Home
>
Outdoors
>
My Five-Ounce Sleeping Bag

My Five-Ounce Sleeping Bag

Okay, it wasn't quite a sleeping bag. However, it was only five ounces, and it kept me warm as the temperature dropped to the low forties on the bank of the Manistee River in Michigan. The secret was the fifteen minutes we spent gathering dead, dry bracken ferns to build a two-foot thick mattress. We set the tent on that. Then, with all my clothes on, I was fine.

In fact, I've rarely slept as well camping as I did that night. As I said, it wasn't a sleeping bag, but actually a sleeping bag liner. I bought it from Campmor, but I've since sewn a simple one of bargain-bin nylon material ($1/yard) obtained at Walmart. If it's possible to stay warm with a light sleeping bag liner in autumn, at a few degrees above freezing, this strategy should work well for summer nights in the sixties.

How To Use A Liner As A Sleeping Bag

Be careful, of course, backpacking with just a liner for a sleeping bag. It could be dangerous, or at least uncomfortable enough to ruin your trip. Experiment near home, and know yourself and your enviroment.

Learn a few tricks. If it isn't too humid you can breath in your bag, and you will be much warmer. Most backpackers will tell you not to do this, because you'll be damp in the morning, but in a dry enviroment you'll be fine once you hit the trail. Just dry the liner out during a break.

Another trick is to use a mattress of dried plants. Try dead leaves, palm fronds, grass, cattail leaves, some tree barks, etc. A mattress of this sort insulates you from the ground, which normally takes away much of your body heat. Scatter the leaves in the morning so they won't smother the plants underneath.

Some other tricks to try: Hot tea before going to sleep... Exercise a bit... Cover yourself with extra clothes... Elevate your feet slightly... Go to sleep earlier or later. Experiment to see what works best for you.

Also, go to bed warm. If you're warm when you get into your sleeping bag, you're more likely to stay warm through the night. It's difficult to warm up, especially in a thin bag, if you start out shivering.

I'm not recommending backpacking with only a sleeping bag liner, but it is an option. I've gone out with nothing more than a bivy sack in my jacket pocket, but I'm not recommending that either. This is just to present all the possible options for the ultralight backpacker.

Steve Gillman is a long-time advocate of lightweight backpacking. His tips, photos and stories can be found at the ultralight backpacking site: the ultralight backpacking site

Highland Park charter limousine .. Lockport Chicago limo O’Hare

In The News:

Major employee screening company data breach affects 3.3 million people. Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson explains what happened and gives five ways to protect your data.

Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson reveals mind-blowing tech that gives you sunlight on demand.

New malware "FrigidStealer" targets Mac computers. Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson offers four ways to stay safe from infostealer malware.

Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson talks about how lab-grown muscles power a biohybrid hand for scalable prosthetics and research.

Reports of task scams have significantly risen in the past four years, according to the Federal Trade Commission. Kurt the CyberGuy offers some red flags.

iPhones have a hidden folder that eats up storage without you knowing it. Kurt the CyberGuy offers some tricks to free up storage on your device.

A recent ransomeware attack targeted Zacks, an American investment firm, and a cybercriminal claimed to have stolen records for millions of customers.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Researchers unveiled a new soft prosthetic hand that combines the natural coordination patterns of our fingers with the decoding of motoneuron activity in the spinal column.

Accidentally deleting a text message on your iPhone or iPad is not a problem if you still need the message. Apple has a built-in way to recover it.

Just two months into 2025 there have been numerous Mac malware threats targeting Apple laptops, ranging from infostealers to malicious software.

A self-driving electric bus powered by artificial intelligence has an electric powertrain for zero-emission operation and an automated drive system.

SpaceX is slated to launch its Starship for the eighth time from Boca Chica, Texas, Friday, though plans could be thwarted if the FAA fails to give the green light.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Kurt the CyberGuy offers tips on how you can protect your devices against infostealer malware, which was used to infect 4.3 million machines last year.

Motional is developing autonomous vehicles capable of handling a wide range of real-world scenarios. Its high-speed robotaxi testing reached speeds of 75 mph.

Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson explores whether there is artificial intelligence bias involved with the iPhone's voice-to-text conversion in the message app.

Apple's iPhone voice-to-text periodically flashes "Trump" when a user speaks the word "racist." Fox News Digital reached out to Apple about the flaw but did not hear back.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson presents five secret shortcuts: Adjust sound/vibration, share YouTube moments, fix tabs and tweak brightness.

VR transforms senior care: Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says immersive tech helps older adults explore and connect via virtual experiences.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says DNA tests pose privacy risks like shared genetic information, inaccuracies and hard data deletion.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says this enormous airship revolutionizes cargo transport by flying to remote areas.

Understanding the language of the internet can help you protect your personal information from bad actors. Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson explains.

Woven City is Toyota's experimental city that is a fully functional environment for people to live, work and play while doing research.

The line between spam and scams is thin. Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson details his tips for identifying and avoiding phone scams, robocalls and unwanted solicitations.

My Five-Ounce Sleeping Bag

Outdoors