Brought home a new Western Mountaineering -10deg bag (Lynx, I think) the other day.
Laura, where around here are you going to use a -10 degree bag? That's Fahrenheit, right?
Well, winter is a-comin' (even last year we had a run of -20 or so and we were camped north of Mammoth in January). Actually, I was looking for a -5 or so, since I sleep cold, and the warmth is really nice after a long day of touring. The WM bag is top-notch (it's my third one, as I have a -25deg and a 10deg) and makes just as nice a blanket in summer (10deg) as in sheltered in my tent in winter (-25deg). I do hope that the next few years might bring a little more travel to colder places (fingers, toes, legs, and eyes crossed!).
I sleep cold: once I stop moving my metabolism drops to nothing and I chill extremely easily. I also tend to sweat quite a bit, so my hair and clothing are all quite wet by the end of the day. I've learned on overnights (year-round, mind you) that the first thing i have to do upon choosing camp is to pull out my dry clothes and layers (no wonder why my pack is so heavy!), take my hair down and put it into a buff to dry a bit then mash a hat over it, and change out of everything down to the sports bra. Actually, in winter, sports bras are the bane of my existence, keeping the moisture and sweat right next to my heart. I counter this by usually tossing a chem warmer down there, being careful not to burn myself.
Other tricks I also use: chem warmers, hot water bottles, drinking hot tea or chocolate right before bed, a little chocolate munchie right before bed to kick start the metabolism, and peeing before I get settled for the night so I can try and make it all the way through without having to get up. I also don't like to have something over my face, so while I can pull the hood tight around my head, I need to have my nose and mouth out.
-L
