Wool Blanket Sleeping Bag?

C

Call_to_Arms

Joined
Apr 13, 2011
Messages
394
Im trying to figure out how to incorporate 100% wool blankets into my camping/hiking gear. I am hitting a dilemma with needing at least 2 blankets along with my 3lb sleeping bag that was already a tight fit in my pack to begin with, id be trying to strap them to the outside of my pack, these are some big blankets and they don't exactly compress. I got to thinking about taking the 2 of them and making a sleeping bag out of them, either sewn into a sleeve or with a large zipper, has anyone tried this? I figured it would pack easier as I am only carrying the material I need. Is there some fatal flaw to this plan I am not seeing? Would you put it inside your sleeping bag or on the outside? I was thinking of putting the sleeping bag inside the wool, if my skin isnt touching it then it might not need to be cleaned to much, whereas the sleeping bag can just go in the machine.
 
Seems like your sleeping bag would be getting compressed by the weight of the wool layer on top. That will reduce it's loft and warmth. Why not use the wool "leeping bag" by itself, when weather allows. Buy a warmer sleeping bag for colder weather, down will be the warmest.
I used wool blankets for a while, but they are so heavy. Now, it's the Kifaru Woobie, I love this thing. Only weights 1 pound 4 oz, it compresses very well, drapes like nothing else, and is water resistant. They offer a Doobie, double insulation, for those colder conditions.
In a tent, with my dog under the Woobie, I was pretty warm @ 29 degrees, and it had rained for days before, and I was next to a big stream. It's only rated down to 50, according to most users, but you can stretch that, just depends on your set up. Next to a fire, no thanks, anywhere else sure.
 
Call to Arms,

Wool is great stuff, I love it in a lot of ways. But for a full on sleep system it's incredibly bulky. I won't say its impossible, as it has been used in the past at times. That being said, you won't catch me with one. You might try making a wool Anorak. I've made a really lousy one back this fall. It's a great piece of kit, but still quite large and heavy, so it really doesn't solve your problem. But you can wear it around... From what I understand down is pretty solid as Foxx said, but it is worthless when wet/damp. As a result, as much as I've ogled it over the years, you won't ever find me with any.

God bless,
Adam
 
I'm a woll blanket guy as well, for most of the year.. but at this time of year unless you shelling out for the legit Hudson bay
the iwarmth to weight/bulk ratio is too high. Come march I'll be using wool again though.
 
jumpmonkey said:
Call to Arms,

Wool is great stuff, I love it in a lot of ways. But for a full on sleep system it's incredibly bulky. I won't say its impossible, as it has been used in the past at times. That being said, you won't catch me with one. You might try making a wool Anorak. I've made a really lousy one back this fall. It's a great piece of kit, but still quite large and heavy, so it really doesn't solve your problem. But you can wear it around... From what I understand down is pretty solid as Foxx said, but it is worthless when wet/damp. As a result, as much as I've ogled it over the years, you won't ever find me with any.


God bless,
Adam
Click to expand...


It's has to be freezing for me to want to use down. And at that point, wool is not warm enough.
I have a zero degree down bag, so unless it falls into a body of water it's not getting wet, there's no chance of rain when I use it either. It did "rain" inside my tent when winter camping. The condensation in the tent was dripping onto me, and my bag. It's outer layer is hydrophilic (it loves water). Each drop spreads out over the fabric, to dry faster and keep it on the surface, not in the down. Later, it all froze over. The bag was icy on it's top surface, but the down never got wet. This type of winter use is where down excels, but do not get it wet!
 
Foxx,

I agree, wool wouldn't be viable in those conditions. While I increasingly dislike them, for cold weather bag, synthetic for me atm. Anywho, glad it does work for you!

God bless,
Adam
 
I used to do a lot of primitive camping - and my bedroll was 2 wool blankets and a sheet rolled up in a 6x8 oilskin tarp.
heavy/bulky - yes.
warm and fairly water resistant - yes.
it got carried strapped to the bottom of the pack, not inside it.
Still rides in the truck for roadside winter emergencies, too.
 
I have gone through this process already and the thread came to a pretty solid conclusion. If you want a traditional bedroll, you have to be willing to pack about 10 pounds of weight and a whole lot of volume. I have a WIP bedroll made of two wool blankets and light canvas made out of a 4x15 foot dropcloth. I oiled it some time ago but haven't got around to placing and sewing the buttons and holes. It's water tight though, wadded up a ball of TP in the middle and ran water over it in the shower for about 20 minutes. It was dry as a bone inside. Probably around 6.5, 7 lb total and alot less volume than one of the custom bedrolls. It'd probably be comfy down to 35, 40 degrees assuming you're out of the wind, and maybe 0 if you have a good bushcraft bed and longfire built. Use 8-10 inch logs on the bottom, with the edge of the fire maybe 2 feet away from the bed, with a lean-to above. The canopy will reflect rising heat down to your bedroll and heat will lick up beneath the frame of the bed to keep you warm underneath. It's some work, not a fast-and-furious kind of solution, but can be done and for not a whole lot of money. Just gotta invest some ingenuity and time...
 
I only used blankets in England when I was in Cub Scouts, Scouts and then for a time in Army Cadets

At 15 I purchased my first feather and down sleeping bag
I was in heaven

For a long time in the East Coast for very light weight hiking, I used an Army blanket as a poncho and a sleeping blanket
I used it in the late spring, summer and very early fall months,
but it was not warm enough for any cooler weather


Weight to warmth ratio a sleeping bag wins
And the weight saved is food for many more days in the woods
 
Last edited:
Make a capote and use that for your sleeping system. If you use a tarp, cut a wool blanket for a liner. If you think a wool blanket is too expensive, Knitting your own is really not all that difficult, and you can find cheap wool by going to Goodwill type stores and pulling apart wool sweaters. you can also find inexpensive wool by buying blankets from surplus stores.
 
a patchwork wool blanket from sweaters wouldn't be a bad idea if you knew how to yarn-stitch them to keep them from fraying...
 
I'm a cold sleeper and often use a wool blanket to supplement a sleeping bag, either as extra padding and insulation beneath the sleeping bag, or wrapped around.

My pack though is a full-size external frame model (uncommon nowadays) and the sleeping bag, tent, and wool blanket all strap on the pack exterior above and below the main compartment.

product_78539.jpg
 
I'm not sure I see the point either. I've something that looks like it's a wearable sleeping bag before and thought cool idea. Then I thought...wait a minute, you don't really need a sleeping bag if you have warm enough clothes.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top