Sleeping beside a fire

[Celt_Ginger]

Having had the experience of holes being burnt in clothing and sleeping bags by sparks while sleeping beside a fire, I wondered if anyone has ever tried a bivi type bag made from canvas or other fire retardent material? if it was cut large enough you could put a breathable bivi bag inside it and then your sleeping bag. Would that stop the spark holes?

 

[h2o]

the old german army bags with arm holes are good for that,Although theyre very heavy ,ive had a cuople but sold them when the outer layer started peeling of due to age.

 

[John Fenna]

I used to use a Dutch(?) army gabardine bivvi bag and that did well for several years, but was quite bulky and heavy. It ended up being made into trousers which then lasted a couple more years.
Aint seen this kind of bag in years but they should be easyish to make!

 

[h2o]

last one i saw was the one i sold on a car boot sale .Im sure they weighed around 3 kg that why i got rid of them no one wanted to carry them,least of all me.
Why not put a cotton sheet over you and youre slepping bags to keep sparks off

 

[Viking]

Maybe you should try another kind of firewood, that way you dont need to buy new kit

 

[spamel]

In my mind, there's not much point sleeping next to a fire in an insulated sleeping bag. You'll gain less in warmth from the fire than if you were using blankets. Insulation is just that, it doesn't pick whether it is insulating from hot or cold, it just does its' job.

 

[Still Waters]

Buy two army surplus wool blankets and sew them together.
They cost about £3 each
They are the best thing for sleeping in next to an open fire and dont catch the sparks like a sleeping bag.
They also do very well when used inside a sleeping bag in very cold conditions to improve your warmth.


Hope that helps

SW (thinking far outside the box as usual)

 

[fred gordon]

I think the only time I would sleep next to a fire would be in an emergency situation, when I didn't have a sleeping bag, or if the bag I had wasn't up to the job. If you have an appropriate bag for the time of year then a fire should be for cooking or sitting round before getting into your bag. I would imagine if a large spark landed on modern man-made materials which melted you could end up with a nasty burn and you could have difficulty getting out of the bag quickly.

 

[BushTucker]

In my mind, there's not much point sleeping next to a fire in an insulated sleeping bag. You'll gain less in warmth from the fire than if you were using blankets. Insulation is just that, it doesn't pick whether it is insulating from hot or cold, it just does its' job.

Have to aggree here.... Dont get too close

 

[Fin]

Spam and Fred are both correct here IMO - the whole point of modern sleeping bags is insulation. If you're going to use a fire to keep you warm overnight then you're talking about a body length fire constructed with a lean to shelter and a back wall to the fire - and no or very little insulation between your body and the fire.

I have limited experience with very cold weather. -26∘C was the coldest I've slept out in and that involved a large arctic bag in which I got in fully clothed (and well away from any fire) and the next hour was spent gradually taking off layers and keeping all of those layers with me in the bag. The vast majority of our metabolism, as warm blooded creatures, goes in maintaining our body temperature - in this case within good insulation. In the morning do the same in reverse and emerge toasty warm from the bag.

Fires are for cooking, a focal point to the camp, cheer and immediate warmth - no more unless emergency dictates.

 

[-Switch-]

There are several things you can do if you have to sleep near your fire for warmth.

Set a long fire thet emits heat along the length of your body.
Use a reflector, preferably of green logs, along the back of the fire to reflect heat towards you.
Arrange your shelter to trap and circulate the heat (but not the smoke) from the fire.
Use wood that burns with a long, hot flame and doesn't throw sparks.

Using these methods should mean you can sleep far enough from the fire to be out of the reach of any sparks that are thrown toward you.

Generally though, you should only be using a fire for warmth while sleeping if you have no proper sleeping kit. Fire retardent materials aren't especially good at letting heat in which would make it pointless setting a fire before turning in for the night.


If you do find yourself needing external heat during the night you can warm the ground first with your fire, then move the fire, let the ground cool slightly then sleep on the warm ground.
This is a much more efficient way of using the heat from the fire for keeping warm at night, although it takes a bit of preperation.

 

[Celt_Ginger]

The reason I'm thinking about this is because I was reciently part of a group that built a fairly permanent shelter in the style of our ancestors.(staked inner and outer walls, weaving in between the steaks with forest leaf debris packed tightly in between the inner and outer walls, a steep log roof with more leaf litter piled on top, with a smoke hole in the centre of the roof. There is a slightly raised fire in the centre of the shelter. We did sleep there at the end of October without sleeping bags and everyone was warm enough. There was enough of us to maintain a constant fire watch through the night, but I did notice that an occasional spark would land on a roll mat, or someone's polycotton type trousers and is would burn a small hole. I imagine that the same would happen if a sleeping bag was being used. I like the idea of using wool blankets. That would work very well.

 

[Viking]

I sleep most of my night beside a fire in a sleeping bag. Carwling down in a warm sleeping bag and be able to sit in front of the fire while getting your clothes off. To fall asleep while wathing the fire is very relaxing and to fall aslepp to the sounds is jsut great, This does not mean you have to a big fire, with a small fire and a reflector you will get pretty much heat. The only ones who has to worry about sparks are they who uses a down bag, since down burns really well and very quick. It takes pretty much for a syntetich bag to burn. If you burn the correct wood you dont have to worry so much for sparks, spruce will throw more sparks then fireworks but birch will hardly throw any. With a little knowledge you come a long way, many people sleep beside a fire without getting sparks on them, personally I have used goretex on me while sleeping next to a fire without any problems.