woobie and wool blanket

[rustybigend]

hello i''m trying to find out how good a combination a woobie/jungle blanket and a wool blanket used together would insulate against cold weather. my guess is you could comfortably get down to 2°c an stay warm.
anyone tried this combo?

 

[C_Claycomb]

No, but I can tell you that you will probably be cold. Possibly even be cold at 6C, depending on your shelter and what other clothes. I know what sort of insulation the Kifaru Woobie uses, and have made quilts with it. Not even 1" of loft brand new. A wool blanket isn't magic. I have had wool blankets of various types and manufactures on my bed for many years and they are not as warm as even light sleeping bags.

Back when I was starting out, I tried to stretch the temperature rating of my Snugpak Softie 6 to work in October by using a fleece sleeping bag liner (borrowed). The liner was about as bulky as my sleeping bag and the end result was still chilly, and it was not as cold as 2C, and it was a sheltered site.

Chris

 

[Paul_B]

It's always a compromise using two layers to get the warmth of one layer made for the job. It's way too easy to lose performance of one layer due to compression by the other. Both compression from the outside due to layer on top or the inside by simply too much bulk inside the outer layer.

I've been colder wearing an insulating jacket inside my sleeping bag than when I tried taking it off. It is that insulation designed for sleeping bags need a certain loft to meet the performance specification. Put a blanket over it you remove the capability of achieving maximum loft. If the loss is greater than the insulation provided by the outer layer then you're going to feel colder with more layers than without.

Sleeping bags are a very efficient design for insulation. Very much better than wool blankets and even down/synthetic insulation clothing. Best get the right bag for the job.

Before anyone mentions military 2 bag systems I would point out that the complete system is designed to provide performance even though the two bags compress the insulation of the other. The loss in insulation of the inner by the weight of the outer is offset by these outer having more insulation in it than ideal situation. Both bags are also sleeping bags designed to fit inside the other. They're also efficient design of sleeping bags not blankets or quilts.

Don't get me wrong about not appreciating the potential performance ofaquilt. My warmest bag is actually a quilt, albeit a heavily shaped quilt that's more of a sleeping bag without the underneath layer of down. It achieves it with the use of an equivalent performance mat. This is efficient infill without compression by another layer. Great design and performance for 690g and -7°C comfort rating in an xl size.

 

[C_Claycomb]

Oh, and welcome to the forum. I used to live not far from Kettering.

You might find it interesting to read about the use of modern Woobie quilts over on the US based forums. They are more popular there and there are more companies that make variations on a light synthetic quilt. Generalising, they are used as emergency or supplemental insulation. People carry them in their vehicles, or throw them in a pack for late and early season day hikes. They use them at home, and in camp for sitting around, or to wrap up during lunch breaks on the trail, or to keep them warm while they use binoculars to search for game while hunting. Also, with summer temperatures which are often higher than ours in the UK, they can use them as sole summer weight insulation to sleep with.

I am starting to think that while I tend to run warm during the day, I must be a cold sleeper. I know from multiple experiences that I will be freezing cold in my hammock, under a tarp, or in a tipi if all I have on top of me is a 700g quilt and the temperature goes down below freezing. Maybe my under-insulation isn't good enough. I know of several cases where that has been a major factor. Anyway I no longer put much trust in the so called comfort ratings used by suppliers of top insulation. I have a Jacks R Better Sierra Sniveller which is described as "conservatively rated to 20F (-6.667C)" and I was properly cold in a tent when the nights just dipped below freezing, I would say no colder than -3C. Original weight 680g. I had someone add 200g more down, it feels a bit over stuffed, but darned glad I did. Used it in the US on my road trip and was still cold on a couple nights, but some of those days were icy.

Come to think of it, most of my trips have been in made when nights are colder. A cost of not liking summer crowds and bugs!

Anyway, my experience is that one pays to stay warm at night. There is monetary cost, and weight, and bulk. You have to pay somewhere and paying money doesn't necessarily mean you cut the other two as far as hope and advertising leads you to think should be possible.

 

[rustybigend]

i carry a wool blanket on my bushcraft camps because its just too handy as a nealer or a sit mat or a wind break ete the uses are endless. it does a great job insulating too. ok there are more efficient insulators. it holds its shape better then a down sleeping bag and i have used it with a summer sleeping bag an got down to 5°c
i wouldn't be comfortable going past that so was looking at diffrent options.
i have a nice winter sleeping bag that compresses down to the size of a basketball but it is bulky. my idea was to get a quilt that would increase my season rating with my wool blanket.
maybe a woobie isnt the way to go but for £20 its worth a punt even if its just a summer kit option

 

[TinkyPete]

Yes, I have tried it several times, and generally it is best for warmer weather conditions. It is not just about the blanket and woobie, also what you have under you. When I have done it down to lower temperatures for trials and tests, I had many layers I used.

Base layer of Grabber space blanket, then insulating mat at least one two are better then blanket two layers below me then woobie layer one, then my body, then woobie layer and then at least one layer of blanket on top (two are better).

I am a warm sleeper, and I would also make sure I cut as much wind away as I can with good protection of a tarp and a fire may also be required and prepared for.

In the UK we generally have weather (very temperamental climate) and so one point in the night can be varied to another and also it is very rare that one night is the same as the next. In the States and most other areas of the world they have climate where conditions are a lot more similar from one day to the next.

 

[C_Claycomb]

i carry a wool blanket on my bushcraft camps because its just too handy as a nealer or a sit mat or a wind break ete the uses are endless. it does a great job insulating too. ok there are more efficient insulators. it holds its shape better then a down sleeping bag and i have used it with a summer sleeping bag an got down to 5°c
i wouldn't be comfortable going past that so was looking at diffrent options.
i have a nice winter sleeping bag that compresses down to the size of a basketball but it is bulky. my idea was to get a quilt that would increase my season rating with my wool blanket.
maybe a woobie isnt the way to go but for £20 its worth a punt even if its just a summer kit option

Sorry, I misunderstood what you were originally asking. I assumed that you didn't have either blanket nor liner. You are right, for £20 you might as well give it a try.

All the best

Chris

 

[adriatikfan]

Just out of interest, is there any particular woobie you would recommend.

Many thanks,
David

 

[SaraR]

Plenty of dry insulation underneath, windbreaks on the sides and something acting as a roof will make a huge difference.

 

[rustybigend]

i use a camo net for a wind block and i make a basic wood primitive fence for a heat reflector from my fire an use a 58pattern poncho as a lean too shelter and a thermorest neoair classic under me
i used a summer bag rated for 7°c and my wool blanket as a liner. it kept me warm down to 5°c an i think i could have gone lower. as i understand a woobie or even the snugpak jungle blanket will go down to 7°c so i could get a few more ° combining the two.
if not i will have a nice little blanket to use in the car for emergency reasons

 

[C_Claycomb]

Science has debunked using a wood fence for a heat reflector behind a fire, unless it catches fire, in which case it is emitting rather than reflecting. Just saying, you could save some effort for no cost.

I must be a cold sleeper. I too have the first generation NeoAir, and while I hoped it would be good insulation, for me it needs help in colder weather.

 

[rustybigend]

a wood fence probably doesn't do much to reflect heat but it is a good wind break.
i like making them anyway. i have two spots with them and i made a small log store for one spot. all made with natural materials which will be reclaimed by the woods in time.
its all good fun playing about in the wood aint it.

 

[1 pot hunter]

hello i''m trying to find out how good a combination a woobie/jungle blanket and a wool blanket used together would insulate against cold weather. my guess is you could comfortably get down to 2°c an stay warm.
anyone tried this combo?

It depends on how much comfort u want Iv used this setup at similar temps and slept alright you won’t die off hypothermia n that’s main thing.