Sleeping bags

[Kookork]

Several things might be in play here:

1) With the exception of a few really high-end companies (and this is unfortunate) a lot of companies totally sand-bag the rating. Unless you have a Western Mountaineering, Feathered Friends, Sherpa Adventure Gear, Mont-Bell, or (some would say) Marmot bag, I'd add about 10 degrees to the rating and remember that this is not really a "comfort rating" - it's more of a "you could do this" rating. For a typical 30 degree night, I'd recommend a bag with a rating in the 5 degree to 15 degree range.

2) Not sure how much camping experience you have but it is really important to strike a balance of good hydration and an empty bladder. If you are generally well-hydrated your cells are not functioning at their optimum and sleep can be poor - your muscles also need hydration to recover from your day's hike BUT you can have trouble staying warm if your body has to keep a bladder full of pee warm. Try to drink a lot of water an hour or two before you go to sleep and then pee 30 minutes before bed then again right before you get in your bag.

3) Adding to the second item, make sure on cold days your body has plenty of carbohydrates - potatoes, pasta, etc. should do the trick

4) Get a thicker pad - this simple addition can make you a LOT warmer

5) Add a vapor barrier / liner to your bag - this can add 5 degrees warmth

6) On really cold nights, I sleep in long underwear and on super cold nights (below 10F) , I add a down jacket - piling on clothes seems to de-loft the whole affair and ruin the warmth thing
(some others will disagree and weigh in on this) - I also almost always wear my stocking cap when it's cold

7) It takes more fuel and a real nalgene or steel bottle, but filling your bottle with hot water and sleeping with it can add a TON of warmth to your bag and your water won't freeze - good trick on an occasional cold snap night, but if you have to do this constantly, you need a warmer bag.

Best of luck in your experiments ...

What a great post Papa D. Just one small correction . I suppose that the Bold word of your post was are not and it is a typing mistake. Couple of month ago there was a thread about the empty or full bladder here in WB and I mentioned there that a full bladder makes us feel cold because stretching of a full bladder wall activate Parasympathetic Nervous system and urge to pee. Parasympathetic system activation slows down the heart rate and blood flow to the extremities and so the body can not compensate properly for warming the body.

Overall great piece of advice in your post. just this post alone put you in top ten posters of WB in my dictionary right beside other great posters like Tinker, john gault, Wise Old Owl, Tipi walter ,Rain man ,Feral bill ,Lone Wolf and some more.

[Tinker]

http://www.rei.com/product/807886/th...w-sleeping-bag

It looks as if the Cat's Meow pictured does not have a trapezoidal (or box) foot section. This could cause your toes (when sleeping on your back) to compress the insulation between the lining and the outer fabric. Compressed insulation causes cold spots.

Another thing is that the bag's insulation is synthetic, which is stiffer than down and doesn't drape nearly as well, allowing empty air spaces around your body which are channels of cold(er) air than what is in the insulation. This is a seldom-mentioned disadvantage when comparing down to synthetics.

If you use a vapor barrier liner, be aware that any clothing you wear inside the barrier will become damp (same as with your space blanket). Wear only poly or wool underwear inside a vapor barrier (which includes your space blanket).

[MuddyWaters]

That 20 degree rating is based on a man. Women tend to be about 10-15 F higher often. So just being a woman, you may be looking at 35F. Being 64, etc, and easily you may want a 10 degree bag. Assuming your pad is good R value too.

[kayaker4ever]

I do a fair amount of winter camping in the mountains of North Carolina but those are shorter duration trips and I can carry more weight so I use a -25 degree bag. For longer hikes I use a North Face Blue Kazoo 15F degree bag. Right inside the zipper NF has a tag that says the "comfort" temp is 25F, the "limit" is 13F and the "extreme" is -20F. At least they're honest. I agree with all the other good advice about diet, pad, hat, booties. Something else, if your bag is a little longer than you are tall there will be an empty space at the feet. This space will be cold so fill it up with extra clothing. I also lay a space blanket down under my pad and fold it over me if I start to feel chilly. Like others have said, it takes more to keep us warm as we get older. If you have a small extra water bottle you can pee in it and put it in the foot area of your sleeping bag. It's already warmed water without wasting fuel.

[Colter]

... Summer drawers, thermal long johns, thermal fleece lined jacket ant my rain jacket in side the bag with and aluminum emergency blanket to boot. I may have been sweating some...

It's important to stay dry and avoid sweating. The first thing I would do is get that aluminum emergency blanket out of the bag. It makes me feel clammy and chilled just thinking about it. Although I am a fan of proper layering of clothing inside my sleeping bag, I try to avoid wearing my rain gear, except as a last resort, because it tends to make me feel clammy.

Others have given you good advice. Make sure you have a warm sleeping pad and warm hat. Your fleece jacket should help as long as you don't sweat.