[pct-l] Face Protection While Sleeping

[Paul Robison]

THanks for the tips...  Winter camping is my background;  so I'm very used to the mummy bag etc;  my big worry is in trying to not freeze and still be under 11 or so lbs base...  Maybe adding something extremely light.  

Last night I slept in my tent and I used a smartwool beanie;  and even though that was not over my face itself I think it made a big difference...  Hard to tell though cause it was also 35 degrees instead of 22.

Poured rain all night and I was able to keep dry in this 'ultralight pitiful excuse for a shelter'. Still some condensation;  but just a fog really;  nothing that dripped or ran down the walls.  So my confidence is better.  Seems anything over 30 will be quite comfy;  and if last year is any indication; there's really only going to be a handful on nights in the 20's.  I'm trying to get in he mindset of packing for the 90% not the 4% of nights.

Thanks steeleye for your thoughtful reply... And all others as well...

Shoomer I took your advice and kept one side vestibule up all nice and I thought the breeze was refreshing... And it did stay dry.

Thanks again to all,
~Paul

Sent from my iPod

On 2011-04-02, at 11:41 AM, CHUCK CHELIN <steeleye at wildblue.net> wrote:

> Paul:  "one thing i definitely need is some kind of face muff;  i felt like
> my nose and
> lips were going to fall off, despite having sweaty feet."   ... anyone have
> good suggestions on how to keep the face warm without feeling suffocated?"
> 
> Good morning, Paul,
> 
> This is in regard to you request for suggestions for keeping the face warm
> in the sleeping bag without feeling suffocated.  Being rather lacking of
> top-of-the-head hair I carry, and almost always sleep in, a knit stocking
> hat, but I have a relatively high resistance to claustrophobia so my methods
> may not be appropriate for others.
> 
> I haven’t found the PCT to be particularly cold anytime during a normal
> three-season hike:  Certainly frost-on-the-bag cold when I sleep under the
> stars, and maybe dropping from the low thirties F to the mid-twenties, but
> at those temperatures I do not pucker the top of the mummy bag; I only wear
> the stocking hat.  That’s mostly because I like to have my head out to see
> and listen rather than being something done to avoid claustrophobia.
> 
> In much colder sleeping conditions – I’ve slept out under the stars in
> winter temperatures as low as -22F – I pucker the bag top to an approximate
> 4” diameter hole as well as wearing the hat.  My medium/cold weather
> sleeping bags have the resulting hole nominally on the top of the bag, while
> I am primarily a side-sleeper.  I could twist the bag around to have the
> hole near my face, but I don’t.  By side-sleeping with the hole on top I get
> sufficient air while not having any skin directly inside the hole.  When/if
> I feel the need for more air I just lift my topside arm a few inches which
> increases the inside volume of the bag by sucking in more air through the
> hole.  On cold nights I also wear my fleece or wool gloves.  I don’t really
> need the hand warmth, but I usually sleep with one hand near my face, and
> the glove helps keep my nose warm.
> 
> For sleeping I’ve tried several styles of hat, but none seem to beat the
> combination of light weight, versatility, and top protection provided by a
> standard, cheap-o, single-thickness, knit hat.  I have several balaclavas
> and ski masks – both knitted and fleece – but I don’t find the extra
> coverage necessary, and invariably during the night they get twisted around
> causing me aggravation.  I also have several fitted, cold weather, skullcaps
> normally worn under a helmet or hardhat.  They work OK, and I sometimes
> carry them on the trail, but their bottom edge is contoured to cover the
> ears and when twisted around out of place they cover my eyes while exposing
> my ears, which is a nuisance.
> 
> Steel-Eye
> 
> Hiking the Pct since before it was the PCT – 1965
> 
> http://www.trailjournals.com/steel-eye
> 
> http://www.trailjournals.com/SteelEye09
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