To condition ourselves for winter camping
and determine how cold our sleeping bags can really work, Jeff
and I started sleeping out on the deck. We waited until
the nighttime temps got into the teens to try this.
My bag (the
one on the right) is rated to 0 degrees. Jeff's bag (on the left) is
rated to -20 degrees. Both
were adequate for the
test.
|
 |
By not using a tent,
we get a more accurate sense of how cold it is outside and how warm
the sleeping
bags are. A tent with two people can be
as much as 20 degrees warmer than the outside. Of course
when camping for real in the winter in the woods,
we'll be using a tent.
|
 |
Besides feeling guilty
for being so warm, I slept great. It was really nice to sleep out
under the stars in
December
on
a school night.
|
 |
|
|
And yeah it seems a little crazy to me too --
sleeping out on the deck in December? But it's all testing
and expirementation in a controlled environment. On the deck if
it gets too cold, we go inside and figure
out how to be warmer
next time. In the woods, you don't get to go inside, so you
better know what you're
doing.
The
temperature on the thermometer at 6am when we were done was 20
degrees. We assume the overnight
low hit 19 or 18
degrees. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
