[pct-l] Hot water bottle

[Pietro, Michael M.D.]

A friend hiked the AT in winter and swears by the hot water bottle in the sleeping bag too. Thanks for the Nalgene tip.

Mike Pietro

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Message: 1
Date: Thu, 13 Nov 2014 14:02:52 -0800
From: Stephen Adams <reddirt2 at earthlink.net>
Subject: [pct-l]  Down booties
To: pct-l at backcountry.net
Message-ID: <B11F5C14-DE3D-4F12-82F8-C7153E771554 at earthlink.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Used to do a lot of cold weather camping, snow, ski, snowshoes, whatever etc...  Learned early on about using a hot water bottle.  Nothing like having cold feet and climbing into the sleeping bag to have a hot foot box waiting, sitting in the bag with the warmth climbing up the bag and warming the knees.  So much easier to get in, get undressed to base layers, and get settled for the night.  Cozy is a good description.  A bonus in the middle of the long night is having some warm water to drink as opposed to freezing cold introduction to the gut.  Couple things to note about making a hot water bottle.  The best bottle is the Nalgene Lexan wide mouth with a reasonably new cap.  If frigid out it wont crack when pouring boiling water in it, and doesn't get weird like the softer lighter plastic bottles.   I have usually poured in the hot water, let it sit a couple minutes and then crack the top, burp it, wipe the bottle off and stick it right in the foot of the sleeping bag.  Nice
  to warm up the hands too by the way...  I have used the lighter softer plastic Nalgene a couple times because that was all I had with me, but don't like to use those unless the only option is being cold.  Have never had a leak.  It always seems a little weird tossing a bottle of water into a down sleeping bag, but the advantages and comfort cozy level wins out every time.  
I've tried to get some friends to try it, but for some reason I have never been able to get anyone to do it.  Your loss fool.  Does it seem too sissy or something? On the other hand, I have a couple friends who insist on sleeping on fold up cots inside huge tents and wonder why they get cold in the summer with winter sleeping bags.  I try to explain, "you have cold air underneath you and if you try putting a pad on the ground and get rid of the cot you'll be more comfortable," they just shrug it off." Again, your loss.  I froze my ass off sleeping on a cot years ago.  I gave it to the person I also gave the big ass tent to who bought my mountain bike.  
The only drawback I have ever noted with doing the hot water bottle thing is that you have to have a good quality bottle that wont get weird with hot water etc..., you have to carry it, a little heavier that a used soda bottle.  You have to heat the water somehow which uses either fuel, or you have to be somewhere ya can use a fire to heat your water.  Bottom line, I haven't had cold feet in almost twenty years, in fact I keep my socks on for a couple hours in the bag 'cause that bottle is hot.  I'll take my socks off when I wake up some time during the night.  

       


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