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Blankets?

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Jul 31, 2011
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Dodgeville, Wi
I am taking a blanket more often tripping now. It is heavy and bulky, but I dislike sleeping bags so I find it an acceptable trade off. Does anyone else use a down quilt or a blanket while summer tripping?

Bob.
 
It's not a true down quilt but I do open my down bag entirely and use it like a quilt throughout the warmer months. I definitely enjoy the room. As for blankets, I'm still involved in a lot of 17th & 18th century living history events and when I'm out with those programs we only use blankets; and that includes the winter events as well. There are definitely some "tricks of the trade" for getting the most warmth out of what your blanket has to offer but they certainly work well in keeping one warm.

That's all for now. Take care and until next time...be well.

snapper
 
The bag I have, Taiga 1000 one night(something like that) is a barrel shaped bag that open up as a conforter, and that is how I use it most of the time during the water month, I use to have a really light weight mummy, but I prefer the versatility of the Taiga. really good bag, affordable and made here in Canada!!
 
I use a down top quilt rather than a sleeping bag. It's tapered but not confining like a mummy bag. Plenty wide at the shoulders for me. There is a foot box at the bottom that can be undone but I like leaving it closed.

So far I've only used it in my hammock but I'm going to try sleeping on the ground again this summer. Should be fine.

Not cheap but it's warm, packs up small, and weighs just over a pound.

http://www.hammockgear.com/burrow-20/

Alan
 
In the past I have used a fleece blanket for summer camping. I made two different versions: a single layer and double layer. They were rectangular with a zipper on one side and the bottom.
The fleece was light and would dry quickly if need be. As you mentioned, they were bulkier than a bag or quilt.
I have also used a homemade sleeping bag similar to a quilt. It was rectangular and zippered so that it could open flat and be used like a quilt. I used a single layer of Thinsulate between layers of un coated ripstop nylon. It was fine for summer use but bulkier than a comparable down product.
 
I am a restless sleeper, any season, any temp; so I find that a fleece inner bag serves me well under my unzipped and draped mummy bag. On my last winter camp, I had to 'fight' the camp dog for the priviledge of using it!
 
I turn my this thinnest mummy bag over so the opening in under me. My feet go in the pocket which keeps it in place,and the top is a quilt to use as I please.
Turtle
 
I use a lightweight down top quilt. Has a short zipper in the foot box but the foot box also opens up all the way. Not real cheap but very lightweight and seems very well made.
enlightenedequipment.com

They also happen to be in my hometown.
 
Interesting thoughts. I carry a 4 point wool blanket - overkill for sure, but I really like them. I roll it up in my ground cloth, and use a tump to carry it over my Duluth pack. In this way, it is very light and easy to carry. My pack has more room as I do not have a sleeping bag in it ( although they do pack small). I am using my CCS lean one plus and my ground cloth is the floor for the tent. In this way I have lots of room for me and my dog Jake. He gets part of the blanket to warm up in and I do not feel to restrained by a sleeping bag.

It is interesting reading your posts on using the bags unzipped.

Bob.
 
I am using my CCS lean one plus and my ground cloth is the floor for the tent.

I'm leaning pretty heavily towards getting a Lean 1 this spring and using it for tripping shelter. How long have you had yours? What are your thoughts on it so far?

Thanks,

Alan
 
Alan,

So far my thoughts are thus ... make sure you get it with sod cloth - to close gaps on uneven ground. I love the room. It is very good in the wind ... if the wind is on the back of the shelter. It is easy to set up, very light, you may even feel you do not need a tarp, the shelter is all you need.

The cons are it can be a bit buggy, not as good as a traditional tent in my opinion, but pretty good. If you do not have decent trees, you will need poles or the shelter is a no go.

For me, it is light, packs small, yields good room for me, my packs and my dog. I like it a lot. I find it best to have the screen door pointing away form the lake as most weather comes from the water ... but the best views are in that direction ... tough call sometimes.

It works for me, but is not for everyone I guess. I think I like the room the best ... and sleeping with my old blanket.

Bob.
 
I like the sounds of your setup Bob. We've been bringing a blanket or two on trips for the past several years. They're great wrapped around us in front of the fire and in bed on chilly nights. On hot nights it's nice to use the bags as a bottom mattress and just throw the (wool) blankets over us. I toss and turn and find the (tapered) zippered bags a little constrictive. I corkscrew myself into an eye popping package. But the blankets are perfect. I've been eyeing those leans for a few years now. My other half is nervous of sleeping without "walls"; the very idea of a full "open" wall (screen only) freaks her out. I'm working on it.
Do you have a small fire in the lean entrance, maybe a twig stove? I'd love to try that with a lean, without melting/burning it down.
 
I'm a dyed-in-the-wool blanket guy. A good quality wool blanket is a multi-purpose piece of kit and if you know the tricks of the trade it can suffice in all but extremely cold conditions.
 
Thanks for the feedback, Bob. I don't really want to carry a tent and a tarp and thought the lean might be a nice solution. I like the idea of a large covered area with bug protection. One thing I don't like about tripping with a dog and hammock is that when the bugs are bad the dog has no protection at night. Makes me feel kind of guilty wrapped up in my cocoon.

I see Dan sewed mesh into the lower rear of his personal lean for better air flow. Have you had any problems with condensation?

Alan
 
Alan, I have not had any problems with condensation, but I almost always have the door/flap open and angled for rain protect, air circulation. I have heard others remark that condensation can be an issue, and with no screen roof like a modern tent, I suppose it can be a hiccup.

Odyssey, being as this tent shelter is single walled silnylon, I have not had a fire in front of it - fear of burn holes etc. However, when I trip with just a tarp and blanket, I use a twig stove to make a smudge to keep all but the hungriest bugs at bay. I have though about using a smudge with the lean one plus, but never have done it yet.
 
snapper............
I would love to hear more about your "tricks of the trade".
The last ten years or so while camping where there is little or no beast of burden mode, I have been sleeping in a canvas "cowboy" bed roll with two four point Hudson's Bay blankets and a sheet, real pillow & pillow case. Yes, there is a big, big mattress too!! Some nights I am just under the sheet others in the middle of all the blankets with the canvas zipped up around the edge. Most nights somewhere in-between the two extremes. On extended trips with portages I use a sleeping bag, taking the one that will keep me most comfortable for the worst expected weather and a light down jacket for the pillow. I use the down jacket as a neck pillow on airplane travel also, just stuff the body part into a sleeve.
BB
 
When primitive camping I sew the bottom 1/3 rd of my wool blankets shut and get the same result. it's great not to have your feet uncovered in the middle of the night. This sure helped on my recient minus 17 deg primitive camp.
Turtle
 
I love bringing blankets for camping. In the winter I bring a wool blanket, a fleece throw, and a heavy rectangular down and feather bag to unzip and use as a top quilt over our mummy bags. In the summer I bring the same mummy bag but stick half of my body out of it (I prefer to have my feet uncovered, which I guess makes me a weirdo). Year round I bring the Rumpl. What's a Rumpl?! Why, it's a magical technical blanket company startup that began with a Kickstarter fund! I love this thing.
www.gorumpl.com
 
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