What to use for fall/winter in California? | Squat the Planet

What to use for fall/winter in California?

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Pope Fnordarious V

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I have two sleeping bags. A bulky 0F synthetic and a tiny/minimalist 40F synthetic. I'm gonna be all over California this fall and winter and mostly near the coast--SD, LA, SF, Santa Monica, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, etc. so I don't plan on going up into the mountains.

Do you think I could get away with a 40F synthetic + a fleece liner, or should I just bring the big ass 0F just in case?
 
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spectacular

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It gets down to 40, sometimes a little colder, so for me a 40 degree and a blanket is enough. I use the rei travel down which is like a nice quilt with down filling. I've had other thinner bags that aren't quite as comfortable. Suggestable: something with some insulation and a blanket. Or if you want to carry around the big bag that's cool. For me I hate too much weight
 
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SnakeOilWilly

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I've slept in some bushes with nothing but jeans and a hoodie in late winter. It wasn't fun but I managed. With el nino coming I'd recommend the 0 degree. Just in case.
 
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Art101

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I would say the 40 with some kind of blanket,the fleece is a good idea,at least for coastal.I did the coast one winter with a crappy wannabe coleman camo bag and a tarp,wasn't the best but wasn't the worst either just bring something to keep ya dry.
 
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creature

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if possible, get a lightweight synth 15 deg bag & decent but light down mummy.
thrift stores & shelters will sometimes have great bags, and if you volunteer for a day, they may give you the pick of your choice... wrap up in that mummy inside of the synthetic & yer set.

"hollow fill" was one of the first synthetics approaching down on a weight to weight basis.
picked up my first in england, back in '83. hollow nylon strands that hold air.. revolutionary at the time..
the technology is way advanced, now.. very compressible stuff..

down is still the very best, without question, though..
the outside synth will take the moisture & the down will insulate as well as you would expect.. you don't need an army or expedition rated down bag, either..

as sad as it is, down is at its best in still, dry air, with some sort of lufted bedding.

the dual configuration has worked really, really well for me, though i'm not much of a trekker..
even though i rubbertramp, i sleep out a lot, when on the road.. although weight is not a big deal to me, other than the bug-out bag & gear, space is still critical.

i can tell you, weight for weight & space for space, my bag combo is the best i've run across..
some folks may diss coleman, & rightly so on alot of their shit, but my "15D" bag is rocking (although probably overated, as most affordable bags are).

i would never use it alone, though, unless i had to, & would probably choose it over down.
down alone is just too fucking fragile..
yeah, if yer going to go on a trip with sherpas, or be part of a brigade/tactical unit with hard weather tents, or take your rig to 2 miles from where you're going to camp & you can keep everything perfectly dry & control most adverse variables.. sure.. maybe down alone is good..

you get it wet from snow just *one* fucking night, or have it lose a significant amount of fill from a bad or sudden tear?
you're fucked.

now.. i am talking *affordable*... i dunno about $300 bags.. kevlar shell, gortex liner, etc..hell maybe hybrid materials.. just saying you can do a combo that will weigh about 3 pounds.. maybe less.. & compress to about a 10" X 20" cylinder or less.

i would *guess* that the down should up the rating of the synth by about 20 degrees F, minimum, from any baseline temp used... maybe more.

the *main* thing is to keep yourself & the bags *elevated*, dry & protected from wind.
violate any of those 3, & you may die.


the *main* thing is to keep yourself & the bags *elevated*, dry & protected from wind.
violate any of those 3, & you may die.


the *main* thing is to keep yourself & the bags *elevated*, dry & protected from wind.
violate any of those 3, & you may die.

i hope that is clear.

i only emphasize it because it is fucking true.

i slept on frozen mud on the way to Ohio in fucking december, & in ice covered grass in tennesee, chasing a girl i loved.. left with a satchel, coat, 3 books & a $20 bill, by choice, heading from NY & cali, because back then we had spoken about the war that there is to be able to be with nothing, when what you are told shall be taken from you is the choice to be whom & what you are, when all you wish for is others to be free, also..


no spanging.
spanging is not being free.

not raw.

spanging is fine to maintain a distant & disappointed orbit, but if you can't live *without* spanging?

you are just a cheap, scared, 9 to 5er, who merely hates work so much that they would rather lie & plead falsely, than to admit to an ability to work, though it pays far less than dishonesty..

so i will tell you:

the *main* thing is to keep yourself & the bags *elevated*, dry & protected from wind.
violate any of those 3, & you may die.

you sound like you have a really, really good set of balls..
i suspect you will have a tarp.. use it wisely.

let me know if you need help with gear.

& jesus christ, man, post up as you go..
no clue where i will be, really, as i am ready to fucking immolate myself, but if i can escape anytime soon, the coast is what i love, & if i don't do StP, i will def be on the 1, from SLO yo the canadian border..

been there, done that, will do again
& again

&
again..


yer def welcome to a ride in the rig..

& God help me, matthew, i *will* post fucking photos at some point..


peace,

J
 
D

Deleted member 125

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0 degree bag no questions. yer gonna regret that 40f bag when yer cold and wet, its worth the extra bulk to ya know, not die. 0 degree bag.
 
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Pope Fnordarious V

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I don't know why I expected anything other than absolutely conflicting opinions haha. Guess I'll just wait till we have california-winter-like temperatures here in NY--probably like next month--and then just camp out and compare the two.
 

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i think you might want to look into how temp ratings work..
i *suspect* they are done at standard temperatures, pressures & humidity..

damp cold gives you pneumonia faster than dry cold, & damp windy cold is a misery that you will be aware of all night long..

i dinna know what a bivy sack was until i joined StP, but had been using a version of one (just a heavy plastic bag or closed tarp) for a good while before that..

also bought what *looks* like a bivy, but it's more like a fly-tent.. i think a bag over it would be super solid, but haven't tried..
Wiki points out a couple of things:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bivouac_sack

the main thing is the inner condensation.. i was wondering how to describe that problem, & there it is..
& reading it, i see now that my thngy is a bivy shelter..

i have found, generally, that a good tarp over a mat of lufting vegetation (thin pine branches, dried grass.. hell maybe even tumbleweeds would be ok..) is a fairly good way to augment your sleeping base..
it's been a long time since having to do that (usually just look for a grassy spot). something over the ground is critical, when it is cold, in addition to any camping mat you may have.

make sure you have decent headgear, of course.. & if you carry a set of thermals, that could be a good thing.. i wonder if cutting the sleeves & legs off, to make them more easily peelable, would be a good idea..
short thermals for the day, long for the night.. sleep fully clothed, but just yank them off in the morning..

also.. keep a spare set of them fuckers in a ziplock bag.
carry a little clorox with you & wipe your feet & armpits & crotch & crack with about 1 teaspoon to a 1/2 pint of water, if you can't bathe.. microbial crap in your clothes fucks up it's insulating qualities..
dry mineral dust/dirt that can be shaken out doesn't hurt too much, but organic dirt retains water & tends to bind to fabrics of all types.. the last think you want in your bags is toe/crotch cheese, so take some sort of chlorine with you.. chlorine tablets are lightest & cheapest, but have the potential to chemically burn gear, so stow them in a bag inside of a small, heavy non-glass bottle.. keep the tabs away from your gear when working, because that powder is about as bad as the lead-sulfate from old battery terminals.. you may not see the powder, but it will make micro-holes in shit..

it also kill fucking bacteria, msra & about everything else it touches & is hella handy for some first aid & water sterilization.. i spray my unsealed first-aid gear with a chlorine water mist before bagging it, & keep a small, damp wad of it in the bag with them (suturing gear, implements & large trauma bandages).

anyways.. keep yourself clean, as well as dry..
the smell of organics attracts insects, so.. make yer choice..

also.. i posted about naphtha mothballs at one point.. carry about 5 with you.. crush one of these fuckers around your sack & it'll help keep the fuckers out..
i know this is winter in northern cali, so bugs may not be a big deal, but naphtha also burns incredibly, incredibly well, so they are worth it as firestarters, too..

rant rant rant... rave rave rave...

g'luck!

; )

C
 
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Deleted member 2626

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Yeah why not 0 degree. God forbid you don't look the homeless part with a decent bag. I have awiggys 0 I'm using right now. Will come in handy in a few weeks. If you got a good bag your set for anywhere. I'm a yup I guess
 
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Pope Fnordarious V

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I'm not concerned with maintaining a hobo-aesthetic, the bag is just really cumbersome. And the reason I'm questioning the 0 degree bag is because the California coast has warm winters like 35-50F at night, and I'm a warm sleeper, so I was wondering if I'd be sweating my ass off in a 0 degree bag.

Only one way to really find out though.
 

Matt Derrick

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I'm not concerned with maintaining a hobo-aesthetic, the bag is just really cumbersome. And the reason I'm questioning the 0 degree bag is because the California coast has warm winters like 35-50F at night, and I'm a warm sleeper, so I was wondering if I'd be sweating my ass off in a 0 degree bag.

Only one way to really find out though.

most outdoorsy magazines or websites will tell you that you should add about 20 degrees to the bag you have in order to picture it's relative comfort level. so a 40 degree bag is only really going to be comfortable to about 60 degrees. now, that's supposed to be with you in your skivvies.

so, what i would recommend if i was in your position would be to take the 40 degree bag, and a pair of thermals. if things get too cold you can bundle up in more layers of clothing to buffer the warmth of the bag. i'm also guessing this will pack smaller than the 0 degree bag. this has been my technique for the past 15 years and has worked fine for me. i honestly don't see any reason to take a 0 degree bag, especially if it's huge and bulky.
 

djskum

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You only need a 40 degree bag. Just put some cardboard between youandthe ground.UOTE="Pope Fnordarious V, post: 183869, member: 13459"]I have two sleeping bags. A bulky 0F synthetic and a tiny/minimalist 40F synthetic. I'm gonna be all over California this fall and winter and mostly near the coast--SD, LA, SF, Santa Monica, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, etc. so I don't plan on going up into the mountains.

Do you think I could get away with a 40F synthetic + a fleece liner, or should I just bring the big ass 0F just in case?[/QUOTE]
0 degree. 40 degree bag is worthless imo
y
 

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