Recommend Sleeping Bags
- This topic has 35 replies, 21 voices, and was last updated Sep 21, 2009 at 4:55 pm by
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Zach, I did a 7 night hike along the continental divide in Colorado in early June (lows in the lower to mid 20’s). I used a Marmot down bag rated at +20 with a Coolmax eskimo liner (adds about 4 degrees of warmth) and an Outdoor Research Bivy sack.
Adding a Bivy is the way to go. My bivy sack is competely waterproof and adds a lot of warmth (uncertain as to the exact amount of added warmth). The real beauty of the Bivy is in the waterproof protection. As I’m sure you know, if you’re down gets wet you’re SOL. 7 out of the 7 nights we were on the trail, we never pitched a tent and slept only in the bag/bivy.
One more thing – the Liner/Bag/Bivy is super light and highly compressible.
How well the bag seals up when you zip it makes a huge difference. A 20 degree bag from brand X may not seal as well as brand Y – so make sure you check into that. The zipper is a main escape path for heat. If you have a good bag, the zipper will have a little flap over it to hold in heat. I’ve used higher quality bags at the same temp rating as lower quality bags. The higher quality seams held in much more heat. Ask a geek at REI and he’ll explain that better.
I’ve always found that down is warmer than the equivalent synthetic temp rating. I also think it regulates better. I have a 0-degree Marmot bag that I use for winter camping and a 20-degree North Face synthetic bag I use the rest of the time. I never use the 20-degree bag if the temps are going to come close to 30 – I’ll freeze my ass off. So in turn, I use the 0-degree bag for anything 30 and below and have never gotten cold in the bag. Even when the temps dip towards the single digits.
Zach,
I used to do a fair amount of winter camping, and I had the same problem you did….froze my tail off in a “20 degree” bag.
One other thing, like Grant mentioned, is that you can always go with the 15 degree bag and pick up a liner to add a couple degrees extra if you head to some colder weather.
Moonstone (RIP) made a 800 fill down bag rated at 15 degrees. Packed down, it was the size of a meatball sub. They made the best down bags in my opinion.
I use the north face. I got a 0 degree down bag on campmor a few years ago. My 30 degree TNF bag, the old cats meow, has a fleece like liner. That makes sleeping much more comfy. I like their bags.
things to look for when sleeping in really cold temps:
- internal zipper for contacts so they won’t freeze in case
space for boots and socks so they wont freeze
attachment pieces so bag connect to ground pad
adjustable hood
bevelling-determines how and where the down will be located
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we stopped in at feathered friends in seattle. all products are locally made. they even have 2 people bags to save space and warmth. serious gear made by serious people. i want their down pants to wear steelheading under my waders:
http://www.featheredfriends.com/and of course, I want one of these:
Ditto Sierra Trading post. They have a North Face 20 degree bag for $89 right now.
I think we’re missing something here…..you typed,
“….with inflatable camp mats….”I’d suggest a piece of $10 closed cell foam pad from Wally World coupled with your air mattress to add a much needed layer of insulation between you and the ground. I carry a piece that is four feet long. It does double-duty as a “seat” with half on the ground and half against a tree and at night it’s used as the previously mentioned insulation.
It’s weight is minimal.
Marmot Pinnacle. I don’t think you can beat it for the price/warmth/weight. It is an 800-fill down bag rated for 15 degrees. I used one in Yellowstone this year camped at Pebble Creek August 19-27 and stayed plenty warm. I slept on a combination of a self-inflating therm-a-rest with a z-lite pad. I did a lot of research before I bought this bag and nearly every report agrees this is one of the warmest 15 degree bags you can buy. The only way to do any better might be to step up to the 850-fill Helium or even better the Helium EQ. One of the best purchases I’ve ever made.
Mike
I think a 15 degree down would be the way to go. Get a mid priced bag – you’re not doing any big expedition trips – aside from maybe a week backpacking trip. But even then, you probably wont do that in extreme temps.
Get something that is light weight and compacts to a tiny volume. Down compacts way better than synthetic and is lighter. I think those two characteristics are ones you’ll wish you had down the road, aside from temp.
Like Rick said, get a mummy bag and actually look at how it compresses around your head. You should be able to pull it so tight that only your mouth and nose are exposed.
The Marmot Never Summer is a sweet bag. But dont look past the high end REI or EMS bags. Lower cost, decent quality build, and pretty much all you would ever need.
And I think you mentioned you were using an air pad but look into that too. The ground sucks a TON of heat from your bag while you’re sleeping. Your problem could probably be solved with a liner and a better sleeping pad.
***Cold weather camping tip: if you are planning on sleeping in cold temps, you can always score more comfort in your sleeping bag by doing the following: Boil enough water to fill your nalgene (most of the way, leave some room for pressure build). Make sure the nalgene cap is nice and tight and throw it in the bottom of your sleeping bag before you go to bed. When you get in the bag, the radiant heat from the nalgene will have warmed up your sleeping bag. Sleep with it in there if you want, the sleeping bag will use both your body heat and the radiant heat from the water to keep you nice and warm all night.
Hey Zach,
My wife and I use to do alot of hiking in the smokies and I like you only wanted to do the sleeping bag thing once.
Zach –
Below is the short list of top quality, down bags for 10-15F. Keeping a down bag dry in the winter is not a problem. Down bags take up less room and weight in your pack and last a lot longer than synthetic bags (20+ years). It’s an expensive investment but worth every penny. I have several MontBell bags and love them. True to their temp ratings and often on sale. We also love that MontBell UL super stretch bags fit like a mummy bag (providing increased warmth and decreased weight) but stretch with you if you move around a lot. You may consider buying a bag that is 6 inches longer than you need so you can place your clothes in the foot box. This keeps them warm and dries them out some for the next day. Also you certainly don’t want to be compressing your feet in the bottom of a bag as it kills the loft and leads to cold feet.
Here is a shot of my son and I testing our 0 degree bags at -5F. Napped like babies with 20 mph winds…
Good bags are breathable but have wind and water resistant shells (tight denier microfibers) so that body moisture vapor can escape but you don’t loose heat from the wind). We camped in these bags on 4′ of snow, at 11K feet, for 5 days, at 0 degrees near Leadville CO and loved them. As others have said, good sleeping pads (either a single winter rated pad, or a few closed cell foam pads) are essential to keeping warm. Purchasing bags with high lofting down 800+ fill provide more warmth compared to a bag of equal weight and also compress much smaller. As you’ll find, winter bags are big!
To learn the ins and outs of winter camping buy this book:
“Allen & Mike’s Really Cool Backcountry Ski Book”
http://www.amazon.com/Allen-Really-Backcountry-Revised-Better/dp/0762745851/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1253049267&sr=8-15
Seriously it will be the best $12 you’ve spent.Variables listed below:
bag temperature rating (for comfort – not survival)
total bag weight
fill weight of down (down rating)
size dimensions (circumference in inches)
price – and if sales prices become available?
url to manufacturer pageMarmot Helium
15F
2#5oz
19.5 oz (850fill)
shoulder 62, hip 57, footbox 40
$440 – occasionally on sale
http://marmot.com/fall_2009/equipment/sleeping_bags/ultralight/helium_eq_reg/info/detailsMontbell Ultra Light Super Stretch #1
15F
2#7oz
20oz (850fill)
shoulder 53-70, knee 42-57
$379 – frequently can get on sale for 10-20% off):
http://www.montbell.us/products/disp.php?cat_id=28&p_id=1121724Feathered Friends Raven
10F
2#10oz
23.4oz (850fill)
shoulder 64, hip 58, footbox 40
$444 – rarely on sale
http://www.featheredfriends.com/Picasso/Bags/Product/10Degree.htmlWestern Mountaineering Versalite
10F
2#0oz
20oz (850fill)
shoulder 62, footbox 39
$440 – rarely on sale
http://www.westernmountaineering.com/index.cfm?section=Products&page=Sleeping%20Bags&cat=ExtremeLite%20Series&viewpost=2&ContentId=20 - internal zipper for contacts so they won’t freeze in case
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