I used the wrong sleeping bag liner for 5 years until a ranger called me out

I was camping at a spot near Lake Tahoe last October when a park ranger came over during my checkout. He saw me stuffing my mummy bag into its sack and asked what liner I used. I told him I just used a cheap cotton sheet I bought at a Walmart in Reno. He laughed and said that was probably why I was freezing every night below 40 degrees. He explained cotton absorbs moisture and kills insulation, so I had been fighting my own bag the whole time. I switched to a silk liner the next trip and woke up actually warm for the first time in years. It cost me like 35 bucks but made a bigger difference than upgrading my pad ever did. Has anyone else figured out a basic gear fail way later than they should have?

2 comments

2 Comments

oscar3907d ago

Switched to a fleece liner after using a summer bag in winter for two years.

lisa6716d ago

Spent two whole winters shivering in a 45 degree bag before my girlfriend finally bought me a liner for Christmas. Ngl, I felt pretty dumb when my toes stopped looking like frozen peas. The fleece ones are honestly a game changer, even if I look like a confused burrito getting into it at night.