RE: [Paddlewise] Sleeping bags for kayaking

>At 08:19 AM 1/25/99 -0900, you wrote:
>>Something to take into account in SE Alaska besides temperature is
>>water.  With all of the rain that we get sooner or later ALL of your
>>gear is wet to one degree or another on just about any trip longer than
>>a couple of days.  Southeast Alaska is a temperate rain forest and
>>although one can get lucky (very) and have a trip filled with clear
>>skies it's usually more prudent to count on rain and plan for everything
>>to get soaked.  The temps here in the summer time are usually quite
>>moderate; lows in the high 40's to 50's and daily highs rarely reaching
>>above 70F - a nice light to mid weight synthetic bag does the trick for
>>me.
>>
>>Dave Seng
>>Juneau, Alaska 
>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: Robert C. Cline [mailto:rcline_at_onramp.net]
>>> 
>>> How about summertime Southeast Alaska?
>
Hi Robert, Dave and other Paddlewisers,
	If I hadn't experienced it for myself, I wouldn't truly understand what
Dave has said, but oh boy is it true.  In the southeast Alaska climate,
after a few days camping and moving in constant rain, drizzle, and cool
damp air, everything you use, open or put away is wet to some degree.
Trying to sleep in a damp down-filled bag would almost certainly be a
miserable experience.  Sleeping wet in a synthetic bag is easily doable, in
fact downright comfortable (womblike?) once you accept just being wet but
warm.  I now also understand why NOLS takes a hard line on NO cotton or
other moisture-retaining clothing or bags.
	I also use the double sleeping bag approach.  I got a Slumberjack
synthetic two-bag combo from Campmor.  The light, outer bag works fine for
me in cool weather, the thicker, inner bag in cold weather, and I haven't
yet needed to use both at the same time.  Each bag can be packed separately
and squeezed with compression straps to fit through fairly small hatches.
	Now I use my down-filled bag only well away from the marine environment,
for backpacking, and also unzipped and opened up as a comforter for indoor
wintertime sleeping.
	One other note, in southeast Alaska, the air and water temps can be
dramatically colder near the glaciers, so if you plan to overnite in their
vicinity be prepared.  Better yet, go with someone with local experience
and heed their advice.  

	See you on the water!
	John Somers

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