Sleeping Bag Liners

[Webguy]

Hi All, was wondering what sort of sleeping bag liners you use, more for the extra warmth than anything else.

I read the threads about the faux silk liners on ebay and saw those. So will stay away from those, but did see some Aussie made ones that say pure silk and they are still a reasonable price...

I read somewhere else that silk is the warmest liner? By how much extra does it make a difference? I do tend to feel the cold, but if I can extend the "seasons" on my bag a bit I might be able to get out a bit more.

Cheers

[Moondog55]

I have a home made silk liner, it weighs about 70- 100 grams and I don't think it adds any warmth at all. I tent to use it mainly to keep my bag a little cleaner

[Franco]

One way to keep warmer, probably without adding cost, is simply to wear dry and clean clothing inside your bag.
The key words there are DRY and CLEAN. The converse is also true.
Wear damp (sweaty) and dirty clothing and you will feel colder..
That is why some think sleeping naked work best however for some odd reason I bet that in winter at home they wear pijamas...
Contrary also to another often quoted possible problem , down in particular can be compressed a bit and still retain the same warmth.
But of course if your bag is already tight, then this may not work for you.
( at camp I have a wash and put my "night" layers on)
BTW, for me silk does add a bit of warmth but not several degrees.
Keep in mind that you do not want to restrict circulation. Tight fitting socks will give you cold feet...
Franco

[Moondog55]

On second thoughts maybe mine does add a "Little " warmth, I would notice it only if I slept naked and I never sleep naked

[norts]

I use a home made silk liner, get the silk from spot light. I use it to keep bag clean and also it slides nicely inside the bag rather than cotton.

Roger

[MartyGwynne]

I agree with Franco and have used cotton and silk liners.
I now use and love my synthetic liner which is similar to the fabric thermals are made of. I like it because I can move, roll over and wriggle about without being tied up and tangled or restrained as I do get from the silk and cotton liners. It weighs about 240 grams so silk would be lighter but my sleeping bag is only 550 grams and it does make the bag warmer.
I can also wrap the hood bit over my head to give me just that little bit of warmth if required. OK I am a convert to these liners.
Marty

[TerraMer]

I bought an early Sea to Summit silk liner about 10 years ago, before they became expensive. It's roomy, light and warm.
Snow camping I get optimum warmth with a set of heavy weight Wilderness Wear merino thermals, Sea to Summit silk liner and One Planet Bush Lite bag.
Summer camping I have a light Roman 3 season bag and Camping World poly fleece liner and use both as blankets rather than bags if I'm sleeping in a tent so they can be kicked off. If I'm sleeping under a fly the poly fleece liner as a bag and a set of merino thermals is often enough to stay warm most nights above 10deg.

[Webguy]

Cheers all, was still doing some reading and came across these claiming up to 14 degrees extra?? http://www.wildearth.com.au/summit-ther ... 945dd56e59 anyone got one or tried one?

[jacko1956]

99% of the purpose of the liner is reduce the washing need for your down sleeping bag.
Any liner that adds warmth will likely need extra washing that may be difficult to provide on trail (especially as it will need substantially more drying time than a thinner liner).
It will also add extra weight - silk is excellent weightwise and IMHO dries easier than cotton.
For budgetary reasons when I first bought a down bag I got a cotton liner from KMart and used that for a couple of years before I sprung for the silk liner.
Best tip I ever got re down sleeping bag apart from always use a liner - when you first get up, turn it inside out and air as best you can for a few minutes. The bag will be warm from your body heat so all that moisture it has collected from you overnight will evaporate.

[Mountain Rocket]

I bought a mummy-shaped silk liner from Terra Vista Trails, which are made in NZ. As people have previously mentioned, the main purpose is to keep your down bag clean. They can also help trap heat closer to your body, potentially adding a few degrees to the warmth of your sleeping bag. The advantages of silk over cotton liners is the weight and its ability to better wick water away from your body.

Personally I would never buy a liner with the sole hope of increasing the warmth of your bag. I would also not bother if you only have a synthetic bag.

[ninjapuppet]

Hey webguy, a liner is basically the easiest DIY project you can do!

Even using a cheap $20 sewing machine, buy some material from lincraft. cut 2 pieces to your preferred size, sew them perimeters up leaving the top free, and finally turn it inside out.

Play with different materials like fleece, silk, cotton etc. I've made 6 and bought 3 but don't use any of them. Just a hobby for me I guess

[Dale]

Cheers all, was still doing some reading and came across these claiming up to 14 degrees extra?? http://www.wildearth.com.au/summit-ther ... 945dd56e59 anyone got one or tried one?

I've never used one, but have yet to read a positive assessment of their performance. Consensus is the ratings are highly exaggerated so perhaps not worth the warmth for weight. If you want to be warmer in your bag than consider wearing clothes - down jackets and pants can considerably extend your temp range. There are a lot of factors on sleeping warm and probably a bunch of threads here which go into more detail.

[Toohp]

Ive got a Sea to Summit Thermo Reactor liner , been very happy with it in the past , does add warmth not sure how much ?
I don't use it now as Ive upgraded my bag .

[Rob A]

...these claiming up to 14 degrees extra?? http://www.wildearth.com.au/summit-ther ... 945dd56e59 anyone got one or tried one?

Thermite is even warmer.

[Miyata610]

Thermite is even warmer.

As in a redox reaction?

[corvus]

...these claiming up to 14 degrees extra?? http://www.wildearth.com.au/summit-ther ... 945dd56e59 anyone got one or tried one?

Thermite is even warmer.

Very droll Rob A
Thermite is a pyrotechnic composition of a metal powder and a metal oxide
corvus

[Webguy]

Sadly, I just checked and it is not a down bag, it is a Roman Palm Visa.

[Moondog55]

I have just found an old pair of the ultra-lite PJs I used to use walking ( very lightweight silk, bottoms and T-shirt top ) and this reminded me of something I saw in an old DIY book. pyjama bottoms with feet, just like little kids wear. The author said that they were warmer and lighter than a liner and a lot more comfortable which makes a lot of sense

[Mountain Rocket]

To all you guys proclaiming you make your own silk liner, where on earth are you getting the silk from?
I know Roger Caffin recommends this place: http://www.thaisilks.com/product_info.p ... ucts_id=15 but it is going to cost me ~$180 to get the amount of silk I need, which is damned expensive. Cheaper to buy already made ones from Jag Bags which is still made in NZ/Scotland.

Just wondering if I am missing something.

[norts]

I get my silk from Spotlight, just get what ever is on sale. I make my liner a bit longer than commercial ones. I am on my second one.
I shape it roughly to my sleeping bag.
Lat one was about $50 , was a few years ago.
Roger

[Mountain Rocket]

Spotlight have silk on sale for $25 at the moment (30% off), but that is only for one metre. Still cheaper to buy one.

[stuey69]

The Sea to Summit Silk-Cotton liners are pretty good, if that's all you're looking for rather than something to add warmth to the bag.
I got two of them (one standard rectangular, the other mummy) from NZ for A$94 delivered.

[Onestepmore]

I find these have been great, fast postage, wash well.
Work well for grubby scout children as well as us
You can even colour coordinate with your various sleeping bags (yes I have ovaries)

Cheap enough to partially split one side and rehem for a hammock topquilt liner, or for a lightweight quilt-type bag over a pad leaving a foot box (you'd need to make a small triangular reinforcing piece at the 'split' for extra strength. Only needs basic sewing skills!)
I plan to cut one up and make a small perimeter channel with shock cord and a micro lock (from Zpacks) so I can have a washable cover for my lightweight compressible down pillow (many thanks to Evan at Black Rock Gear). Hmmm, maybe microfleece for winter with a stretch stitch.

approx $14 posted (less postage for multiples and they do discounts for more than one)
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Treksilk-Sin ... 4603ca65ea

or - pure silk
approx $34 posted
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/100-PURE-ORG ... 27be16feec

[dplanet]

Just in time for a replacement.

[Aidan]

My Macpac one (luxury liner) is around the 17-18 years old mark now. I'm just about to replace it with another Macpac one due to my experience of the first one.
It has outlasted my Saphire sleeping bag (approx 15 years of very hard use ) and about 3 years of use in my winter wonderful Sanctuary XP800. The reason I'm replacing it is the drawstring on the attached bag has finally worn through the taffeta material so I can no longer retain the liner in its bag.
I could get it repaired but I've got to do something to insure my favorite outdoors company stays in business and they do have a sale on.....

[jimbo42]

I have tried cotton liners made from old sheets; flannelette (only for car camping in winter); synthetic liners; and silk (both home-made from silk we bought in Hong Kong; and on special from Kathmandu for ~ $70)

Conclusion: silk is the lightest and warmest for backpacking. Proved it recently during treks in the Andes at 4000-5000m and *&%$#! cold at night.

Jimbo42

[Strider]

Has anyone actually tried the pure silk liners from eBay that OSM linked?

[stry]

Has anyone actually tried the pure silk liners from eBay that OSM linked?

No experience with the EBay offering. Cheap if they are really silk and quality is OK.

I have used silk for many years with complete satisfaction. Much easier to move around in than cotton and flannelette - never mind the weight benefit.

Used flannellete in a stitched through down bag years ago and it worked well at preventing/reducing cold spots along the stitch lines. This isn't relevant to a box wall bag and even when weight isn't an issue, I use only silk nowadays.

Only a few bucks Strider. Take a punt and be our canary

[Onestepmore]

Vouch again for the tech silk liners from Vietnam from E-bay. We've got a double one, no difference really from the silk single ones we have. I've got one I deconstructed to just have a footbox and open top for under my hamock quilt as a sheet. I just rehemmed the edges after unpicking mine, and added a little triangular reinforcing bit where the seam split into two.
My kids have them for their bags - lighter and cheaper than the cotton liners I got originally. They have withstood grubby unwashed scouts, washed up fine on normal wash afterwards. I'm not paying $70 or more for my kids for silk ones
And - you get to choose a nice colour!

PS I doubt the silk actually adds any warmth - just stops body oils and dirt fron reducing the life of your super expensive sleeping bag. I always wear separate clothes to sleep(thermals or merino top and leggings etc) and dedicated clean socks. Down top and pants if cold. I know some UL diehards sleep in all their clothes for warmth, wet weather gear included, and don't use a liner....each to their own. I like a clean SB

I've got light microfleece liners for winter - light but too bulky for backpacking, We use them as liners for winter for basecamps instead of the silk ones. The kids have even heavier fleece ones too (once again from E-bay - the stuff sacks were abysmal, and the seams split, but they happily replaced then with much better compression sacks!) - unzip to form a camp blanket.

[nq111]

Conclusion: silk is the lightest and warmest for backpacking. Proved it recently during treks in the Andes at 4000-5000m and *&%$#! cold at night.

Actually (and I am thinking - gee here i go again on this!) something non-breathable is the warmest and lightest liner you can use (i.e. vapour barrier). Something like this http://www.westernmountaineering.com/index.cfm?section=products&page=Accessories&ContentId=44.

Yes, you can use these at above freezing if you manage your temperatures carefully - but most useful below 0c.