'm active, and for that reason I'm hiking with baselayers (which many people naysay).

This is why I like the idea of doing a custom overstuff for the bag or quilt. I'd get a few extra ounces for my hips, and probably another ounce for my feet.

Do you put extra padding under your hips? A small pad can serve as a sit pad while hiking, and extra hip insulation while sleeping.

[bigcranky]

The Spot is a great headlamp. The latest model is very bright, and has smaller LEDs for reading and camp chores. Worth the $40.

I hate bag liners. I'd much rather carry warm clothing, which has multiple uses - I can wear it in camp and in my bag. Wearing a down jacket and fleece tights and down booties will let me sleep comfortably in my 30-F bag down into the high teens. And I can wear any of those items as needed.

[Sassafras Lass]

This is why I like the idea of doing a custom overstuff for the bag or quilt. I'd get a few extra ounces for my hips, and probably another ounce for my feet.

Do you put extra padding under your hips? A small pad can serve as a sit pad while hiking, and extra hip insulation while sleeping.

I've got the BA Insulated Air Core (which I need due to joint pain and vertebrae issues). We also have the Z-Lites but they are rather heavy so we'll wait to get all our gear then see if they're prohibitive.

[Snowleopard]

Headlamps: I also like the Petzl tikka xp. If money is a problem, some of the cheap headlamps at Walmart/Home Depot/Lowes aren't bad, BUT bring one or two squeeze LEDs as backup:
http://www.lighthound.com/Lighthound-Keychain-Flashlight-Blue-Body-White-LED_p_968.html

Liner bag: a silk or nylon liner won't add much warmth. The best way to add warmth with a liner is to use another sleeping bag as the liner. Or, wear extra layers of clothes inside the bag.

[Tinker]

I collect headlamps and have quite a few. My go-to light is a Princeton Tec Eos. It's light, durable, waterproof, and has three brightness settings, the brightest being one watt. Any more than that just adds to battery drain, unless you're expecting to do some spelunking.

I'm definitely anti - sleeping bag liners. Here's why: A bag liner can only be used in your bag at night (maybe alone during summer months), but you can't wear it around camp (unless you poke a hole in the bottom for your feet) or in town while you do laundry. Also, given the same type of material, a bag liner, using more material than a tight fitting suit of the same material will weigh more. So, carry extra clothing instead.