Desert dwellers: what type of blanket do you like?

[locolife]

Originally Posted by BIG CATS

There was a few times I would go to bed with a lightly damp undershirt on, and crank the a/c, ceiling and floor fans. Talk about being cold! Felt awesome. It would dry out in less than an hour, but it was enough to put me to sleep in an instant.


Don't knock it til you try it.

Dang, I've honestly never felt the need, our ceiling fan and the a/c has always worked just fine. But if it ever breaks I'll keep this in mind.

As a kid growing up we used to go to the lake a lot, a friend of ours had a house boat. As is the case, daytime temps frequently hit 110 or whatever, but we'd always tie a sheet on to the house boat porch and dampen in with lake water, as the wind would blow through it basically operated like an evaporation cooler and dropped the immediate air temperature by 20 or so degrees. It always dried out fast but it was fun for those long summer days at the lake.

Sounds like the same concept.

[WilmaWildcat]

Originally Posted by LBTRS

We use just a sheet most of the year. The few weeks/months we need more we use a little cotton throw blanket.

A sheet -- and a fan. Super nice. I always liked the warmth and kept the AC at about 80-85 F. With low humidity it was great; monsoon needed more running time against the humidity, though. When we had an evaporative cooler 35 years ago, that was the best. Fresh air all the time. I did appreciate the AC during monsoon. But normally below 80 F I started reaching for a jacket. I was one who always took a sweater to indoor venues like movie theaters.

[BIG CATS]

Originally Posted by locolife

Dang, I've honestly never felt the need, our ceiling fan and the a/c has always worked just fine. But if it ever breaks I'll keep this in mind.

As a kid growing up we used to go to the lake a lot, a friend of ours had a house boat. As is the case, daytime temps frequently hit 110 or whatever, but we'd always tie a sheet on to the house boat porch and dampen in with lake water, as the wind would blow through it basically operated like an evaporation cooler and dropped the immediate air temperature by 20 or so degrees. It always dried out fast but it was fun for those long summer days at the lake.

Sounds like the same concept.

Its precisely the same concept. It works awesome. In the summer if I walk to Subway or Walgreens, Ill soak my wide-brimmed floppy hat in cold water and its like a/c.

[RenW]

We have a heavy comforter that we used in Illinois but we haven't used it once since we came out here to Arizona. I ended up getting us a light comforter for the winter months as we do like having a blanket when the temperature allows. I have a fan running in the bedroom year round to even help make it cooler so it is cool enough for a blanket on those borderline temp nights. We are starting to get to the temps where the comforter will go away for months until it cools down again.

Year round we have two separate sheets. That way we don't have to fight for a sheet and we can independently use them how it is most comfortable for each of us.

[cactusland]

Cotton, linen, or recently as I've tried out, microfiber is really cool to sleep in. I don't like the static though. I've had nights where I've slept with no blanket just fine however, in the dead of summer. Not needed.

[MGS4EVER]

Originally Posted by locolife

Whoa! 6 months of a closed up house? WTF? Our windows are still open at night and the mornings now, these nights in the 60s make for perfect sleeping weather, we keep ours open at night until early June and open them again in September when once again the lows started dipping into the 60s and 70s. No clue why someone would close up their house for 6 months... it's certainly cooler outside now then most people set their a/c to.

Yep, pretty much. Sure there may be a couple of days we can open up. If it's windy though, it's dusty so I'd rather not have to dust every day. I live rural with wide open spaces, so it can get really dusty around here. We still open up right now (April), but those days are numbered. I open up around 7pm and have to close up around 8am. Keeps the house cool so the AC doesn't have to come on. The AC is set and our rule of thumb is when the AC comes on and starts to cycle (keep the set temp), we stop opening up. Usually that is sometime early May. Same thing in the fall. When the AC stops cycling, we turn it off and open up.

Also, our house is east/west exposure, so we get the afternoon sun directly into the back of our house, and morning sun directly into the front of our house. That makes a huge difference. And yes, we have sun screens, trees etc. So I guess it's more like 5 months of a closed up house.

[Voebe]

I like lightweight thermal blankets.

[locolife]

Originally Posted by MGS4EVER

Yep, pretty much. Sure there may be a couple of days we can open up. If it's windy though, it's dusty so I'd rather not have to dust every day. I live rural with wide open spaces, so it can get really dusty around here. We still open up right now (April), but those days are numbered. I open up around 7pm and have to close up around 8am. Keeps the house cool so the AC doesn't have to come on. The AC is set and our rule of thumb is when the AC comes on and starts to cycle (keep the set temp), we stop opening up. Usually that is sometime early May. Same thing in the fall. When the AC stops cycling, we turn it off and open up.

Also, our house is east/west exposure, so we get the afternoon sun directly into the back of our house, and morning sun directly into the front of our house. That makes a huge difference. And yes, we have sun screens, trees etc. So I guess it's more like 5 months of a closed up house.

Wow, yet another reason I love living in the heart of the city. We run our A/C consistently June - mid/late Sept., other then that it may run during the day if we get a hot stretch but almost always have the windows open at night.

Dusting is a price I'm willing to pay for fresh air but since were not in a rural area it isn't nearly as bad as what you're saying.

[mjd2k]

Originally Posted by BIG CATS

There was a few times I would go to bed with a lightly damp undershirt on, and crank the a/c, ceiling and floor fans. Talk about being cold! Felt awesome. It would dry out in less than an hour, but it was enough to put me to sleep in an instant.


Don't knock it til you try it.

You're a smart cat! Sometimes camping or in a place with no ac, I fill the sink with water and put my shorts and shirt in it, then wring them out, put them on, soak my hair and try to get to sleep before they dry.

I virtually always go to bed with no sheet but seem to wake up with it on. And my feet need to be sticking out of the sheets.

The first winter we had our place 2011/12 was very warm. We only turned the furnace on to see if it worked and it never! Fixed under warranty. In April, before we left, we tested it again and it never worked! Two tries, two fails!

My wife simply cannot go to bed without a sheet or comforter no matter how hot.

[Sandlapper3396]

We use a duvet year round. I personally can't stand being just under sheets to sleep. If given the choice I would go without. I prefer the weight of a blanket or comforter on me when sleeping and the duvet was a compromise as it breathes better than those.