lightemup said:
Ringzero: a question about "Gaiters:" I remember on scout camps some guys and girls used to put a garbo bag over the bottom of the sleeping bag to keep dry...
My concern would be that using 'gaiters' would still cause dampness in your feet etc, and that in a cold climate make you sweat which would eventually decrease your body temperature.
You are correct, however, having damp, clammy socks after several hours of walking is better than having soaked socks right off the bat.
The best way to go is to use two sets of garbage bags, with one set of bags functioning as VBL socks, worn on your bare feet. Put on your regular socks over the VBL socks, then put on a second set of garbage bags over your regular socks, then put on your shoes or boots. Your socks will stay completely dry, because the VBL socks block your own sweat from reaching them, and the snow or rain is blocked by the outer set of plastic bags.
Depending on metabolism and relative humidity, a sleeping person's skin will release up to a quart or more of water vapor during the night. If not blocked by VBL, some of this is absorbed into the sleeping bag, some freezes out on the tent, etc.
VBL gear worn inside a sleeping bag will lower the effective temperature range of the bag by 10 to 20 degrees F by blocking evaporative cooling and by keeping the bag's insulation dry.
If the sleeping bag is not inside a tent, but out in the open, wrapping it tightly with a tarp or garbage bags will lower its effective range a whole lot, many degrees F depending on wind velocity, by blocking convective heat transfer. If you do this without using VBL gear inside the bag, in the morning the whole bag will be damp, and the outside will likely be frozen.
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