My dilemma is: My lightest kit is a warm quilt and no extra clothing. For extra miles, I need to get on the trail before sunrise which is the coldest part of my day. Extra bag insulation is much lighter than adding garments but then I want to wait until well past sunrise to get going. What do you do?

It depends upon the time of year, but in the colder seasons I go for a lightweight down jacket/parka and sometimes lightweight down pants to make the hours before sleep and the early morning hours more tolerable. This regime allows me to use a quilt which would otherwise be marginal, and still be warm.

John, what weight quilt do you use and how cold are you going?

Thanks!
Jay

Ooops, should have checked gear lists, I am new here and for get about all the info people have in their profiles. This one? 16.0 oz Nunatak Specialist 30F Down Quilt

Edited by justaddfuel on 10/24/2009 15:41:07 MDT.

Until my custom winter Nunatak arrives in a couple of weeks the Specialist is it. I recently used it in a hammock with temperatures in the mid 20's and a brisk wind. I was wearing a set of 200 weight Icebreaker and the 7oz Montbell down inner parka and was toasty. The hammock is a true test of temperature ratings since there's no warmth being kept in as it would be in an enclosed tent. BTW... I was using a similarly rated partial underquilt weighing only 12.3oz.

If it is really cold I might wear a thermal top under my normal Taslan shirt for about 15 minutes.

Cheers

Seriously, make your (warm) breakfast and eat it before you get out of your bed. Then you have energy and warmth to start moving, works great for me :-)

But also, if you take no extra clothing what do you do if you have to stop or slow down for a while? eg a technical section where you can't keep up a fast pace, going downhill, stopping for some first aid or even lunch?

Edited by maelgwn on 10/24/2009 20:16:09 MDT.

I'm from the, 'my clothing is part of my sleep system' camp. I don't pick a quilt or bag for the temps expected. Instead, i look at what clothing i need to be comfortable resting at camp at that temp. I then add my quilt for sleeping.
I don't want to have to dive into my bed to keep warm as soon as i stop hiking. Also, it's much nicer in the morning when you are warm and ready to hike straight away.

Edited by MikefaeDundee on 10/25/2009 01:29:35 MDT.

I'm a bring enough clothing to been comfortable in the early evening. I don't want to hop under my quilt the moment I stop. These clothing wouldn't be enough to keep me warm if I was just sitting around at the coldest part of the morning.

I bring a quilt/bag + clothing that that would keep me very comfortable to what I expect will be the worse nighttime low of the trip.

I don't worry about warm clothing in the morning. I typically had a bit of a buffer from being under the quilt, and do a fast start so I start warm from activity. I try to start the day with a moderate climb. Sometimes I start the hike with my nighttime clothing... but it typically comes off within 1/2 of starting hiking.

--mark

Edited by verber on 10/25/2009 17:04:53 MDT.