Sleeping bags

[Christophe Noel]

Christophe - I agree; I don't consider a DWR coating to be proof against much for long. I do think if you're going to make the down investment you should go all the way and look for 700 fill power and over, a true laminate shell, and features such as a full-length two-way zipper for temperature modulation. And that's going to be a painful purchase, no matter how long you can expect the product to last.

We're on the same page. I've found over the years, when things get bad in the backcountry, the ability to retreat to comfort is worth not just big money, but very big money. I try to keep my sleep system above average and in some cases overkill. If injury or illness invades my backcountry experience, having a place to pupate, rest and recover is priceless.

I spent 48 hours in a bivy sack in the Palisades at about 11,000 feet as I recovered from the flu. That was horrible.

 

[Jonathan Hanson]

Remind me not to buy any used bivy sacks from you.

 

[Christophe Noel]

Remind me not to buy any used bivy sacks from you.

I was so tired of that bivy after two solid days pretending to be a sausage, I hiked out and tossed that bivy in the trash can at the trail head. Perhaps that was a little dramatic.

Back to sleeping bags - Cascade Designs has a new bag scheduled to hit dealers in January that is really far out. No zippers. I have one on the way. I will make sure you get a chance to see it. It's 20 degrees of fuzzy down in a package that compresses to the size of a Nalgene.

 

[Wander]

Wow this thread has really taken off and had been a real education. Reading about some of the conditions and situations you all have experianced is impressive but probably well beyond what I'll ever see. I'm in eastern/coastal NC sso mountain trips are long weekend limited as it's at least 6-7 hours to get to where you want to go. The closer choices rarely get that cold (30's in the worst of winter) but it is humid and often swampy/wetlands so would down be the best option? Solo trips and flyfishing weekends with a buddy might happen in cooler temps but I know I'll never get my girls out if it will be cold so I think a 20 degree maybe all I need-does this sound good?

Final question, with the condition range I mentioned and $200 max to spend, what bag(s) springs to mind?

 

[Christophe Noel]

Final question, with the condition range I mentioned and $200 max to spend, what bag(s) springs to mind?

You might take a look at Big Agnes bags. If I recall, Scott is a big fan of Big Agnes. The store I buy for sells a ton of those bags. They're comfy, roomy, well made and pretty darn affordable. The company is based in Steamboat Springs, Colorado and run by a great bunch of folks. They're well designed, not ultra-light, but a good value and do exactly what they say they'll do. The Lost Ranger is our most popular Big Agnes bag and fits your price range.

 

[java]

so i have a snythetic bag and my wife has a down one, i bought mine so they would zip together.
well after years of use my bag isnt very warm any more, and even when it was new i would still find me sticking my feet on her side. i would highly recomend it.
its a north face solar flare. not sure they make it anymore but its a -20 bag

 

[Corey]

My brother is a big fan of the Big Agnes sleep system.
Saw his setup on my summer vacation.
The bottom of the bag had a pocket sewn in which allows you to slip an air mattress up the channel.
This way you do not roll off of your mattress.
I would have preferred one that self inflates, he had to blow his up.

 

[Wander]

I saw that on there web site-pretty good idea, I wonder if a self inflating pad will fit? I also noticed they are cut wider and have a wider foot box which is good as I am side sleeper and often roll a few times before I finally get settled.

 

[Christophe Noel]

I saw that on there web site-pretty good idea, I wonder if a self inflating pad will fit? I also noticed they are cut wider and have a wider foot box which is good as I am side sleeper and often roll a few times before I finally get settled.

Any number of pads will fit. Don't be put off by the Big Agnes pads just because they're not "self inflating." It's not really very challenging to inflate a pad. You breath all day long. Not much of a big thing to put a few of those breaths into a pad. Plus, those 2.5" BA pads are seriously comfy.

Okay..that said - Our ExPo friend Cam at Nemo offers the sleeping pad of sleeping pads. Check it out.

 

[Hootowl]

Lots of good quality brands mentioned and down vs. synthetic comparisons. Thought I'd kick in my couple of cents worth of opinion as well!

I have a Cabellas Holofil, semi mummy bag that is 30 years old and originally rated for -20F. Undoubtedly, it's lost a bit of capbility at the lower end of the range. It's in top shape with heavy use. I kind of toss things around and don't baby it. I've never been cold in it in temps going down towards -10F.

As a comparison, I bought my son when he got out of high school and very fine Marmot down bag and have tried it out a few times. About busted my butt sleeping from the normal bumps and knobs that always poke in the wrong places when tent camping. The down compresses to almost nothing between you and the ground so there is no extra oompf to help the waffle sleeping pad or the self inflating matress.

IMHO, Since you're style is going to be towards tent camping, this negages the lighter weight and smaller stuff size advantages of the down. I am definately biased to holofil for tent camping.

For sure, try on any mummy style bag for size before buying. Way too many of them are way too confining for my tastes. My modified mummy has lots more room than is typical for the classical mummy.

Where I have evolved with for my tent camping, not backpacking, is actually using two bags. I have a cheap Colman rectangular from Walmart for warm weather and I open up the Cabella holofil for a tent floor cover to lay on. In cooler weather, I reverse this and use the cheap Colman for the floor liner. This really cozies up the tent.

One of the folks mentioned the multipiece military sleeping bag system. This is sort of what I have cobbled together for my routine gear and if I was buying new now, would give a really serious look at this setup.

I am very negative on any rectangular bag for cold weather use, no matter what the quality of contruction and insulation. No matter how much you burrow down in it, cold air is going to sneak in down to where you're hidden. LOL!

 

[Hootowl]

Lots of good quality brands mentioned and down vs. synthetic comparisons. Thought I'd kick in my couple of cents worth of opinion as well!

I have a Cabellas Holofil, semi mummy bag that is 30 years old and originally rated for -20F. Undoubtedly, it's lost a bit of capbility at the lower end of the range. It's in top shape with heavy use. I kind of toss things around and don't baby it. I've never been cold in it in temps going down towards -10F.

As a comparison, I bought my son when he got out of high school and very fine Marmot down bag and have tried it out a few times. About busted my butt sleeping from the normal bumps and knobs that always poke in the wrong places when tent camping. The down compresses to almost nothing between you and the ground so there is no extra oompf to help the waffle sleeping pad or the self inflating matress.

IMHO, Since you're style is going to be towards tent camping, this negages the lighter weight and smaller stuff size advantages of the down. I am definately biased to holofil for tent camping.

For sure, try on any mummy style bag for size before buying. Way too many of them are way too confining for my tastes. My modified mummy has lots more room than is typical for the classical mummy.

Where I have evolved with for my tent camping, not backpacking, is actually using two bags. I have a cheap Colman rectangular from Walmart for warm weather and I open up the Cabella holofil for a tent floor cover to lay on. In cooler weather, I reverse this and use the cheap Colman for the floor liner. This really cozies up the tent.

One of the folks mentioned the multipiece military sleeping bag system. This is sort of what I have cobbled together for my routine gear and if I was buying new now, would give a really serious look at this setup.

I am very negative on any rectangular bag for cold weather use, no matter what the quality of contruction and insulation. No matter how much you burrow down in it, cold air is going to sneak in down to where you're hidden. LOL!

 

[LilKJ]

I've spent a lot of time on a lot of mountains and have stuck with a handful of bags that have worked great for me....

you can't go wrong with high end models from Marmot, Big Agnes, Western Mountaineering, Feathered Friends, or Mont Belle...

 

[Deleted member 9101]

I have used my military 4 piece sleep system and love it, comes with 2 bags a stuff sack and a waterproof goretex liner. You can use the haevier bag alone or the lighter bag alone or use the lighter inside the heavier for extreme. All for around $200 now on ebay. They are mummy shaped nages though which I am not keen on so much, I can post pics of the system laid out if u want to see?

R

Best sleeping bag ever. I just spent a month living in mine, its worth every cent

 

[Wander]

I'm in Louisville on business and just went to an outdoor store (Trail Shop-pretty nice) and checked out some bags. I went looking for a Big Agnes which they carry but only had a synthetic fill but they did have a nice looking Ibis down bag that looked nice and had a pretty reasonable price-how are they?

 

[TCM]

I have two Mont Bell Super Stretch 800 down bags (#1 and #5) and recommend them highly. The ratings are very accurate in my experience and the stretch design of the bags has made it impossible for me to now be comfortable in a standard non stretch design. After getting these bags I no longer wake up at night every time I roll over or move position. I will never buy anything else.