Camping Question..

Yeah, bag ratings are way optimistic. I just returned a 40 that was a joke.

My go to REI down bag was like -15. I have a bag liner from Kelty that I put over my Thermarest pad and use the bag like a comforter in warmer temps.
Works.

 

Jflan, judging by your avatar, you need to take me on fishing trip.

 

Yeah, we catch a few.
That's on Oregon's Deschutes River.
We target Summer Steelhead up there, but that was a Fall Chinook in the pic.

It's Winter Steelhead on the docket now, but in the coastal rivers.
We don't freeze up like you do so it's a year 'round addiction.

 

caught this in my backyard this year . I live on the Rouge River in OR .

 

Wear warm socks. Wear a warm hat . (You lose a huge amount of heat out of the feet and head). Get a Bedrug mat or other closed foam mat beneath you. Or buy a Thermarest. Or both (if it's cold enough). A sleeping bag compresses beneath you, so it's essentially worthless as an insulator there. This is why a good insulating mat between you and the truck is so important.

As for alcohol, it actually makes you colder. It causes capillaries to dilate, bringing more blood to the surface of the skin (which is why you feel warmer). But at the surface is where you lose your heat to the cold air. The net effect is a colder core.

Also make sure you're hydrated before bed. Alcohol has a diruretic effect .. but a dehydrated body sleeps much colder than a hydrated one. So drink water.

As others have said, get a good sleeping bag. Down or synthetic will do. Synthetic does better if it gets wet. If on a multiple trip, give your bag some "sun time" to dry out (it collects moisture from your body). And anything you can do to "windscreen" the bed of the truck will be a huge help. For example, a tarp over 3/4 or more of the bed (leave an opening at your head). It will provide protection from the wind, hold in heat, but that opening at the head allows for moisture from your breath to escape & not build up on your bag, and in the bed.

 

Heat up some water on the stove or over the fire before you hit the sleeping bag. A hot water bottle near your feet will make up for an under-rated sleeping bag and keep you warm until morning.

as others said, sleep in as little clothing as possible. Also, I lay the clothes I've been wearing between my sleeping bag and thermarest before I get into the bag, so that they're a little warmer in the morning when I'm fighting to get out of that nice warm sleeping bag.

 

Also make sure that she is hot, can cook, doesn't whine and is tidy.

 

Yup.

 

WOW!!! That is sheer genuis!! Thank you so much for sharing that!! I think that will be perfect for my uses as well - I often take pictures in the cold along the river and on my stops that last awhile this would be perfect to set up a camp chair and brew a cup of joe!!

This forum breeds brilliance!!

 

Thanks.
It started as a sun shelter off the back of my old XJ.

As we know, here in the PNW it rains a little and a little "tarpestry" will create a nice shelter.
I do recommend the Eureka 9'-0" poles though. Their ability to extend and lock is what creates the basic shape and tightens it.
I think I paid $16 each locally a long time ago and you can find them online now for about $20 (+/-).
I developed some cool storage for them on the bed sidewall. I'll have to get some pics up.

 

Also if you are camping in a wooded area ratchet straps and a tarp work well to cover a larger area. You can cinch up a tarp pretty tight with the straps attached to trees. Then if it rains use an extendable pole (like what jflan has) to support the middle of the tarp and direct the rain off to the sides.

 

Great looking set-up jflan. Looks like I need to add some gear.

 

Thanks.
Ever run into Jim Bedford up there ?
Writes for SalmonTroutSteelheader.
An oldtimer that knows steelies in the Michigan streams.

 

I've never met Jim, but I think I saw him (or someone who looks just like him) fishing the Grand one morning. He might be an old-timer, but the heavy current flows weren't giving him any trouble.

Mike