Wool Blanket. What am I doing wrong?

[Tristar777]

Hi Guys.
I was camping in the woods a week ago and I decided to take along my Alpaca blanket to try out for the first time and see how I go. Cutting a long story short, what ever I tried I woke up cold at 2-3am each night I tried, but slept through no problem as warm as toast in a 2 season sleeping bag.
Some info.
Ground cover- tent foot print, tent floor, survival bivy bag, Dutch army ground mat, Polish army ground mat. (I think I had more than enough ground insulation!).
1st night test- Clothing worn= USGI sleep shirt over a cotton t shirt, 1 pair of jogger bottoms, wool socks, beanie hat.
2nd night. as above plus an extra t shirt and extra jogger bottoms and a canvas shelter half thrown over me as an extra layer.

The blanket is 50 per cent Alpaca, 40 New wool and 10 cotton.
It is Summer here but it was during a very wet storm that lasted 4 days.
Im not sure what the temp got down to. (sorry)

Should I be fully clothed?
Any thoughts/Ideas would be appreciated, as I said its the first time Ive tried a blanket.

thanks.

[hunter63]

Wool blankets are not Magic........I'm gonna say one blanket wasn't enough..... for what ever temp (?) you were using it in.
You didn't mention weight or the blanket or maker.

Cowboy movies lie.

I use a Whitney 4 or 6 Point Blanket....and a sleeping bag.

Does sound like enough ground cover although a pad would help heat retention.

[1stimestar]

Also, don't sleep in cotton. Use synthetics and/or wool as they wick moisture away from your body. Cotton just gets wet.

[hunter63]

Also, don't sleep in cotton. Use synthetics and/or wool as they wick moisture away from your body. Cotton just gets wet.

Good point, missed the cotton part......

[Grizz123]

if you use synthetic clothing be very careful around open flames because they dont burn, they melt, and the docs have a hard time separating your skin from the synthetic material

[Logarius]

It is called debridling if I remember. Think a Brillo pad on a 3rd degree sun burn. No local so hope they put you under before starting. You really have to be careful with all dry weave fabrics because of this too.

I know cotton is not the best for a number of reasons but around open flame it will smolder not burn. Most important know the strengths and weaknesses of your gear. Synthetic gloves and a coffee pot from the fire is bad, leather glove same fire good. Be safe, be careful, stay trained and keep a well stocked first aid kit.




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[Tristar777]

Hi Guys.
All I know about the blanket is its Alpaca, 50 per cent, New wool 40 and cotton 10. It weighs 3.5lb and made in Nepal.
Correction about the T shirt on night 2, I wore a poly base layer long sleeve under the GI sleep shirt.
No fire as I was in a tent.
I must admit the difference between the comfort in the poly, 2 season sleeping bag and how cool I was in just the one blanket was huge. I will definitely have to try more blankets next time.

[Lamewolf]

Also, don't sleep in cotton. Use synthetics and/or wool as they wick moisture away from your body. Cotton just gets wet.

I agree, always remember, "cotton kills" ! Once it gets wet no matter how it gets wet, it stays wet and wicks away body heat. Even a minor amount of perspiration on cotton clothing will cause you to lose body heat.

I also want to add: to use the blanket grab 2 corners while standing up and lift it high over your head with it behind you and pull it down over your head. Then take the 2 bottom corners and tuck them between your ankles wrapping the blanket around each leg. Then lay down with it over your head to hold in the heat. It works !

[crashdive123]

While the comments regarding cotton are true for cold weather, it can be very useful to wear in warm climates due to the same properties that make it a bad choice in cold ones. Don't know if cotton was an issue here - I know you didn't take a temp reading, but do you have a ball park as to how low it got?

[Tristar777]

While the comments regarding cotton are true for cold weather, it can be very useful to wear in warm climates due to the same properties that make it a bad choice in cold ones. Don't know if cotton was an issue here - I know you didn't take a temp reading, but do you have a ball park as to how low it got?

Hi. I just had a look on the weather channel and over the week I was out, the temp in the area overnight dropped to between 10 and 15 degrees. The drop was due to the heavy rains for the 4 days of the storm. I hope that helps.

[Graf]

10-15 degrees measure in windchill, add wet ground I use full wool blankets and I would say its a simple case not enough blankets/insulation. Sleeping bag filler is probably what made the difference.

[hunter63]

Fahrenheit or Celsius?

[alaskabushman]

Cotton is referred to as "death cloth" here in rainy S.E. Alaska. Since you were dry though, is say you needed more blankets! If you see old pictures of trappers and mountain men they certainly had wool blankets, but they piled on any spare furs as well! Maybe find yourself some nice quality wool longhandles or long johns. With those and a couple wool blankets you should be fine.
I think conditioning has a lot to do with sleeping outdoors. When you're used to sleeping in a house at 70 degrees, then going to 40 degrees, it takes time for your body to adjust. Given enough time in the woods and I bet you could do okay with one blanket, at least in summer.

[kyratshooter]

Fahrenheit or Celsius?

It is summer in England, just like here and I am sure the reading is in C and not F. The Brits do not remember that F rating any more.

I do not think that any place on the British Isles has been at 10-15f in the past few weeks.

We are apparently talking about a guy wearing everything he owns wrapped in a 90% wool blanket and sleeping cold at U.S. 50 degrees!

But in contrast, a 3.5 pound blanket is a very thin, loose weave. My 100% wool Whitney weighs in at 8 pounds.

[ElevenBravo]

I may be wrong, but I think the cotton content was too low to be a player, but probably makes it a bit softer...

Anywho, it sounds like you simply didnt have enough bag.

I remember my late late evening hike on the AT towards McAfee Knob, I ended up stopping at the shelter just before sunset and strung my hammock for an overnight. It was blistering hot during the day, but here I am on Catawba Mtn, decent elevation... Anyway, I only had a very light fleece bag... Didnt even have an underquilt or pad to put in the hammock.... Figured Id fakee it I reckon.

It got in the 40s and I froze my big arse off ALL NIGHT.

The blanket you mention sounds like a nice one, but as was mentioned... Its not a magic nakie! Couple it with a lower rating bag and I think you would have been fine...

GL,
EB

[hunter63]

In general I think we have all seen the cowboy/ mountain man movies,..... guy throws his saddle on the ground, horse blanket, cover up with his wool bed role blanket....shake the snow off in the morning a reaches for coffee at fire side.....Then we think...."What the heck,.. I as tough as this guy... what's wrong?....I froze."
This was a movie, or TV program.

Need insulation on the ground, sufficient insulation, water proofing and wind blocking capabilities.

Sleeping around a fire has it's own problems.....
Real sleeping around a fire means one side gets hot and one side is freezing, ground is damp, fire only burns a short time then burns down....unless you keep feeding it.

[randyt]

Did you get wrapped up in the blanket properly to keep drafts out?

[LowKey]

A 3lb wool blanket isn't much. Now three of those and you might have something.
But really? 50°? I doubt I'd use a sleeping bag in that. Maybe as a ground mat. But then, I sleep with the window open an inch or so when it's 10°F outside. I'm also outside snowblowing the driveway with a base layer, work clothes, a barn jacket, hat and gloves and heavy boots. As long as my feets is warm and windfreeze isn't an issue, I'm good. Yeah, one of THOSE people.

[Tokwan]

Yep..you need proper insulation from the ground....even in an equatorial climate, it could be chilling to the bone if there is insulation from the ground...here, we will need a sleeping mat or pad as insulation, but seldom a blanket...one good learning here...a good sleeping bag is better than a good blanket.

[ElevenBravo]

I *always* run a ground pad, else we loose heat through a nasty property called conduction... I like my USGI sleeping pad, its cheap... light... earth tone.. and it works. Its not a mattress, cause my back and joints can attest to that (Being in the Infantry, I didnt always get to choose where I laid my head)... but it DOES work.

As I mentioned before about a hammock, a sleeping mat INSIDE the hammock is equally critical to prevent a miserable night if the temps go down a little... Else you are surrounded by cold air, yada yada yada.. (Anyone who every hammock camped knows what Im talking about).

My personal 4 main pieces of sleep gear:

1: Ground pad (Insulation from ground)
2: Suitable bag (Self explanatory)
3: Pillow (rolled up jacket, whatever... Im a creature of comfort at heart)
4: Overhead cover (Keeps morning dew off)

A bivy bag can work as a second layer AND cover, I run a Gortex USGI bivy bag frequently, love it!

http://stores.alleghenywholesale.com...y=bivy&x=0&y=0

HTH,
EB