It must have been one very confused TSA officer who opened my suitcase on the way to Durham from Shanghai. Why on earth would someone pack roughly a hundred Chinese heat packs?
For K-ville, of course.
I just tented last night, and I’m happy to report that the heat packs worked like a charm. The cold has never been more comfortable. I’m glad I’m well stocked!
Other citizens of K-ville may not have heat packs, but they have plenty of other ways to preserve the heat. Here are some ways K-villers are keeping warm in the long, cold nights:
Warm sleeping bags
Don’t underestimate the benefit of a warm sleeping bag. I stocked up with a 0 degree Fahrenheit, thus contributing greatly to my overall happiness and comfort.
Freshman Victoria Li, a black tenter, said she brought the warmest sleeping bag she had—one that had been previously tested and tried in Michigan. She and her tent mates also brought air mattresses, which they say have gone a long way toward keeping them warm and comfortable.
Senior Matt Boyle, who is also black tenting, said his team’s air mattresses popped because of the extremely cold temperatures. Still, the lessons he learned from his last K-ville experience during his freshman year helped keep him warm. Knowing how cold it was, he went on Amazon and got a new -20 degree Fahrenheit rated sleeping bag.
Meanwhile freshman Jessica Adimora, who is blue tenting, said she got her bag from a physical location. “I asked around Dick’s Sporting Goods and got help choosing the sleeping bag,” she said. It’s a “mummy” sleeping bag, which keeps warmth in because it hugs close to the person’s body.
For more tips about how to choose a proper sleeping bag, go to http://www.rei.com/expertadvice/articles/sleeping+bag+backpacking.html. Or if you’re not planning on getting a sleeping bag, you could always follow the example of one of my tent mates—bringing a sleeping pad and a very, very thick blanket.
To layer or not to layer?
That is the question. Some K-villers said they really padded themselves, while others claimed that less was more.
Li said she wore multiple layers of socks to sleep. Adimora attested that she spent her nights wrapped in “lots of layers.” “I have 8 layers on top,” she said.
Boyle said he encouraged layering on a normal basis. “I told everyone to buy long underwear,” he said. “I’m wearing long underwear, sweats, and jeans right now.” But when it comes to sleeping, Boyle advises, “the fewer the better.”
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