Hey All,
Managed to meet a few of you last weekend on the Tomb Raider ride, was great fun! First night in a bothie too, first everything really . I just wanted to ask a question of my sleeping bag.

I was WAY too hot when I got in the sleeping bag until about 5 am, so I just had it unzipped it and vented that way. Kinda ok, but not ideal as it was a bit chilly in the bothie, around 5am I woke up coldish, Id zipped up the bag some hours before and I was a bit sweaty, not super sweaty, not enough to soak the bag, just clammy I guess. The outside of my bag was quite damp, when I woke up and a quite cold until I used my jacket to insulate a little on my core. There was a few spots of really wet bits and a consistent general dampness to the rest of the bag. Do you think it's possible that there was a leak in the roof for the bigger wet bits and for the consistent dampness, do you think it was because of 3 other breathing bodies in the room with the door closed too?

Many thanks

Purely condensation ... wet people, bikes and clothes. Add warmth from fire and no ventilation and it's the only outcome possible

It sounds like the dew point (basically the point at which water vapour in the atmosphere condensates) was within the outer shell of your sleeping bag. Imagine there being a temperature gradient from your body to the outside (or in this case the air inside the bothy), at some point that gradient will meet the dew point, ideally you want that point to be outside your sleeping system but if it's inside then moisture will occur. Quite possible that the number of people inside the bothy raised the relative humidity of the air which will have the effect of raising the dew point meaning it would move inward towards you.

Are you sure John went outside for a piss at 2am?

Taylor wrote:Are you sure John went outside for a piss at 2am?

Taylor wrote:Are you sure John went outside for a piss at 2am?

I'm not 100% sure.

Thanks for the info guys. Just wanted to make sure I wasn't sleeping wrong!

Maybe a cooler bag may be the answer. Or colder weather? Come on snow!!

Were you sleeping with clothes on?

Bearbonesnorm wrote:Were you sleeping with clothes on?

I hope for everyone else's sake he was!

I often don't.

Bearbonesnorm wrote:I often don't.

[overshare]

On my first ever bivvy trip which was 40 years ago in a snowy Brecon Beacons using ex-army kit whose only "technical" feature was a hole in the top to get into the sleeping and bivvy bags, I was told in no uncertain terms that if I wanted a decent night's sleep and not wake up in a puddle of my own sweat, I should sleep in as little as decency allowed. I've followed this advice ever since, it makes for a bit of initial discomfort and putting cold kit back on in the morning a challenge but getting sleep is much easier. I've occasionally worn a light merino top and pants but never kept anything on that I've ridden in that day.

Had a similar issue but with my mat over the weekend , took my new winter bag ,within minutes I was stripping off my sleeping base layers ,then it was open my bag then it was turn the Bivi bag into the wind to get some air flow , when I woke the next morning the foot end of my mat had water type stains on it ( yes I did get out for my old man's whizz) as it didn't rain and my Bivi dosent leak anyhow it could only be condensation , it's just one of those things I accept happens ,air out the bag and the mat and as good as new

benp1 wrote:

Bearbonesnorm wrote:Were you sleeping with clothes on?

I hope for everyone else's sake he was!

Haha I had just a base layer on and some tights on too that I didn't ride in. I imagined I'd be as toasty as in bed and as dry as I am in the morning. Still, as everyone knows I'm very much a n00b and I guess I'd learn if I would sleep outside more. Which I will. At least I was so much warmer than the first local bivvy out with my 7degree bag in well under that wearing way too many clothes ha!

I did get up after John as I was jealous he'd had a wee and I didn't! Haha, it was chilly outside, so much so I couldn't hold it straight

I guess I read clothe-less as literally no clothes, not just boxers

I normally sleep in base layer top and bottom to protect the quilt/bag from any dirt on me and get out of any any wet clothes. It's also then nicer for any evening chill out