Sleeping Bag Liner

[discoveringtheforest]

Hi chaps

Looking for alittle more warmth from my one season softie 3 bag and was thinking of a bag liner rather than upgrading to a new bag.

I hear allot about silk?

Does anyone have any experience with such or have any other ideas?

Cheers

 

[wicca]

Ha! that's a coincidence, I've just come back after a little 4 night jaunt and used a silk bag liner. Verdict...not impressed to be honest. Radio said minus 4 celcius and I reckon that was about right (sorting some photos for later) I reckon some of the manufacturers claims about uprating the bag under those conditions are a little err 'hopeful'

 

[andybysea]

I use a snugpak fleece liner,on the plus side its warm and comfy, on the down side its rather bulky.

 

[durulz]

To be honest, if you all you have is a one-season bag, you'd be better off spending your money on a new three-season bag - it'll probably be cheaper than the money you spend on 'warming-up' your current bag, and probably be more compact any way.
I have a Highlander Ultralite (a one-season bag) that I use specially in summer. For all other times I have another bag (for the life of me I can't remember the manufacturer).
The thought of taking the Ultralite out this time of year makes me...well, shiver, just thinking about it. And all the stuff I'd have to wrap round it/in it to bring it up to speed is not worth the hassle.

 

[discoveringtheforest]

.....then the softie 9 hawk might not be a bad idea

 

[Scots_Charles_River]

A bivvy bag, adds heat and waterproofness.

Nick

 

[Hathor]

I like my silk sleeping bag liner. Got a Jag Bag one off e-bay for about GBP20 a few years ago if memory serves me correctly (no connection to seller, etc just a satisfied custiomer).

Not sure how durable they are though. Certainly do not view it as a life-time investment.

 

[rancid badger]

Hi chaps

Looking for alittle more warmth from my one season softie 3 bag and was thinking of a bag liner rather than upgrading to a new bag.

I hear allot about silk?

Does anyone have any experience with such or have any other ideas?

Cheers

I have a brand new, unused, Meraklon, liner I'm about to sell, if your interested?
These are very warm!
cheers
R.B.

 

[Shewie]

If you`re a hammock dweller get an underblanket, best money I ever spent

 

[sandsnakes]

If you want to do it on the cheap and boil allive in the cold.

Get a cheap fleece blanket, from Pound Saver or similar, sew it up as a linner. Do notmake it into a total sleep sack, just hold it inside with loops and ties.

This is how the linner worked on the old pattern 58 down bag. A good fleece liner will cost you about £6 to make it cost from about £16-25 in a camping store to buy.

Make sure you have enough room at the end for your feet, I have done this with a £5 fleece blanket and it works like a dream.

Sandsnakes

 

[bikething]

Don't get on with bag liners meself - The first (and last) time I tried one I ended up twisted inside it in a knot and couldn't get my hands out to undo the zip on the sleeping bag..

ended up wriggling out the end of the bag, wrapped in the liner, like a snake coughing up the remains of it's lunch.

good job I was on the floor and not in a hammock

 

[wicca]

Sounds good Sandsnakes, I shall give that a whizz. My bags a decent 0' rated Vango and I thought the silk liner would be enough to boost it just a little, being a ground dwelling creature I had plenty of thickness under me too, but still ended up layering up with extra thermals in the early hours.

 

[sandsnakes]

Being a ground gripper and not a swinger myself I appreciate the problem!

If you make the linner with buttons or a two way zip you can let the heat out. I have found that using the same method as the old pattern 58 linner works the best. Make the linner entry so it matches the zip in your bag, side or top/central etc, ect. Then add ties to the corners to hold it in at the bottom and top, then four ties along each side of the zip.
You can also add a hood to the linner try fot the kind you see on a duffle coat, a basic bag, its easier to get off and on than a draw string type.

This way its easy to take out and wash, you can make a cotton one for summer use so you dont dirty up your bag.

My central heating boiler went bang during the cold snap, it was so cold at night I used my bag, while everyone else complained of the cold, I had a problem of being to warm! 5 days with no heat, hot water is very interesting. I got the art of a bucket bath down to a fine art.

Sandsnakes

In summary, go for ties

 

[wicca]

Understood, thanks I'll give it a go. wicca.

 

[sandsnakes]

Wicca,

takes about an hour from start to finish to make with a good sewing machine. Turn your bag inside out and mould the blanket round it. Then pin it to shape, cut off the bits you dont need and sew. After doing a straight stitch to hold it together do a zigzag along the edges this will stop fraying. Once you master the art of the sewing machine therr is nothing you will not try after a while, gear modification becomes dam easy!

If you dont have a sewing machine (the ultimate bushcraft tool IMHO ) try these people.

http://www.joyssewingmachines.co.uk/

Next day door to door service, cheap as chips and they are used by most of the sweat shops and small tailors in asia so they are used to heavy use.

Sandsnakes

 

[wicca]

I've got an old hand operated "Singer" that with the correct needle has handled lightweight sail material, so it should cope ok with fleece blanket. It's got straight and zigzag stitch capabilities so I'm in business. If I can just avoid trapping my finger under the 'foot' like I have done in the past, it should be fairly painless.

 

[sandsnakes]

Wicca,

I had an old treadle machine, glad i switched to the powered one! I actually did all the sewing on my bag in under 15 mins. The wonders of non-leg assisted power!

 

[Toddy]

I've got a silk sleeping bag liner and I think it counts as a 'good thing'
But, and it's a real but; it's a silk sack and it's the most awkward thing on the planet to get situated into comfortably and it's worse when you get out in the middle of the night and then try to get back into it
If you do buy one then yes, alter it to fit you and your bag. I resisted cutting mine because I use it as a Summer sleeping bag on it's own. I'm giving up, I'll make this one fit and buy another come Summertime.
In fact I think I'm just going to securely tack stitch this one as a liner into my Nanok and that ought to even take the chill off the lining fabric of the bag It weighs nothing and it'll not add any bulk to the bag either.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[sandsnakes]

Toddy,

its a common problem.

I have had that problem with every linner I have used, thats why I have gone back to basics, doing the tie it in thing as used in the pattern 58. After all if it can cope with a squaddies size 13's and basic brutality , its gotta be well tested.

Its ok sliding into the dam tube and zipping up once inside the bag when you are going to sleep, but a 3am visit to the nearest tree is murder . It always ends up as an exercise in wrestling and the linner wins! Hence using the bags zip as the working opening.

I will knock up a summer one and post pic of manufacture.

Sandsnakes

 

[discoveringtheforest]

....as a follow up to this topic,rodger turnbull has talked me into buying a down bag.

Oops

Thanks so much for all your input