Boot warmer/dryer to heat up a sleeping bag (anyone ever tried this?)

[Lanlubber In Remembrance]

I've been brainstorming a lot lately about "outside the box" options for efficiently heating up a sleeping bag in colder temperatures.

Buddy Heaters are very popular, but I'm not a fan of having a smoldering hot metal device standing up in my tent. Also, in a tent you're just heating up a bunch of space that isn't actively being used (i.e. all the space outside of your sleeping bag) and since the tent isn't insulated, I would imagine that heat dissipates very quickly.

There's always the option to just throw a bunch of hand warmers in your bag, which I've done before, but that can be rather expensive if you're having to throw a bunch of them in there. Particularly if you're camping for multiple nights.

I've toyed with the idea of using a 12V travel electric blanket, powered off of my Jackery 240, but haven't had a chance yet to test it out. And the wattage is around 80, so I wouldn't be able to run it too long off of the Jackery.

Then I came across this:

DryGuy Travel Dry DX Boot Dryer | REI Co-op

The Travel Dry DX boot dryer combines traditional convection drying with forced air to create a hybrid system that dries footwear in less time than most other portable dryers.

www.rei.com

These boot warmers/dryers are also 12V and they operate on a measly 13W! So I could run them for 18+ hours off of the Jackery. They also circulate air so, in theory, they would distribute heat around the bag much better than a hand warmer.

Has anyone ever tried using boot warmers/dryers to heat up a sleeping bag?

Looks to me like you wouldn't have to use both at the same time. Just one would consume half the power wouldn't it ? sounds like a good idea to me but don't know if I would feel the need for a bag warmer.

 

[andrewksu]

A great option is to use a bag liner, which will give you 10-20deg boost. Add the handwarmers that @madcratebuilder suggested and you'll be happy. I was down to 10deg the other night with a 0deg bag and a liner and was perfectly toasty with no active heat.

Maybe get a better bag . The temp rating on a bag is it’s survival rating not its comfort rating , so if you get a 20 deg bag and it gets down to 30 your still going to be chilly . It also depends a lot on your body , if I keep my feet and head warm the rest of my body will be fine . Even when backpacking I bring a pair of warm socks and a thin balaclava it really helps a lot .

 

[Jeffrey Dill]

I've been thinking about a space heater for the RRT, but perhaps there's a better option from a power consumption point of view. I wonder if anyone makes heated sleeping pads.

Yeah, unfortunately space heaters pull a ton of watts. My Jackery couldn't even support one, as it's limited to 200W of output.

They make heated mattress pads, but I don't think that's what you're talking about.

 

[Jeffrey Dill]

A great option is to use a bag liner, which will give you 10-20deg boost. Add the handwarmers that @madcratebuilder suggested and you'll be happy. I was down to 10deg the other night with a 0deg bag and a liner and was perfectly toasty with no active heat.

Bag liners are awesome. Unfortunately, I don't think that'll work in my case. My wife and I use REI's Kingdom Sleep System (the queen size deal). It's more of a comforter than a bag. Although, if someone makes a queen-sized liner that'd probably be pretty solid.

Right now, we essentially just make our own "liner" by adding fleece blanket(s) beneath the comforter. It works great for me but my wife gets cold easier than I do.

 

[andrewksu]

Try this https://amzn.to/2CjilBD, you can zip two together to make a double. I have some military surplus that are very similar and they work great. Being zipped all the way around will make you much more comfortable and the extra warmth will make the wife happy. Happy wife, happy life!

As you spend more time in the cold, you'll find that a foam pad and a full bag will be much more comfortable than a air mattress and lose comforter. Typical air mattress has very little insulation value and your body squishes the bag insulation down, eliminating it's R-Value. That will become your cold spot.

Bag liners are awesome. Unfortunately, I don't think that'll work in my case. My wife and I use REI's Kingdom Sleep System (the queen size deal). It's more of a comforter than a bag. Although, if someone makes a queen-sized liner that'd probably be pretty solid.

Right now, we essentially just make our own "liner" by adding fleece blanket(s) beneath the comforter. It works great for me but my wife gets cold easier than I do.

 

[DrivingTacoLoco]

After waking up Monday morning @ 29 degrees the only thing that bothered me was my feet (extra clothes stuffed in the end) and my finger tips. I'm going to get some of those hot pads and give them a try.