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June 27, 2008
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Do I really need a liner and/or a vapor barrier for my sleeping bag?
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Merlin Sleeping Bag (courtesy, MEC)
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I’m climbing Kilimanjaro this summer. Does it make sense to use a silk liner on
the inside of my sleeping bag and a vapor barrier liner on the outside of the
bag?
— Lauren
Edmonton, Alberta
Do you have a question of your own?
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 There are two parts to the answer of this question. The first part: No, that
really won’t work so well. Vapor barrier liners work by reducing evaporative
cooling, the cooling that comes from moisture on your skin as it, well,
evaporates. So you need that layer very close to your skin, not outside of the
bag. The proper sequence would be: You’re inside the vapor barrier liner, the
silk liner goes outside of the vapor barrier liner, and then the bag goes over
all of that.
The second part: Do you really think you need that much stuff? It does get cold
on Kilimanjaro, but nighttime temps aren’t going to dip much below -10 C (15 F).
Most any good three-season sleeping bag, maybe with a silk liner, should be
adequate for that. Marmot’s
Helium (US$359) would be perfect. It weighs just under two pounds, has 850-fill
down, and is a good-fitting bag. The silk liner would take that down to -15 C.
Up your way, MEC sells a
house-brand bag called the Merlin (C$260), a -10 C bag that has down fill and a
stripped-down design for light weight (33 ounces, so a touch less than the
Helium). Nice bag!
Hope you have a good trip; everyone who goes loves it. Just take lots of hand
sanitizer.
The 2008 Summer
Outside Buyer’s Guide is now online. From riding to trail-running to
camping, get reviews of nearly 400 gear must-haves.
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GEAR GUY FEATURES
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