How to Get Rid of Body Moisture in the Cold

"The last sleeping bag you'll ever buy"

Wiggy's sleeping bags are legendary in the outdoor community. I had always heard fantastic things about them, from their durability, warmth, loft, pack-ability and the insane warranty and customer service. When I finally pulled the trigger and bought one for myself I was NOT disappointed with its quality. The first time I used my Ultra-Light bag was on a deliberately miserable 15° night. Alone on a river. It was nasty cold and the bag kept me warm below its rating even. I actually stripped layers in the night.

My only problem is that I didn't follow the very obvious posted advice.... ASK ABOUT SIZING! I bought my bag, realized it was tighter than I hoped for, and had to immediately go on the trip I got it for. By the time I had an opportunity to exchange it had been too long. Get it right the first time to save hassle. Basically I'm a broad shouldered young man and my 31" regular sized bag is super snug on me and takes some getting used to each trip. When it's financially viable for me, I may just have to buy a second bag that's 34" wide so I can be comfortable.

So, basically, get your sizing right and don't make my mistake! It's a great bag but I missed out on it being perfect for me because of how tight it is. Send an email, call, whatever you need to make it perfect.

-Nik Rasmussen

Nik told me he was going to sell this bag and use the money to buy the 34 inch wide body size.

MANAGING TO GET RID OF MOISTURE

There is a way for a human to get rid of the moisture that is produced by the body in a cold situation!!!

During warm weather when we sweat we want the sweat to cover our skin in order to cool our body. When the temperature is cold enough that we must wear an insulated garment we do not want the moisture to cover our skin surface because it will do the same as it does when we are in a warm environment, cool us. So what to do?

First of all you must wear as your base layer a garment that will not restrict the moisture while still in the vapor state as it comes out of your pores from condensing immediately, and that is fishnet underwear. There is no other base layer that you can wear that will allow this moist vapor movement to take place. It should be loose fitting as well. The next layer should also be loose fitting as all ensuing layers should be. This way of dressing will allow the moisture to move freely and the heat that is coming off of your skin surface actually keeps the moisture in the vapor state and drives the moisture further away from your body.

In order for the process to work most efficiently you must have a very good exterior insulating layer over your torso? If the insulating layer is inefficient and does not keep your body heat in the garment, condensation will take place in the garment very quickly and that is now where it stays.

When I was lost I was wearing my fishnet underwear and a loose fitting cotton plaid shirt associated with hunters. Over that was my parka with the L-12 liner, the same weight that I put in the Antarctic parka. The parka was an extra-large size so it fit me loosely. For the 3 days I was wandering until Rudy found me I was giving off lots of moisture i.e. sweat. I lost 4 or 5 pounds as I recall, which was mostly water via sweat. In retrospect I was never clammy. There was frost all over the white surface of my parka, and Rudy, who was wearing the same parka, had no frost on his since he was on horseback and not walking as I was for 3 days until he showed up with a horse for me.

The only way my sweat could have gotten out of my clothing to frost on the outside of my parka was if it was in a vapor state and the heat I was generating was sufficient to drive it through the insulation. The insulation therefore was sufficient to keep in my heat in so the sweat would not condense. The insulation was also not a hindrance at stopping the vapor flow. Do not forget that the insulation was Lamilite/Climashield a product that has proven time and time again not to inhibit moisture flow as a vapor out of clothing and sleeping bags. The fibers are silicone treated and as we know these fibers will allow moisture in a vapor state to pass 16 times faster through them that the same fiber not silicone treated.

When you realize how efficient the insulation is acting to dry a person in a resting state in a sleeping bag this tells us how much faster the vapor movement takes place in a garment when one is active. This action explains why an effective insulation is a mandatory part of helping to keep a person warm by aiding in the movement of moisture out of a garment. Of all the fiberfill for insulation products available to a manufacturer there is only one that I have found will accomplish the task of retaining heat sufficient to keep the moisture in a vapor state and that is Climashield so long as an appropriate amount of fiber by weight is used. If not enough is used you will not get the same results as I do.

There is no need to apply chemicals to fabrics to aid in what is called “moisture management”. There is no way to manage moisture. Moisture comes out of the human body at various rates depending upon how active a person is! What you want to do is direct the moisture away from your body as best you can so it has no adverse effect on you, such as causing a chill. So far I have accomplished this with the weights of Lamilite/Climashield that I use.

Lamilite/Climashield insulated garments will very efficiently keep you warm and dry so long as that first layer is fishnet underwear and at no point between the fishnets and the Lamilite exterior garment are you to wear any fleece layer, just loose fitting woven fabric garments.