[pct-l] Sleeping bag liners

[CHUCK CHELIN]

Good morning, all,



I don’t use a sleeping bag liner.  With the first decent bag that I bought
over 50 years ago I swallowed the ad line and bought a liner for the same
reasons being touted today.  When I tried it at home I became peeved at how
easily it stuck to me, and how easily it slid on the inside of the bag.  The
result was I got all tangled up in the dang thing.  But – consistent with
human nature – I felt that since I had bought it, I was going to use it.  And
I did, or at least for about the first hour of the first trip, then out it
came – never to return.  Subsequently I used it only as a dust cover on the
outside of the bag when I hung it in the closet between trips.



Bags do become somewhat soiled when one sleeps in them without a liner or
without separate sleeping clothes, but there’s really no harm in doing so
and the weight savings is significant.  Some say the liner adds warmth – and
it probably does -- but I say the added weight for the additional warmth is
inefficient.  Much better would be to get a bag with an ounce or two more
down instead.



When I crawl into the sack much of any yucky feeling is the result of salt
accumulation on my skin.  Salt has a great affinity for moisture and in the
presence of humidity and warmth the feeling is clammy or damp.  Useful is to
try to rid the skin of excess salt.  Water alone works; it’s not really
necessary to use soap.  Various foil-wrapped wipes are OK, but water is
best.



Much of the stink that eventually accumulates in a bag, or in clothes, is
the result of various volatile body waist constituents in the presence of
bacteria – particularly noticeable after having eaten a 2-pound bean burrito
in the last trail town.  Daily spreading of the bag in the presence of fresh
air and sunshine does wonders to remove the stink.



Steel-Eye

Hiking the Pct since before it was the PCT – 1965

http://www.trailjournals.com/steel-eye

http://www.trailjournals.com/SteelEye09


On Fri, Apr 2, 2010 at 7:11 AM, Diane at Santa Barbara Hikes dot com <
diane at santabarbarahikes.com> wrote:

>
> On Apr 2, 2010, at 6:55 AM, pct-l-request at backcountry.net wrote:
>
> > my stinky filthy body is going to be pretty rough on the
> > down fill in my bag...
> >
> > Quick PCT-L poll: how many people use each of the following options:
> >
> > *  Sleeping bag liner
> > *  Dedicated sleeping clothes
> > *  Nothing in particular - I don't worry about it
> >
>
> I swear to you that this is true.
>
> I did a long section last year and hiked mainly in the hottest,
> stickiest, sweatiest months. I smelled awful. I sweated up my bag
> each night. I slept in my clothes in my bare feet. I did make an
> attempt every night to wash my feet and legs with my bandana and a
> little water.
>
> When I got home, after my 1800 mile journey, I laid my quilt out in
> the sun for half a day. I thought maybe I ought to wash it. Gingerly
> I brought it up to my nose to check and there was no smell. I looked
> closely and there was no dirt, either. None visible anyway. The bag
> is black on the inside.
>
> So for a 4th option, consider just washing yourself before bed.
>
>
> Books I've written:
> ~ Piper's Flight
> ~ Adventure and Magic
> ~ Santa Barbara Hikes
>
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