Forgive me if this is a stupid question, but I wasn't able to find an answer in previous forum posts. It seems to me that when wearing a down jacket inside a bag or quilt to extend its temperature rating, it would be better to put it on backward and leave it unzipped behind you. This way less of the down will be compressed under you, making it more efficient in the same way that a quilt can be more efficient than a bag. This assumes, of course, that you're a back-sleeper and using a jacket without a hood. Is there a fault in this reasoning?

the only problem could be the hood...

The issue isn't the hood, you could always just fold that to the inside. The problem is that the top back of a jacket is cut higher than the front (or, really, the front is open at the collar, the back is not). So when you put it on backwards, it 'cuts' into your neck and makes it quite uncomfortable, hood or no hood.

Or turn the jacket upside down so the hood will keep your boys warm & toasty.

"Or turn the jacket upside down so the hood will keep your boys warm & toasty"

I guess if your boys are big enough to fill the hood, your arms are probably long enough to still fit in the sleeves with the jacket upside down..... ;-)

What I do is just drape it over my. I seem to stay warmest if I drape it over my hips and stomach. I'm conscious of it while I sleep so when I roll, I make sure it stays where I want it. I have also zipped it up like a skirt. I can't zip it all the way, of course. My waist isn't as narrow as the neck hole. But I can zip it up enough to keep it where I want it around my hips. Mostly I just drape it over me.

People wear the jacket if they move around at night, so they don't have to worry about it coming off. That said, if I need the insulation, I normally drape it over me upside down; hood out of the way, plenty of loft above and around me. Only really works sleeping on my back, otherwise a bit more readjusting and fiddling with getting the jacket/parka pulled back down around me.

I'm like Brad and Diane...drape it over my legs and feet. But I guess wearing it backwards would work too. :)

I've worn my jacket backwards in various different ways. For draping my down jacket on top of me while asleep, I partially agree with your theory. I do indeed think that it'd be warmer when used as a quilt. But practically, it has usually slid off of me during the night (and I don't toss and turn a large amount). I think that I stay warmer while wearing it, because it stays on me, and because it's closer to my body and more form fitting.

As a tangent, I've also tried wearing my rain jackets backwards while hiking with my pack. It seems like a great idea because it'd let my sweaty back breathe. I've found that it doesn't work well because it slides down my arms.

re jack
If you put the jacket on first then the pack, the jacket on backward thing works pretty well.

Thanks for the replies; those reinforce my suspicions. I'll have to do some experimentation.

Gordon,

When you are fighting to get the last drop of benefit of using your jacket to stay warm in your sleeping bag you might consider the following:

I am a back sleeper. When I start to get cold I zip up my down jacket and put the whole jacket over me. This gives me double thickness that just draping the jacket over me gives. I tuck the jacket sleeves around my to cover my arms. As my sleeping bag rings my neck I move the jacket as low as appropriate.

I find that wearing my gloves and then placing my hands over my chest adds real "warmth" to my upper body.

I also almost always carry a vest. As needed, do drap it over my legs to help keep my feet warmer. Worst case, I also put my feet in light weight stuff sacks that then act as VBLs.

Enjoy!!