Camping Question

[Geonz]

I'm going to be taking my bike (and the blender) on GITAP
which is a week-long tour of ILlinois.

Last year I bought a nice tent and borrowed everything else. This year I want to buy a nice sleeping bag, maybe a pad. Will I regret getting, say, a "20 degree" sleeping bag? Last year was fine with a really light one but the weather was perfect. I think the tent also does a good job of keeping heat in when it's closed up, too.

(Last year I joked about finding a "carbon fiber man" and riding off into the sunset... welp, I did end up with a pretty good song after finding out just how *hard* an aluminum frame with underinflated tires moving at 13 mph can be, about a carbon fiber frame... my legs can't wait to straddle that carbon fiber saddle and ride that baby all day long... )

[Veronica]

Our bags are 40 degree bags. We added silk liners this year for a trip to Utah making them effectively 31 degree bags.

V.

[SadieKate]

What do you expect the night time temps to be? Is this a 2-man tent with only one body in it? It all makes a difference.

[KnottedYet]

I get cold easily when I sleep, so I'm all for warm bags. You can always unzip if it gets too warm. (I've done my share of sleeping in ALL my clothes inside my bag.)

My artificial fluff bag kept me happy on DALMAC, even after we got dumped on with rain and it got pretty soggy. I've never had a gen-u-ine down bag, so I don't know how they do in the damp.

I use an el cheapo foam pad. Love it. Think I got it at Target. $10 or so.

[Brandy]

I'm going to be taking my bike (and the blender) on GITAP
This year I want to buy a nice sleeping bag, maybe a pad. Will I regret getting, say, a "20 degree" sleeping bag? Last year was fine with a really light one but the weather was perfect. I think the tent also does a good job of keeping heat in when it's closed up, too.

IMO, one cold night will make you wish that you had a 20 degree bag! We're avid campers and we live in southern California. The coldest temps we've had to deal with while camping were in the low 30's last February, and that was when I gave up on our 35 degree bags because we all froze! The kids and I all have 10 degree mummy bags (with the exception of the youngest, his is a20 degree bag) and we used them all summer last year with no problems. If it's a warmer night we simply didn't zip them all the way up and we were cool enough.

As for pads, I love our thermarest pads!

[Veronica]

Sorry I wasn't clear. I wasn't advocating getting a 40 degree bag, but rather pointing out that if you get the twenty degree bag and it's not warm enough, you can add liners and they do work.

We switched from thermarests to Big Agnes pads last year. Four camping trips later, we're still thinking they are more comfortable than the thermarests.

V.

[sydney_b]

IMO, one cold night will make you wish that you had a 20 degree bag! *snip*
As for pads, I love our thermarest pads!

I'm with Brandy on this one. Have a warm mummy-style bag and thermarest too. When I'm too warm, I just unzip.

[annie]

Sounds like an interesting ride! And not too far from my riding area. At least for some of it. The area around Palisades Park is lovely! I've bike in that area on TOMRV.

As for sleeping bags, that's always a tough one. You don't want to take more than you need, but you don't want to chance freezing at night! And it can still get pretty chilly at that time of year around here. I think you'll be ok with a 20 degree bag. You can always unzip and let air in, if you need to cool off. You can take a small sheet or light fleece cover and lay on top of the bag if it's really warm. I guess I've always had more problems the other way - keeping warm enough, so I tend towards making sure I'll stay warm. Besides, if you are taking your extracycle, and I'm assuming you are, since you're taking the blender , you'll have room for a slightly larger sleeping bag. V's idea is also good. A light bag plus a liner. 'Cause then you've got a light bag for the really warm nights of summer. Decision, decisions........ never easy.

annie

[Geonz]

I was worried the 20 degree bag might be too warm, though I could bring something to line it with and use that instead getting into the bag (I like to have *something* draped over me). I'm one person in a two-person tent - and that's right, I'm not at all concerned about space (it's also got a truck carrying stuff - but I"m really looking forward to being able to toss everything on the xtracycle instead of humping it all to the tent sites, and being able to shop if the mood strikes me). I HATE being cold, though!
I've done hardly any tent camping - our family always went to the nifty little cabins in the woods. I might even be a REAL weenie and bring the aero bed...