I have always been told, change into a dedicated set of sleeping clothes, dont get into your sleeping bag with your hiking layers. Truth or myth?

I heard that long ago, too. On the PCT I got tired of changing my clothes every night. One night I just slept in my clothes. I was as warm and comfortable as any other night, plus I didn't have to fuss with putting on my cold clothes in the morning. I have never taken sleeping clothes backpacking again.

I always do (with the exception of socks). I wash my feet and socks before bed when possible and change into some possum down sleep socks that I keeped packed with my sleeping quilt.

I sleep using a silk mummy liner inside of a Nunatak ARC AT quilt. The silk liner keeps the bugs from crawling on me and protects the quilt from harmful vapors (and dirt).

I don't win any beauty contests at the end of the hike, but that's OK.

Might be a different story if you are hiking in extreme cold where your hiking clothes are saturated in sweat. I don't hike in those conditions often so I'll defer to others for their perspective. Remember, this is all for enjoyment and I HATE being cold.

Personal choice. Most of the time I change into something 'more comfortable', cleaner and drier. My "day" clothes often have bits and pieces I don't find comfortable in bed, such as snaps, zippers, collars, cuffs, pockets, waistband etc...So I carry a set of flat seam knit unders, without any extras on them. ZZZZZZZZZ

my footie pajamas

I've always worn my day clothes to bed with the exception winter campouts, then I bring fleece pajamas over a fresh pair of poly-propylene(did I spell that right?).

cheers

It kind of depends on your day clothes. If they are wet, you probably don't want them in your sleeping bag. If you spilled your dinner on them, and you're in bear country, you probably don't want them anywhere near your tent, much less your sleeping bag. If you happened not to look before sitting down when in cattle country....

You do have to wash your sleeping bag more often if you wear your grubby day clothes inside.

I always used to sleep in my day clothes. However, since I carry a base layer for insulation anyway, I've taken to sleeping in that. If I wear them outside (which I do when it's cold), my day clothes are over them, so the base layer stays relatively clean. Although I'd never bother taking separate clothes just for sleeping, I do take a pair of 200-wt. fleece sleeping socks. My feet love them!

There have been a few times when I've been so tired that I couldn't be bothered with changing clothes at bedtime and just crawled into the sleeping bag, grubby clothes and all!

Edited by hikinggranny on 04/06/2009 21:00:03 MDT.

If you do carry extra clothes just for sleeping, you might want to consider putting the extra weight into down for a warmer bag and then sleeping either nude or in your long underwear.

--MV

Take a silk liner to keep your funk off your expensive sleeping bag. As for dedicated sleeping clothes, the only thing I bring is socks. Then I usually go to sleep with the minimum (base) layers I think I can get by with, leaving things to add if I wake up chilled during the night.

The silk liner will add a few degrees rating to your bag in the cold and feel cool to your skin in the summer.

http://www.designsalt.com/detail.asp?pageId=products&pageName=mummyliner&PRODUCT_ID=SM

Yep, save the weight...
...also ditch the liner bag!

I've slept many many many many many nights in my current down bag with a dirty body and dirty clothes. I've washed it once.
You and your bag will be fine.

hard enough sometimes when conditions are ideal, but any strong smell will bother me sleepless

a few ounces well worth it for me

Note to self: Do not buy sleeping bag from Craig Wisner. :)

I once tried the silk liner bit. Overnight I got so tangled up in the thing that it took me several minutes to untangle my way out of the sleeping bag in the morning. Plus it did nothing whatsoever to increase the insulation of the sleeping bag. Forget liners!

I agree that liners are a bit of a pain and get tangled up in the night, making midnight pee expeditions even trickier. I started a thread about this a few months ago. Someone recommended silk pajamas from Sierra Trading Post, although if I could find a pair of those footie pajamas, I might go with those instead. How much do those weigh, Cary?

It's completely a matter of personal choice.

If you want to go bed filthy, sweaty and smelly, well that's your choice. If you want to clean up a bit after a hard day and "slip into something a little more comfortable" than that's your choice as well.

Some clean thermals for bed time don't weigh a whole lot and I reckon it's weight that is easily justified by the level of comfort that it offers.

You should be able to wear all your clothes at the same time except for extra socks and underwear.

I have slept in my hiking clothes and nothing bad happened. However, I do like to clean up at night and sleep in long underwear and dedicated sleeping socks.

My hiking clothes go into a fleece pillow bag. They are dry in the morning and sorta warm.

I enjoy being clean and also warm for night calss of nature. Probably a personal preference.

Extra underwear?

Washing up = good. Changing clothes = bad, mostly because then you have to carry it. The only redundant piece of clothing I carry is two pairs of socks. I find this necessary for happy feet.

That said, I did bring a pair of cotton boxers (see avatar) on my SHT thruhike. And oh, boy they were great. Very nice after a day in spandex compression shorts.

Edited by citystuckhiker on 04/08/2009 08:37:29 MDT.

Same as Matt, except I do carry an additional pair of underwear too. Extra socks are key for me. The undies are more of a 3 ounce luxury.

I think the reason behind this is that when your sweat dry's it leaves salt on you skin which can make you clammy at night. I try and swim in a lake or stream at the end of the day then put the stanky clothes back on. I always sleep warmer clean, I think??? Just a thought. Ali