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Backpacker Magazine – February 2007

Make Your Sleeping Bag Warmer

8 easy ways to fortify your sleeping bag

by: Jason Stevenson

Don't get cold feet at the prospect of winter backpacking. With the right insulation, food, and clothing, even chilly sleepers can snooze soundly through a freezing night. Follow our field-tested advice and set up your sleeping bag as shown below to create a comfortable cocoon that dries your damp clothes with body heat, and ensures all-night warmth.

Size your sack You don't need a -40°F bag to sleep toasty, but you do need a snug fit; a too-big bag means extra space to heat, which saps your body's energy. Choose a winter bag with just enough tossing-and-turning space, and a temperature rating based on the lowest digits you'll experience, subtracting 10 degrees (15 if you sleep cold).
Have a snack Eat energy bars before bed to give your body the fuel to stay warm, and keep a Snickers handy in case you wake up chilled before dawn.
Cover your dome Always sleep in a hat, especially if you don't use your sleeping bag's hood.
Dress for space It's tempting to wear every layer to bed, but too much clothing can make your bag tight and compress the insulation. Adjust your layers to suit your bag's interior volume.
Put on dry socks If your feet get cold, wrap them in a jacket or extra insulating clothes.
Snuggle with a bottle Fill a Lexan bottle or two with hot water, stuff them inside a sock or fleece, and place them between your legs (to warm the blood in your femoral artery) and at your feet.
Go long with your pad Skip the ultralight summer shortie for a full-length mat, and back up any self-inflating pad (1.5 inches thick is optimal) with a closed-cell foam mat or spare clothing underneath it. A pack placed under your legs also provides insulation.
Dry your shoes Stash wet boots in a waterproof stuff sack or trash bag between your legs to keep them from freezing. Remove insoles and put them in your bag to dry out. If you have double boots, sleep with only the liners.

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READERS COMMENTS

For an in-depth article with many more suggestions for any time of the year, go to the following website article: http://highcountryexplorations.com/A_Good_Night_s_Sleep.html
Posted: Nov 18, 2011 Sherpa Don

As far as the government of Alberta is concerned

"Black bears in Alberta spend 5 to 6 months in winter dens and lose 10 to 30 percent or more of their body weight. They do not eat, drink, defecate or urinate during the entire denning period and the intestinal tract becomes blocked with a fecal plug until the bear emerges in spring."
http://www.srd.alberta.ca/FishWildlife/WildSpecies/Mammals/Bears/BlackBear.aspx

so i think you'll be safe from them with your snickers bar ;)
Posted: Sep 08, 2011 Dimitri

bullshit

Posted: Jan 10, 2011 wow

good stuff$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Posted: Sep 30, 2010 robert

If it's your feet that are cold, you can stick them (in the sleeping bag) in your emptied out backpack
Posted: Sep 10, 2010 Dyd

A snickers? in Bear country! in your tent! worst advice ever! keep all of your food at night in a bear canister, chapstick toothpaste anything that smells or might be apatizing to our godless killing machine woodland neighbors
Posted: Feb 08, 2010 mike

Stitch or pin a square of thin cotton fabric to the top front of the sleeping bag. Flip it over your head to trap warm air around your face, or use it to block drafts out of the bag. Fabric must be breathable.
Posted: Feb 08, 2009 Laura

Good tips~
If you have a bag with too much leg room, you can grip some of it between your legs, which makes less airspace and is also comfy, IMO. :3
I also hear you can add a decent amount of heat by putting a space blanket underneath you to block the cold from rising. Shiny side to the ground, if I remember right.
Posted: Dec 14, 2008 oki

A sleeping bag liner will add up to 9 degrees of warmth to your bag. A light silk liner works well.
Posted: Apr 01, 2008 Zipoff