Help with choosing camping gear

Question

So I have recently developed an appetite for camping and thinking about buying some gear. Since I'm not sure how committed I'll be, I want to keep my purchases on the lower side. So I have chosen

Tent: https://www.decathlon.in/p/8513471/tents/camping-tent-mh100-2-person-grey

Sleeping bag: https://www.decathlon.in/p/8556634/sleeping-bag-and-mattress/trekking-mummy-pairable-sleeping-bag-trek-500-5c-wadding-burgundy

I'll be getting an inflatable sleeping pad too. The Sleeping bag is rated at 5 C comfort and 0 C Limit. Most of my camping will be above 5 C but I was wondering if I ever chance upon camping in north India with temperatures of -3 to -5 C (not going anywhere colder than that), can I supplement this bag with woolen socks/gloves, beanie, thermal clothing, thick jeans and a bomber jacket plus a quilt? Or do I have to rent a better rated one. Would rather not go for their 0 C sleeping bag which is 20% costlier and I'm already stretching my budget. Any other suggestions welcome. :)

I'll be entirely backpacking unfortunately, no car. My limit for pack is ~9kg. I think self inflatable mats at 500-700g with R index of 4 should be good, no?

Answer 1

A very useful (and not expensive) way to adjust a sleeping bag's insulation is a liner. This also reduces the need to wash the sleeping bag, prolonging its life. With access to even a basic sewing machine or patience for hand-sewing, liners are easy enough to make, if it's easier to get the fabric than a ready-made liner. There are several types:

• The cheapest liners are thin polycotton; even they add a little warmth (perhaps a couple of degrees) - or allow you to open the foot vent without feeling a full draught, if you're a little warm. Pure cotton liners are comfortable, a little warmer when dry, no good if they get damp. They're more meant for hostel use.

• Silk liners are supposed to be excellent for warmth and weight, but I've never used one. They're expensive.

• There are some synthetic liners that claim to be (almost) as good as silk. I now have one of these, and found it comfortable as well as being light and packing down small, but can't speak for the warmth as I was using a fairly new sleeping bag that I haven't got a feel for.

• If your sleeping bag is really underrated for the conditions, polyester fleece liners are an option, but they add a fair bit of weight and bulk to your pack.

If you want to travel light, I'd get the sleeping bag that meets your best guess for immediate need, and a thin liner, with the minimum clothing underneath for decency when you get out of the bag. If you need more insulation, a thicker liner and/or proper base layers will make the difference. You can also upgrade your sleeping mat for more warmth, at the expensive of more weight, even to the extent of a foam mat under an inflated one. A lot of heat is lost to the ground.

A further note is that sleeping bag ratings appear to be in still air. If you're camping without a tent even a light breeze can make a difference. I recently woke up chilly when the wind turned 180° in the night to blow straight under my tarp. Adjusting the sleeping bag at the hood fixed that soon enough.

Answer 2

Assuming you are always going to carry extra warm, dry clothing to use around camp, when temperatures will usually be cooler and you'll not be generating any of your own heat, then yes, you can use those same warm, dry clothes to keep you warmer in the sleeping bag. If you take off that warm, dry clothing and then get into a thin or light-weight sleeping bag, you will need an extra quilt or another thin bag to keep warm -- extra weight you may not have otherwise needed to carry. See is-it-warmer-to-sleep-naked-in-a-sleeping-bag

By the way, you mention thick jeans, which are made of cotton. If there is any chance at all of getting cold and wet then cotton, or any other plant-based fibers clothing, is not a good idea. Wool or synthetics are better. See what-clothing-would-be-suitable-for-hiking-and-camping-in-0c, why-not-use-a-cotton-base-layer, or does-cotton-really-kill for longer discussions.

Answer 3

If you want to do some camping with a limited budget, you can start by looking at what gear you can avoid buying.

Options includes:

• Renting
• Borrowing (from friends, family, or a local hiking club)
• Using whatever you already have.
  • In nicer weather, a fleece or a wool blanket is enough to sleep under
  • In non-mosquito times, any sort of tarp can make a suitable shelter

If you acquire gear, a few things you can consider:

• second hand makes sense for some items (not for a sleeping bag, though):
  • backpack
  • sleeping pad (foam, not inflatable)
  • tent, if you can inspect it properly
  • I don't know about India, but in other countries Decathlon hosts second-hand trading days every year
• tents are expensive, sometimes a tarp is enough (possibly complemented with a mosquito net)

I wouldn't recommend on counting on your beanie, gloves, ... to get through a cold night. You won't sleep too well, and if it gets colder than planed, you won't have a plan B.

One nice way to get a bit warmer at night is to use a hot water bottle in your sleeping bag. Make sure it won't leak, though.

Finally, if you know it won't rain, maybe you don't need a tent? (Depending on other factors, like windchill, privacy, and others, a tent may not be entirely necessary)

Answer 4

The Sleeping bag is rated at 5 C comfort and 0 C Limit.

I suggest that you find out how that rating was arrived at. The temperature limits may assume that the sleeper already wears some (even thermal) underwear/sleeping clothes, and is inside a tent.

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Others have already suggested that a liner is a good idea anyways which also adds some insulation. On the other end, you can also add another sleeping bag outside. You only need to make sure it is sufficiently large, so the inner one isn't compressed.

Personally, I prefer to bring a bigger sleeping bag that I expect to be OK temperature-wise with only a tarp/open tent. This gives me some safety margin (closing the tent) in case the weather is worse than expected.