Bag liner as warm weather sleeping bag??

[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

[Live the Journey]

One of my Top 3 favorite pieces of Gear is by far my Sea to Summit Thermolite Reactor sleeping bag liner. It looks and feels like a simple polypro bag liner, but insted of gaining 3-5 degrees of warmth, the Reactor adds up to 15. I'm a very cold sleeper and I have a circulatory condition that makes me prone to frostbite...I don't go on a trip without this liner, and I just leave it in my sleeping bag of choice for that trip and put my bag (with liner inside) in my compression sack...which gives the illusion of it not really being an added piece of gear and you only gain about 5 oz.

I'm a big believer in changing out sleeping bags as often as you're comfortable with...I know that because I'm so cold-sensitive I will probibly start out in GA with my 10 degree bag (with liner, of course!) and switch out to my 25 degree bag no sooner then past Mt. Rogers. I also have a 35 degree bag that I may switch out with as well.

The liner keeps your bag clean, which is worth using one just for that alone, but I also like it because it allows some comfort rating cushion...If I happen to go out on a trip where it wasn't supposed to drop below 30 and I've got my 25 degree bag and my liner, I'm covered if there's a cold snap and it ends up being 15 degrees...likewise, If it ends up never dropping below 50 at night, I can open my bag up, but still have the light cover of the liner...It's the same idea as having a comforter and sheets on your bed....my liner is one of my guilty pleasures and I love, love, love it!