u/bonzo_bcn

I'm trying to work out why my son and I were both cold on a couple of nights in Iceland despite seemingly having a sleep system that should have been warm enough.
We both use:
Katabatic Flex 15 quilt

Exped Ultra 3R sleeping pad

Merino long-sleeve base layer

Merino long tights

Quilt fully clipped/secured — no obvious drafts

During our Iceland Divide bikepacking trip, there were a couple of nights where we were both noticeably cold, particularly at Reykjavik campsite and Landmannalaugar. Temperatures were definitely above freezing, probably around 4°C, and I don't believe they dropped below 0°C.

What's puzzling is that on the other nights, further into the Icelandic highlands, we were completely comfortable with exactly the same equipment, despite the conditions not obviously being warmer.

Neither of us felt that the cold was particularly coming from underneath, which makes me unsure whether the pad is actually the problem.

The Ultra 3R has an R-value of around 2.9, so I'm wondering whether that's simply not enough for temperatures around 3–5°C, even when paired with a Katabatic Flex 15.

Could the relatively low R-value of the pad be causing us to lose enough heat that the quilt can't perform as expected, even if we don't consciously feel cold coming through the pad?

Or are there other factors that could explain why both of us were cold on the same nights but fine on other nights with the same sleep system?

Would moving to something around R4.5–5.5 make a meaningful difference at these temperatures, or would you look elsewhere first?

I'd be particularly interested in people's real-world experience with the Ultra 3R around 0–5°C, rather than the manufacturer's temperature recommendations.

I installed brand new Tesa tubeless tape, went on a bikepacking trip that involved river crossing, and today I was going to remove the sealant from the wheels for storage and found that there is water running between the rim and the rim tape.
If I leave it to dry will it be a disaster waiting to happen in my next trip?
Should I remove, dry, and install new tubeless tape?

I'm planning to ditch the padded shorts for my next bikepacking trip and just use regular shorts over underwear. I've found that even quality bibs (I ride Sportful Total Comfort) eventually become moisture traps on long days — they start fine but by hour four or five things get pretty grim down there.

The main things I'm worried about are:

- **Chafing** — especially on longer days in the saddle

- **Rolling/bunching up** — nothing worse than seams migrating to exactly the wrong place mid-ride

- **Moisture management** — synthetic obviously, but some fabrics just hold sweat and make things worse

I've heard merino wool comes up a lot, and I've seen people mention specific brands like Runderwear, Alpkit, or just generic sports boxers. But I don't know what actually holds up over multiple days of riding.

So — what do you actually use? Boxers, boxer briefs, trunks? Any specific brands or materials that have genuinely worked for you on multi-day rides? And is there anything you tried that sounded good but was a disaster in practice?

Also curious about the outer layer — are stretchy shorts (trail running style, MTB baggies with stretch panels, etc.) a big part of making this work? Or does it not matter much as long as the underlayer is sorted?

Planning to sew my first rain skirt out of 1.1oz silpoly. Never used one before so wanted to get some input on design before I cut anything.

I'm leaning toward a simple conical skirt with shock cord at the waist and hem rather than a wrap. My reasoning:

- Simpler construction (no overlap panel, no closures)

- Shock cord at the bottom lets me dial in the hem opening for stride length

- Nothing to snag or delaminate like velcro on silpoly

- No gap opening in wind

The wrap design seems to need velcro at both the waist and the side seam to stay closed while moving, which feels like added complexity and potential failure points on a silpoly surface.

Obvious downside of the skirt is you have to take it on and off rather than just wrapping and unwrapping.

Am I missing any other practical reasons to go wrap over skirt? Anyone sewn either and have regrets?