|
tedman
Mar 10, 2008, 4:31 PM
Post #1 of 12
(1216 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Sep 5, 2007
Posts: 237
|
so I was looking into getting a sleeping bag for winter mountaineering, and one of the most common complaints was that all the moisture buildup on the inside. has anyone thought to use dessicant packets to absorb the moisture while you sleep? just throw a packet or two in there before you go to bed and should be nice and dry when you wake up.
|
|
|
|
|
corson
Mar 10, 2008, 4:34 PM
Post #2 of 12
(1213 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Oct 16, 2005
Posts: 193
|
If you pee INTO the nalgene bottle it does stay a lot dryer.
|
|
|
|
|
rangerrob
Mar 11, 2008, 1:53 AM
Post #3 of 12
(1163 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Apr 8, 2003
Posts: 641
|
That's pretty damned funny dude! So Dessicant packets...are those like those things you get in your freeze dried meal packages that you're not supposed to eat, but I always do because I'm so hungry??
RR
|
|
|
|
|
tedman
Mar 11, 2008, 4:29 AM
Post #4 of 12
(1137 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Sep 5, 2007
Posts: 237
|
har har, guess I tee'd that one up for you. yeah, they are those little packets you arnt supposed to eat, they just suck moisture out of the air. they also sell them in pouches that turn to gel as they absorb water. more commonly used in long term storage for RV's or cars or whatever.
http://www.campingsurvival.com/depakhysigel.html
im not sure how quickly they work, which is why im asking if anyone has done it.
|
|
|
|
|
go_dyno
Mar 12, 2008, 3:39 AM
Post #5 of 12
(1080 views)
Shortcut
Registered: May 8, 2005
Posts: 193
|
I have know idea, if its a good idea, but I use them alot for other reasons. If you do try it, I would suggest going to a gun store and getting the dessicant packages that are fully enclosed and made to be recharged, so you don't have little packages that break open and are soon to be trash when used up. The ones designed for gunsafes come in many different sizes and varieties and can be recharged something like 100 times.
|
|
|
|
|
joshy8200
Mar 12, 2008, 3:49 AM
Post #6 of 12
(1073 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Oct 1, 2002
Posts: 646
|
There's nothing toxic about the packets in food. The only reason it says "Do not eat" on them is because they are a choking hazard.
Sounds like it would work to me.
|
|
|
|
|
mrmcface
Mar 12, 2008, 4:04 AM
Post #7 of 12
(1064 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Apr 24, 2006
Posts: 27
|
I've never had much of a problem with moisture on the inside of my bag, and so far this year I've slept in a tent every week, in weather ranging from -35 to +5 in rain. If you're sweating enough to create a significant amount of moisture, then you aren't using the appropriate bag. Best thing to do is buy a -20 (or less) bag, and if you find that you need something warmer, get an overbag... Makes it more versatile too. And get a nice fleece or silk liner to keep it clean.
Also, I don't think that a dessicant packet would really work fast enough to absorb any significant amount of moisture.
|
|
|
|
|
vashie
Mar 12, 2008, 4:33 AM
Post #8 of 12
(1050 views)
Shortcut
Registered: May 12, 2004
Posts: 149
|
Well, once upon a time a sleeping system was invented that involved a mask that you breathed into, that delivered dry warm air (filtered trough dessicants) to the inside of the bag from the users own breath! wow!
|
|
|
|
|
dingus
Mar 12, 2008, 4:39 AM
Post #9 of 12
(1043 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Dec 16, 2002
Posts: 17398
|
Gee I wonder how much water a person passes through their bag on a typical night?
A quart? Half a gallon? A pint?
How big would this thing have to be to absorb that much water? You can't compact water so far as I know. You can't 'dry it out.'
And this discharge thing... in the course of the following day just how is this water supposed to get out again?
Where would you put it? Does water only come out of one place on the body, or like, all over, and then transpire into the bag?
Why not make the whole bag a dessicant? A dessicant layer as it were?
When my bag gets damp I have to lay it out in the sun awhile to evaporate the water out of it. Dlo dessicants have a spigot? A drain pipe?
Hmmmmm...........
Nope. Not gunna work. Synthetic bags - there ya go.
Say if you're going to invent the Next Killer App for climbing, an affordable and lightweight but durable Still Suit would be awesome. Then your whole dessicant problem evaporates, whoosh! You just suck on the hose and drink your own precious bodily fluids... filter of course!
DMT
(This post was edited by dingus on Mar 12, 2008, 4:42 AM)
|
|
|
|
|
joshy8200
Mar 12, 2008, 1:28 PM
Post #10 of 12
(997 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Oct 1, 2002
Posts: 646
|
dingus wrote: A quart? Half a gallon? A pint? How big would this thing have to be to absorb that much water? You can't compact water so far as I know. You can't 'dry it out.' In reply to: Good point on the amount of moisture one would produce in a night. Most absorbants are good for only a pretty small amount of moisture.
|
|
|
|
|
skyski02
Mar 12, 2008, 2:01 PM
Post #11 of 12
(979 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Mar 30, 2007
Posts: 42
|
You can buy dessicant granules bulk at hobby stores, people use them to dry flowers and stuff. I think you can get them as 5 lb bags so maybe if you buy like 10 pounds worth that will get you through one night.
|
|
|
|
|
xtrmecat
Mar 12, 2008, 3:09 PM
Post #12 of 12
(938 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Apr 1, 2004
Posts: 548
|
Tedman, I have some experience in this area, not just a smart ass guess. There is a lot of moisture that makes it into my bag from both the inside and out. I have ice on the clothing that must be either in the bag with me at night or at least under it to keep it from freezing solid. The moisture from the outside is from breathing in the snow cave, or in others cases a tent. Snow caves are very moist, even solo. I have a twenty below down bag and just dry it out every morning. It is part of the daily ritual. I just open it up completely and drape it over a rock, or tree, or even my skis and poles first thing in the AM and then go about my other chores. The colder the better as the moisture migrates to the outside of the bag and forms an icy crust, as I am doing things I stop frequently and brush this off and rotate the bag top to bottom. In the sun if available. Down bags seem to take me longer than synthetic but rarely over an hour and a half does a nice job.
Sometimes at days end I will have time to dry the bag while digging in for the next night and finish the job. Have been out up to two weeks and has never failed me but I always allow for the time to get these types of chores done.
Tried a bivy sack last month and even though breathable fabric it seemed to be wetter, which on an extended trip could possibly have been an issue after a couple days. Got real wet that day, both climbing too hard(sweating), and dug the entire snow palace as I had a green horn with me and he was just out of gas an could not contribute.
Next I have no experience with but have heard a lot of pro and cons on and this is a VBL. A vapor barrier liner is a scientifically sound principle, but I have a hard time trying one as I am sometimes very wet and just barely able to get warm when first getting into the sack and have spent on hour or more reaching a warm enough state to relax and rest or sleep. Takes a lot of your bodies energy to dry out clothes and keep core at temp.. I am afraid the moisture from my skin and base layers would be too much for my internal furnace to dry and reheat and thus make this harder. I also have heard experienced opinions to the contrary.
You may try reposting your inquiry in this direction as there are a lot of mountaineering folks getting ready for the Alaskan and other seasons that have good input in this area.
Hope this helped.
Bob
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
