trying to stay warm

[mdj05f]

I have a 45 degree bag and I'm in a hammock. I'm purchasing a sleeping pad for insulation and looking at bag liners, I don't want to buy a new sleeping bag. What materials will be the warmest? I've been looking at silk and fleece liners, although I assume the silk will take up less space. I found this: Gizzly Soft-As-Silk Microfiber
Bag/Bed Liner
Any idea if this will be enough?

thanks!

[Snowleopard]

That liner will keep your bag clean and, maybe, add a few degrees to your bag rating. It only weighs 6.1 oz, so it's basically a single layer of fabric and won't add much warmth. The temp ratings for liners are outrageously inaccurate. Also, most sleeping bags have very optimistic ratings, so your 45 degree sleeping bag might be good for 45 or might be good for only for 55F. The best brands of sleeping bag are rated accurately but those are expensive -- Feathered Friends, Western Mountaineering, and a few others. What I do for guessing the rating of a sleeping bag is to compare it to a Feathered Friends bag of comparable fabric, down specs and amount of down.

There is an accurate rating system, the EN rating, explained at REI: http://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/sleeping-bag-backpacking.html

[Slo-go'en]

An important piece of information which is missing is the time of year and place you plan on using this. That will greatly determine what you need. If your going to be in North Calolina in the early spring, like April and into May or up in New England in the fall, you'll want to be comfortable down to at least 30 degrees and 20 would be better.

If your out in the middle of summer, a 45 bag with little insulation under you will be fine.

[Slo-go'en]

Okay, I see your leaving May 1st, so by then it should be warming up a lot. While a liner isn't going to help a whole lot, it does help. It may still be a little chilly in North Carolina in mid May for a hammock/45 degree bag and marginal bottom insulation on occasion, but you could always stay in a shelter if it's gonna be cold. You'll be behind the bulk of the thru-hikers so getting shelter space shouldn't be too hard to do.

Just hope you make it up to Maine before the end of August, as it starts to get real chilly up here in early September.

[Cookerhiker]

... The temp ratings for liners are outrageously inaccurate....

Actually in my own experience, I found that this Sea-to-Summit liner (http://www.seatosummit.com/products/display/24) that I use is rated quite accurately. It really does add 15 degrees. I've taken it both backpacking and on overnight bicycling trips with my 45 degree bag and slept comfortably down to 30. And it's not the bag - that's overrated.

http://www.seatosummit.com/images/products/reactor.jpg

[rockymountainhigh]

I use a 32 degree with jackets until winter

[mdj05f]

I've been reading about 10 bad reviews for every 1 good review of that sea-to-summit thermolite liner. Everyone is claiming that it hardly makes a difference at all. When I tested out my bag, no liner, in the 30's it was so cold I didn't sleep at all so this is becoming a big concern. And spending over $50 for 1 degree difference doesn't sound like something I want to do. My bag was a christmas gift bought quit a while ago, don't think they can return it so I have to work with what I've got. Would silk be warmer than poly?