At 04:43 PM 12/14/00 -0800, Joe Gawzner wrote:
>For those of you who have taken your Vanagon camping in the colder climes,
>what sort of sleeping bag have you used when camping overnight in 10 - 32
>degree situations?  I know I read on the list that the poptop should remain
>down or insulate it as some have written about.  And I know that I can use a
>heater - either one of those from that website or a small one (I have a
>Coleman cat heater for the AM, but do not want to use it all night if a bag
>will do).  I figure that with the protection from the basic elements in the
>van, I could use a 25 degree bag no problem, but would hate to be wrong!!!

The cheap way to go is to head down to your local Target and pick-up the
Coleman mummy bag.  It's rated to 15 (f) and costs about $50.  It's not a
bad bag, holofill stays warm when wet, it's just a little to heavy for the
back-pack for my tastes.

I've slept without heat to -15 in the van and stayed toasty all night.  The
van was about 20 when I woke up, but the cat heater took care of that.

Another good trick is to eat your fatty foods for the day before you go to
sleep.  They will cause your body to produce more heat.

Chris Smith