Chilly Night
After we took our camping bed to NM last October - and froze our little a**es off, we decided that we were NOT going to head out for a week of camping with this bed without first prooving we had enough bedding to stay warm.
So... that means testing it. And in representative conditions no less. Last year at Estrella we had frost on the ground more mornings than not, so we know it was getting below freezing. I'd pictured setting the bed up on the deck and spending the night out under the stars... Only - with our weather through the holidays, 32 degrees was a balmy illusion as we endured several weeks of temps that didn't ever get ABOVE 20! Also, it's been wet. So what were we to do?
Set the bed up in the garage! :-D I actually pulled it out a few weeks ago, only to my chagrin realize that the wood has settled, and warped. It is made out of pine afterall. It changed to the point that EVERY CONNECTION had to be modified to make fit again. Grrr. So Dave and I tackled it yesterday, and got it back together. I certainly hope this is the only time it will change so radically again, since my "quick, lets set up the bed" task turned into a 2 hour sanding and rasping and waxing project.
Anyways, got it set up and as we turned in last night it was... Oh NO -- 39 degrees in the garage. LOL, that was way too warm!! So we cracked the garage door open 18 inches. And yep, as we got up this morning it was 28 degrees.
And the verdict? Dave was toasty. I was chilly. Typical!
So... that means testing it. And in representative conditions no less. Last year at Estrella we had frost on the ground more mornings than not, so we know it was getting below freezing. I'd pictured setting the bed up on the deck and spending the night out under the stars... Only - with our weather through the holidays, 32 degrees was a balmy illusion as we endured several weeks of temps that didn't ever get ABOVE 20! Also, it's been wet. So what were we to do?
Set the bed up in the garage! :-D I actually pulled it out a few weeks ago, only to my chagrin realize that the wood has settled, and warped. It is made out of pine afterall. It changed to the point that EVERY CONNECTION had to be modified to make fit again. Grrr. So Dave and I tackled it yesterday, and got it back together. I certainly hope this is the only time it will change so radically again, since my "quick, lets set up the bed" task turned into a 2 hour sanding and rasping and waxing project.
Anyways, got it set up and as we turned in last night it was... Oh NO -- 39 degrees in the garage. LOL, that was way too warm!! So we cracked the garage door open 18 inches. And yep, as we got up this morning it was 28 degrees.
And the verdict? Dave was toasty. I was chilly. Typical!
Labels: SCA
posted by Monica |
1:27 PM
5 Comments:
I sleep in my wool and polar fleece hood with big wool socks and toe warmers stuck to them. I also pile another layer of polar fleece on my side of the bed.
The hard thing about Estrella is to have enough covers to keep warm without being squished under the weight.
You were really smart to set it up at home were you could make the adjustments with power tools in the comfort of your garage!
Yeah, I think a sweatshirt over my turtle neck is the next step. We had wool blankets and fleece and our heavy sleeping bag under us, and our winter down duvet over us. I didn't feel TOO much heat suckage from the air mattress -- but there was some. But I do think another layer on top is called for. Never the less, the down is AWESOME for warmth without the weight!
SO! Talked to Dave last night and got a lecture about three different types of heat transmission... (conductive, convective, and.. radiative?). Anyways, yada yada yada... therefore we needed to put a blanket beneath the air mattress as well as on top below us. Huh - I've argued against this before, but had no more conviction.
So - blanket under the mattress and sweatshirt it was. 30 degrees as we went to bed, 26 as we got up, and I was toasty! In fact woke up overheated at one point. Coolio. The bed is to be packed up today for the trip. :-D
Another wonderful thing are the $20 memory foam mattress toppers. I got one of those for our futon and it has made all the difference. They scrunch up small and then expand when they warm up.
Yeah, more underneath is better with those air mattresses. We got a futon after a while and like everything but the space it takes when we pack up.
Good job!
Yes on the space that the foam takes up. We have two pads (not memory foam tho) from last year and they are just huge! The wool blankets are much more space efficient.
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