How cold are the huts on the Milford track

[Adrianplaz]

Greetings all. Heading to the Milford track in January. Previous walking in s w tasmania and ski touring nsw so we are set up for quite cold temperature. I am wondering if we can get away with lighter sleeping bags as I have heard the huts on the Milford track are pretty luxurious and full of warm bodies and stoves. Would a bag that was good down to say +5 or even warmer be adequate? I am usually the family packhorse but my knees are not what they were, so weight is becoming more of an Issue. And if anyone has any recommendations for a nice light bag that suits let me know. Thanks in advance Adrian.

[wayno]

should be somewhere in the teens,, generally around the middle but can get lower. weather does vary , the later in jan usually the warmer.. the huts are pretty low in altitude, but not that hot at night. they are so big the fire and bodies dont do that much to push the heat up.. the hut doesnt retain warmth overnight.
just get them to carry as much clothes as you can and you can skimp on the bag warmth..
having said that, read page 11, the temp has gone down to 2 degrees at it's lowest, even though it can reach 30

http://www.franks-alpin.de/contents/Rei ... -08-09.pdf

[andrewa]

From my experiences bushwalking in the Sth Island in January, the minimum temp can vary considerably.

My current approach to ski touring etc, is that I now sleep under a light weight quilt, and just wear whatever clothes are needed to keep me warm.

For ski touring, I now sleep in down jkt and pants and whatever boots I have, and a quilt over me. Makes getting up in the Middle of the night easy, coz you're already dressed!

Goretex jkt and pants are great to wear as well if really cold. They reduce vapour transmission, and work like partial vapour barriers

A

[Adrianplaz]

Thanks for the insights. I think I will purchase a couple of quilts for me and my wife and see how they go, and leave the girls in quite warm bags. I have been intrigued by quilts for a while, will join the revolution! The idea that the stuff we wear to keep us warm in the day can be actually used at night and so save weight on a sleeping bag is so simple and logical. I have always had the idea that my big warm sleeping bag will be there even when everything else is wet, cold and sodden, yet the truth is I have only had one trip where that happened and that was due to inexperience and poor choices on my part.
cheers. adrian