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I sweat a great deal when I sleep. When it's really warm outside at night I just keep my bag unzipped and there's no problem. However, when it starts to get cold and I have to zip my bag up, I soon become dowsed in sweat and even though my bag is rated well below the outside temperature I am freezing and have a horrible night.

I just ordered some drirelease shorts and tshirt in hopes that the wicking will help with this problem but haven't received them yet. Will that do the trick?

Does anyone else have this problem and what worked for you?

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    Have you ever tried sleeping without clothes? Modern sleeping bags are designed to regulate your temperature with direct skin contact.
    – anaheim
    Jun 10, 2013 at 9:36
  • The kids are frequently in the tent with me, so I'm hesitant to go completely nude. However it's usually my top half that is cold so I'll give it a shot without a shirt and see how that works :)
    – Tradsud
    Jun 10, 2013 at 14:04
  • I would also recommend trying other sleeping bags (your current sleeping bag might or might not have the appropriate temperature).
    – Amine
    Jun 10, 2013 at 18:03
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    Maybe your sleeping bag is too warm for your weather. What are the raitings of the bag and what's the weather? Also, do other people in your tent have similar problems? Maybe your tent is not ventilated enough.
    – Steed
    Jun 13, 2013 at 13:06
  • This last trip I used a military patrol bag rated 30-50 degrees, and the temperature got down to 46, so maybe it was too hot. I'm thinking of trying a mix of the answers received, getting a wicking sleeping bag liner and sleeping with the bag half open.
    – Tradsud
    Jun 13, 2013 at 20:05

4 Answers 4

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Plenty of places sell sleeping bag liners. Sometimes they are designed to make the bag warmer, other times to be more absorbent. For example, Mountain Equipment co-op sells quite a few, some of which are cotton and mention "absorbency" and "comfort" in their descriptions. I don't doubt that other suppliers offer them too.

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  • I'm going to try a wicking liner and see if that does the trick. This one looks like it may do the trick. Thanks!
    – Tradsud
    Jun 13, 2013 at 20:49
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    That liner really helped, I just did four very humid nights and perspiration was not a problem at all!
    – Tradsud
    Jul 23, 2013 at 20:40
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I get far too hot but like you I find that layer part of the night gets cold. My solution in temperate climates is to only ever zip the sleeping bag up halfway so the top half is left loose, that way I can pull it over me or off again without waking up.

If it is a wee bit cooler you could try this technique as well as a thin sheet or blanket.

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  • This is pretty much what I do now, although I haven't tried it with an extra sheet or blanket. Maybe I'll try taking one as well.Thanks!
    – Tradsud
    Jun 10, 2013 at 14:00
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If you are sweating in your sleeping bag all night then the insulation level is too high. Try wearing less or no clothing as well as your ventilation solution.

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even though my bag is rated well below the outside temperature

...

I soon become dowsed in sweat

;)

  1. I concur with the accepted answer that a cotton liner would be nice.

  2. Most sleeping bags feature double zipper operation. Do unzip the bottom part a bit. This not only aerates your feet but also provides a way for air to circulate through the bag.

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