Will I Die Of Hypothermia? (on Brevet)

mfw · *by **mfw** on Tue 19/Oct/10 6:46am*

OK, my wife is giving me an ultimatum, I have signed up for the Brevet petit-brevet-t108095.html and decided to sleep rough, and have provisionally decided what kit to take, however, she doesn't want me to go unless I take warmer sleeping gear, she is worried about me dying of hypothermia and reminds me that I have lots of little dependants now.
It's the night of 20th Nov and I'm hoping to be at sea level, maybe around Okains Bay in the Banks peninsular.

We have camped at that time of year and yes it can be cold and uncomfortable without a big down sleeping bag and a nice air bed, but I'm trying to convince her that there is a big difference between being comfortable and dying from hypothermia. It's only one night I will only be 'sleeping' for 5 or 6 hours before being on the road again.

Here is my proposed bivvy:
- Twin rubbish sacks outer: http://www.the-ultralight-site.com/back ... tarps.html (light and can be tossed after the night)
- Fleece sleeping bag liner: http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing ... =325093630 (300-600g and $30)
- Wear my cycling gear.

My solution has to be done on a tight budget, I have approx. $200 to cover tyres, seat bag, bar bag, so basically there's nothing left for the bivvy unless I compromise on something else. I do have a full down sleeping bag and a few lightweight matresses but don't know how I would carry them and wouldn't want to be burdened with the weight of them anyway.

So this brings me to the poll question, with my above proposal will I die of hypothermia?
Also, any suggestions to improve my comfort would also be appreciated!

WayneG · *by **WayneG** on Tue 19/Oct/10 7:25am*

What it comes down to is can you sleep when your cold? It's only one night I would take a silver blanket as well just as added warmth. Unless it's raining and windy I'll say your be right for 1 night. Just make shore your warm before going to bed as you will not warm up in it.

Yogi · *by **Yogi** on Tue 19/Oct/10 9:37am*

Along with what Wayne said, find some shelter from the wind like a hollow that won't fill up with water if it rains, or behind shrubs. Lay down anything you can't wear and collect dead fern fronds and grass etc as a mattress to protect you from the cold ground. The ground will sap a lot more heat from you than you expect.

I'm sure you're aware of all this but if you are becoming cold, keep aware of how cold you're getting. If you're becoming hypothermic you'll become a bit bumbly and less likely to realise it, so think now about what you'll do if you find yourself in a bad situation i.e. jump back on bike and warm up, eat more food, find a house/barn, phone home, etc.

Rik · *by **Rik** on Tue 19/Oct/10 9:39am*

I don't think you're going to die. I suspect if it going to be fresh that night you will be uncomfortable. Remember you are going to be exhausted, so you'll probably sleep through anything.

znomit · *by **znomit** on Tue 19/Oct/10 11:59am*

Its just one night, maybe go down at 10pm for a couple of hours and get up and ride through the early morning hours when your body temp drops naturally.

philstar · *by **philstar** on Tue 19/Oct/10 1:31pm*

I would take some form of insulating sleeping mat, as you loose a lot of heat to the ground ( and they don't weigh much)

Jono · *by **Jono** on Tue 19/Oct/10 1:34pm*

Also, remember that if you're planning on sleeping in your riding gear it'll likely be damp with sweat, which will keep you cold. And that's before taking into consideration whether it'll be raining.

jo · *by jo on Tue 19/Oct/10 8:02pm*

I find when I'm exhausted I get cold very fast. If its likely you'll be pushing fitness to complete I suggest you prioritise carrying a change of clothes and a thermarest or similar mat.

happybaboon · *by **happybaboon** on Tue 19/Oct/10 8:54pm*

Jono wrote:Also, remember that if you're planning on sleeping in your riding gear it'll likely be damp with sweat, which will keep you cold. And that's before taking into consideration whether it'll be raining.

Also the next day you'll stink way, way, way bad. Also be risking getting the infections in your skin in any spot where you've chaffed.

Klarkash-ton · *by **Klarkash-ton** on Tue 19/Oct/10 9:05pm*

were's the option for being adopted by wolves?

pedalingkiwi · *by **pedalingkiwi** on Tue 19/Oct/10 9:14pm*

I once made the inspired decision to take a fleece liner on a backcountry trip to save weight and even in a hut I was too cold (only autumn, not high altitudes) to get much sleep. Unless there is a vicious southerly storm hypothermia will be out of the question, as will quality sleep with any seriously light weight set up. I would heartily second all the advice about insulation, especially from the ground (via proprietry mat or layers of ferns etc) and having a light change of dry polprop/merino to sleep in. A silk liner will add significant warmth for minimal weight.

Look forward to hearing the after-the-event report

Hutch · *by **Hutch** on Tue 19/Oct/10 9:47pm*

Good on you. As long as you aren't soaking wet and cold to start you will almost certainly survive. With a bit of preparation you might even be comfortable!

I do a bit of mountaineering and had two unplanned sleeps under silver blankets last year. One was in February, at about 2,000 metres in a rock cave. The second was in August, at about 2,200 metres (in the snow). Both were bloody cold, but manageable. We had to improvise insulation (on the rope in the rock, sitting on our packs in the snow cave) and would have loved to have had an insulation mat. I have upgraded the silver blanket to a silver bag ($15 from Kathmandu) but haven't had the chance to use it this year (too much cycling getting in the way of climbing).

Take an extra polypro top and a wool hat or balaclava. Insulation mats as suggested above are a no brainer, and you can get the foam ones for $15-$20. If you can borrow a down jacket from a mate that would be a bonus but they are pretty useless when they get wet.

Don't expect to actually fall asleep though. It will probably feel like a very long night.

mfw · *by **mfw** on Tue 19/Oct/10 9:55pm*

Some good advice thanks, will have to go digging through my old camping gear (when camping used to mean travelling light before kids / trailors got involved LOL). I'm sure I have an old thermarest kicking around, then have to figure out how to strap it on.

Will have to look at taking a change of clothes too by the sound of it.

Also wondering how many energy bars I could tape to the bike frame, I've seen in done in moderation before (to the top tube) but why not to the whole frame?, 2 days worth would be about 60 bars though(@ 1 every 1/2 hour, my normal rate), that would be quite a sight :blink:

Don't know what to do about the wolves, can you get wolf repellent spray these days..?

snr_merv · *by **snr_merv** on Tue 19/Oct/10 10:07pm*

mfw wrote: Also wondering how many energy bars I could tape to the bike frame, I've seen in done in moderation before (to the top tube) but why not to the whole frame?, 2 days worth would be about 60 bars though(@ 1 every 1/2 hour, my normal rate), that would be quite a sight

You'll go mad and/or destroy your insides only eating energy bars