[at-l] fleece bags and silk jammies

[Delita *drae* Wright <delita@mindspring.com>]

I have not dealt with the sleeping bag challenge yet - but last summer when
I did my 3 AT days in GA, I made myself a fleece bag - just by folding a
big piece of fleece in half, sewing across the end and about 14 inches *up*
the side.  It worked perfectly as a summer weight bag for that trip - my
feet could stay in the pocket and the rest could be thrown open or wrapped
around me, just like a quilt.

I slept in *recycled* silk pajamas and very light wool socks.  I have to
clean up after a day of sweating or I get a rash from my own sweat (sorry,
more than you wanted to know) and found sleeping in silks a great way to
keep out of bugs and breezes and all.  (The combo of the silk jammies with
the fleece bag that was perfect, felt great - not hot, not too cool.)  I
got the idea of wearing silks in the bags when I read how some hikers
*foul* their bags by sleeping bare (and dirty) in them night after night.
Yuk.

Having my silks to put on after cleaning up every night felt great - and
each night I then washed my *day* clothes and hung them out for morning
(dirty clothes give me a rash, too).  No clue why my sweat might be so
toxic, but must say the cool clean feeling on top of tired is not to be
beat.  I also used my silks as my *emergency* clothes for warmth - with a
windbreaker and light fleece and the fleece bag, that's all I carried.

And - I wash my silks in the machine with detergent, too.  (I didn't wash
them on the trip as I was only out 2 nights and was in them only after
washing up.)  This winter I wore the silks under jeans and a fleece for
walking in the 20something sunshine.  I'm liking silks!

Nothing at all to add for more varied situations...

Delita

Delita Wright
Future AT Thruhiker
Chapel Hill, NC, USA


* From the AT-L |  Need help? http://www.backcountry.net/faq.html  *

==============================================================================