Re: RC: Re: Cold ride questions

[Lynn Kinsky <lkinsky@silcom.com>]

>>From the North Woods:
>1. Get a good quality foam pad (closed cell if possible) to put under your
>sleeping bag.  You can put the air mattress under that for more comfort.
>Eat some candy just as you crawl into the bag.  Put long johns, wool socks,
>sweatshirt and sweater, stocking cap on you.  Do isometric exercise for 5
>minutes to warm up in the bag.  You will find you are much more comfortable.
>Ed and Wendy Hauser

My lower back is very sensitive to cold and even a good bag and thermarest
pad on top of a foam mattress let the chill through.  What really worked
well were the [washable]sheepskin fleeces I sometimes use as saddle pads:
the wool side of the fleece made a warm, cushy pad against my back, and the
skin side kept it from sliding on the bag and was a good thermal barrier.
If it was really chilly in the morning I'd just slip the warmed sheepskin
out of my bag and flip it on the horse's back as a warmed saddle pad (I
have two sheepskins, so I'd have a dry, non-sweaty one for the second
evening of the ride).


Lynn Kinsky (Santa Ynez, CA)
http://www.silcom.com/~lkinsky