Dixie is the first thru hiker vids I came across when I discovered the AT again. When I met her, I told her that her story was my inspiration. Now she is my backpacking encyclopedia.
I went on a 15 day motorcycle trip where I camped for 8 days, I brought a tech blanket and a quilt with a fitted sheet on my pad, IT WAS AWESOME!!! The tech blanket kept me comfortable on the warmer night and the down quilt was nice and toasty on the cooler nights. I was so much more comfortable than with a sleeping bag.
Dixie you are just the sweetest and prettiest young lady I believe I've seen in quite some time. No I don't get out much. But I do reminisce a lot about when I used to backpack and you help bring those memories back. I have a Southern drawl just like you do so I guess that's why I like to hear you speak. Thanks for the video I'm sure you're helping these guys out a lot that's wanting to do hiking like you did and do. Keep ye powder dry
Big Agnes has sleeping bags that keep your sleeping pad positioned in a sleeve. You can roll around all night and the bag never moves. All the benefits of a quilt in a mummy bag. Tried it out this weekend. Works perfect.
Yesssss, I love mine! 🥰It’s the Big Agnes anvil horn 650 down in a tall wide and it is sooo roomy and comfy! My Nemo tensor long wide fits perfect inside and I don’t slip and slide. You can tuck your head in too and stay all warm and cozy or kind of unzip and use it like a quit if you get too warm. I’m always cold though so works well. I also have the Bug Agnes blacktail 2 person tent and I love it! 💚 they have really nice quality gear and it’s not crazy expensive. Memorial Day was definitely the way to go for buying a lot of gear at once 😂
I tried out my own setup this weekend car camping, and I definitely like combining the accordion style foam sleep pad underneath my inflated pad for several reasons. First, I was able to deflate the top pad to where it was most comfortable for me, without pushing against the ground anytime I moved and potentially puncturing it. Also the noise seemed to be reduced from having the foam pad between the floor and my Thermarest Xlite which is notorious for being a noisy pad. Besides those benefits, it's also more insulation from the ground, and the foam pad is just great for a lot of things besides just sleeping. Sunday morning I was doing yoga on it, and all evening I was on it in my tent listening to music and drinking beer while a storm raged outside. You didn't mention pillows, and I need to shout out my Thermarest foam pillow for being everything that I was looking for in a camp pillow. I can't stand laying my head on a firm bag of air to sleep, and I think I found the best alternative that cradled my head and neck perfectly all night. I went with size medium, I think I might get another in large and start taking two because I need wrist support when I sleep or I get carpal tunnel. One piece of gear that I didn't bring but wish I did, was a travel sheet that I'm going to make at home. I'm just using the top sheet from the same sheets I use in the summer time which are incredibly light and breathable. It shouldn't add more than a pound of weight, and honestly I probably could have gotten by the weekend sleeping just in that instead of my sleeping bag, which didn't let my body breathe the way I need.
Every mummy bag I've ever owned had a draft tube down the side where the zipper is located and I can't ever remember having a cold leak, cold spot or draft in my bag. Of course, the draft tube makes the bag heavier so maybe the newer "ultra light" bags are skimping on the draft tube.
Neo lite xl, has been a game changer, im a wiggle worm like you. Also I finally switched to be a quilter, I will never go back. Custom EE enigma, 10d inside 20d outside 950 fill, long and wide. 22oz total for a 10f bag. Im stoked.
Just adding my 2 cents. I almost always sleep on my stomach and I actually prefer my closed cell pad over my pillow-top mattress that I was given. Not being macho, I still need my inflatable pillow, but I think me having a large body makes firmer sleeping platforms more comfortable. Now when mountaineering I use my luxurious inflatable pad on top of my my closed cell.
UP synthetic is the perfect compromise for me. Works great when wet, and compresses almost as good as down. Cedar ridge outdoors makes some nice synthetic quilts
Dix...I think the best sleep ive ever gotten on trail was in a micro fiber bag liner and on a thermo-rest 3/4 pad that my father gave me when i was like 7. im about to be 34. it is MOST DEFINITELY worth the little extra weight. ive got other, lighter pads, but they just dont compare to the bombproof quality of what was made in the 90's
I'm pretty much probably overdoing it, but I use a trimmed down closed cell pad with a cheap lightweight inflatable on top. I haven't done a thruhike, so I might change whenever I do. It really keeps me warm and protects the inflatable pad. It's super comfortable! 👌
I do the same, with a torso length inflatable. After I had to sleep on the cold ground with a leaking Thermarest I prefer the extra safety and protection of a closed cell foam pad.
@@Henning_Rech That's exactly how I started doing it. I was freezing cold in the West Spanish Peaks this June and my air matress sprung a leak, which left me on the hard ground, so I took my small closed cell pad for sitting & put it under my hips. It really helped insulate that part of my body from the cold!
Thanks for sharing the sweat, literally. Have you thought or done vids on most common injuries or death on trail. From what it seems you haven't had to much of that happening minus stalkers, but any advice on how to prepare for a potential inevitable situation? Thanks for supporting kelli and the guy who had to be helicoptered out and returned to give them motivation to push through. Good vibes
You are the expert. The way I layer sleeping system is: 1 down quilt plus, when it is cold, I layer by wearing down ski pants & down jacket. The down ski pants squeeze down to the size of a beer can and wearing down clothes are really great when I have to go pee at night and it is cold outside.
People are starting the AT earlier. Cold, wet weather would be enough to make me consider switching to a sayntheic bag. Even more so if I was using a shelter that I had not prviously used. Hypothermia is a realistic fear. Quilts can be drafty. Try one out before committing to a thru-hike with one. Personally i wouldn't use one when it is frosty .BTW I like closed foam pads. They are easier to set up when I'm tired and quilts don't work with them well.
Good stuff! A lot of people say that the underside insulation of sleeping bags don't insulate much because it's compressed. So this is the reason to go with a quilt. Like to see a carefully managed study. I make my own bags starting with a down throw. I put the zipper on the top so that I can adjust warmth. Tested to 40F. Weight about 26oz. Packs to about 6x10 inches. Just used it on a hike on Black Balsam in NC. Toasty warm. Details on my RU-vid channel, Tom Loves DIY.
Hi Dixie. I have a lot of allergies. I have been tested for about everything but down. What tests did you have done to confirm you were allergic to down? Is there a test for the shell itself? Love your vids!
Crinkle sound is only a problem on Thermarest. Exped pads have never had this problem. They are also all over 3" in depth so you won't bottom out your hips like on the Thermarest stuff.
Great video - my partner and I are looking at replacing our mummy bags and we appreciate the insights. For R-values try to find the ASTM-standard value, don't take the manufacturer's word for it. I had an uncomfortably cold overnight in January using a Klymit Static V insulated pad that the company still says is rated R4.4. I did some digging and the ASTM rating is R1.9.
Two sleeping bags??? Only if your dog is coming along. 😉 Wondered about doubling up on a 30deg bag and a 40 degree topquilt and using the unused colder bag as an extra pillow for the warmer months.
a sleeping bag will have a draft baffle so it will not matter if you toss and turn Constant use of the sleeping bag will get damp and that is when synthetic is better The Thermorest egg carton closed cell mats are much more comfortable than the thin mat you show on the video but they are bulky
"We pack our fears." In that case all I'll pack is spider repellant🤔 Yup just me nekkid against all them crazy ass spiders I just KNOW are all out to get me🥺
This weekend I am going on a five day trip starting tomorrow morning I have a standard Walmart 50° bag it takes up a quarter of the Backpack. I am trying to find something that keeps you very warm comfortable it can fit in the size little bigger than my hand what is the best options
Just a tip from a 40 year outdoor nut, I prefer an old stainless steel military canteen cup for many reasons while camping, one major reason being that a couple tea light candles lit in one can be used carefully as a mini wood stove in your sleeping bad to warm you up quick if you're freezing, and help dry things out. Just be careful to keep it far enough away from the bag inside and don't fall asleep with it.
@@z4u68 you're welcome, I sometimes have to listen to things more than once on RU-vid to make sure I hear things right. Don't know if it's my phone, background noise, or just me.
We used two sets. One warmer synthetic bag from the beginning and then a down bag for the second half. Of course that was back in the Dark ages in the 1990’s.🫤
