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3 Season Sleeping Bag?

W

william O

Joined
Feb 5, 2009
Messages
96
I'm ready to purchase a good quality sleeping bag. My spec wish list would be 1. very Light weight, 2. very compressable, 3. versatile .

Is it possible to get ONE good quality bag that I can use for 3ish seasons? Perfect for Fall/spring (I live in Hudson Valley New York, btw). For coldest winter, would it be possible to simply wear extra clothes inside the bag? Possibly a wool hat, down jacket or vest? Or do I need to get a couple of bags? Thanks for the advice. William
 
I don't think you are going to get VERY light weight AND works in water / snow. Ubless you plan to always stay dry (impossible perhaps) you may have to go synthetic.

A Cat's Meow is hard to beat in terms of bang for the buck. Get a 20 degree bag and a bag liner for those COLD nights.

TF
 
Which seasons are you referring to--late spring, summer and early fall, or late fall, winter and early spring?
 
j williams said:
Wiggys!!!!

Great bags.

http://wiggys.com/category.cfm?category=6

You can get a super light, and add the optional outer bag, and your covered.
Click to expand...

Sorry to disagree, but Wiggys fails on two of the three stated criteria. :foot: They are neither "very light weight" nor "highly compressable." Actually, these are not features of synthetic bags in general, but Wiggys is particularly poor in these criteria. :D On the positive side, the multiple bag system is versatile. . .

To get all three of your stated features, I'm thinking a quality down bag, or possibly a quilt. (If you are a back sleeper.)

I think you will be dissatisfied expecting one bag to cover such a wide temperature range. A bag warm enough to keep you comfortable below zero would be sweltering during the summer. You can certainly extend a bag's range by wearing insulation clothing inside, so long as your additional bulkj doesn't compress some of the loft of your bag.

Also, remember that pad selection will have a lot to do with comfort, no matter what bag you ultimately choose.

-- FLIX
 
How much coin do you want to spend? Good bags run from about $150 Camprmor Goose Down to $800 Western Mountaineering bags.
 
I had poor results with a North Face Polarguard 3D bag. Insulation really broke down badly. Bags I've had good results with: www.featheredfriends.com (custom down expedition overbag) and Marmot Helium. My hiking pal gave his wife an excellent Western Mountaineering bag.

DancesWithKnives
 
For about half a second I thought this thread title was "3 Person Sleeping Bag" :rolleyes:
 
I think I'd be comfortable spending up to about $300. I don't see myself camping out in 0 degree weather. 10-15 degrees also unlikely. I guess what I'm asking is if I can make ONE quality purchase that would be good for as cold as 15-20 farinheight but with either wearing extra clothes or bag liner/bivy sack outer, AND still comfortable up to 60 degrees without the extra layers. I only own one bag now. No idea what it's rated for, but it's synthetic, HUGE, and HEAVY. I was cold cabin camping last winter in a large cabin with a fire going (I guess it was in the 40-50 range in the cabin). Thanks again for the advice, and sorry for the novice questions! William
 
FLIX said:
Sorry to disagree, but Wiggys fails on two of the three stated criteria. :foot: They are neither "very light weight" nor "highly compressable." Actually, these are not features of synthetic bags in general, but Wiggys is particularly poor in these criteria. :D On the positive side, the multiple bag system is versatile. . .

To get all three of your stated features, I'm thinking a quality down bag, or possibly a quilt. (If you are a back sleeper.)

I think you will be dissatisfied expecting one bag to cover such a wide temperature range. A bag warm enough to keep you comfortable below zero would be sweltering during the summer. You can certainly extend a bag's range by wearing insulation clothing inside, so long as your additional bulkj doesn't compress some of the loft of your bag.

Also, remember that pad selection will have a lot to do with comfort, no matter what bag you ultimately choose.

-- FLIX
Click to expand...

Doh...:foot:

Still a great bag though. :)

If youre looking for a quilt, I cant speak highly enough about Kifarus Woobie. A great UL quilt. Ive slept in 30 degree temps in one quite comfortably with a silk bag liner.
 
William,

I think in that range it would be hard to beat the Cats Meow - maybe in weight - but it won the Gold Standard award in Backpacker and has been around forever.

TF
 
I have a North Face Blue Kazoo(down) and my wife has the synthetic North Face Cats Meow. They both rate at 20-25 deg, but with full clothes and a hat we can sleep down to 10-15 deg. They both compress and are light. My 6'6" down bag will compress to the same size as her 5'5" bag though. If you can keep it dry, the down gets my vote. I've been camping/backpacking for nearly 20 years without a 'wet bag' issue. That has a lot to do with your shelter/tent though.
 
FLIX said:
Sorry to disagree, but Wiggys fails on two of the three stated criteria. :foot: They are neither "very light weight" nor "highly compressable." Actually, these are not features of synthetic bags in general, but Wiggys is particularly poor in these criteria. :D On the positive side, the multiple bag system is versatile. . .

To get all three of your stated features, I'm thinking a quality down bag, or possibly a quilt. (If you are a back sleeper.)

I think you will be dissatisfied expecting one bag to cover such a wide temperature range. A bag warm enough to keep you comfortable below zero would be sweltering during the summer. You can certainly extend a bag's range by wearing insulation clothing inside, so long as your additional bulkj doesn't compress some of the loft of your bag.

Also, remember that pad selection will have a lot to do with comfort, no matter what bag you ultimately choose.

-- FLIX
Click to expand...

If there is even a 1 percent chance of being wet ? Down is useless.
Lose a couple of pounds off the tush and go with a Wiggy bag.;)
Down stuff dies down here just hanging in my closet/
I was a down man for many years until I moved to Florida..stan. That ended that.
Wiggy makes the best synthetic bags.
I'll leave it at that.
 
are those new?????

I want one! If they perform the same as the woobie, which appears to be the same material and insulation, im sold.
 
I speak to Canadian-style 3-seasons where it gets bloody cold during two of those. I own "The Raptor" mummy-bag by Mountain Equipment Co-Op. I have had it now for 8 years and it is the best 3-season there is. Really though there is no such thing as a "three-season bag" because a bag that keeps you toasty at 33 degrees will be too hot at 85 degrees this is just common sense but to me it's performance in coldest conditions encountered and light weight that counts. I think a top-quality, highest loft down bag with great design features to keep you warm is always the best bet long-term and in harsh conditions. Extra light, packs down to a tiny size. I have slept in it well below freezing many times and been extra toasty. When others bitch about cold I sleep in my underwear only lol. You must buy a therma-rest to lay on though or you lose all your heat into the ground no matter how good your bag!!! Mummy-bags take a bit of getting used too because you and the bag roll around together not you rolling over inside the bag but that profile keeps you warmer. The squared off bottom of normal bags just means cold feet. Also you stuff down bags into their sacks not roll them first so that they are compressed differently every time. Way easier and faster. The negatives? Down bags must be kept dry!!! They lose all their insulation value when wet and take forever to dry. Solution: buy a small $10.00 "dry-sack" to pack yours in and when it's raining set up your tent first and unpack and pack bag inside tent, easy, solved. Down bags must be stored in a larger non-compressing bag when you are not out using them so the down doesn't lose it's loft. No big deal but you have to do this. Lastly, cost is an issue: you get what you pay for. I paid (hope you are sitting down) $600.00 for mine but with care it will last 30 years. Florida-style 3-season bag? How about a single sized flannel sheet? I did a canoe trip through the lower Everglades a while back. I didn't bring The Raptor. I used a cheap light Thinsulate bag for that one.
 
Last edited:
j williams said:
are those new?????

I want one! If they perform the same as the woobie, which appears to be the same material and insulation, im sold.
Click to expand...

I don't think they are that new. They are called 'Slick' bags and they are made of the same materials as the Woobie. I don't have one yet, but have the Woobie and Doobie. I have my sights set on the Slick bag though.
 
Toucan Oasis said:
If there is even a 1 percent chance of being wet ? Down is useless.
Lose a couple of pounds off the tush and go with a Wiggy bag.;)
Down stuff dies down here just hanging in my closet/
I was a down man for many years until I moved to Florida..stan. That ended that.
Wiggy makes the best synthetic bags.
I'll leave it at that.
Click to expand...

Yep. if one drop of the deadly liquid comes into contact with a down bag, it will instantly burst into flames! :eek: :eek: Simarly, if you drop your knife into molten lava, it might lose its temper! ;)

-- FLIX
 
syn does insulate better when wet, but the trade off is it's heavier and compresses less- the syn bags are cheaper (initially), but down bags can (if properly cared for) last 15-20 years.

the key to down bags is insuring they stay dry- dry in your pack via a pack liner/cover or my preferred method a waterproof dry sack- I use sea2summit dry sil bags- for a 30 degree bag your looking at one ounce for a dry bag :)

keep an eye on ebay- Marmot, North Face, Western Mountaineering, Sierra Designs all make higher end down bags (some of them also carry a line of a little lower end bag as well- lower quality down, different materials etc) and can found pretty reasonably priced

to answer your other question- yes you can use your clothing to extend the range of the sleeping bag (but not a great deal- maybe 10-15 degrees)- it's a common practice of lightweight backpackers- you need to insure that whatever bag you choose has ample room for extra clothing worn or you end compressing the fill of the bag or the clothes your wearing- either of which will reduce the effectiveness

also remember different folks sleep very differently when it comes to warmth- sleeping bag ratings are a general guide at best. many of the upper end bags now include a EN rating that is a little more revealing, but still far from perfect
 
I'd agree with the recommendation for down. It's lighter and compresses better, and (like wool) is comfortable in a wider range of temperatures. I think the sweet spot for flexibility is with 30-degree down bags. The best ones, with a high quality fill, are well below two pounds, and compress down very small.

I recently bought a Marmot Hydrogen. I got a closeout deal, but new they're just over your $300 threshold. The Marmot Arroyo is a very slightly lower model, with the nearly the same fill quality, and they're available being closed out for $200-250. Anything beyond a 30-degree rating is going to be intolerable in the summer (and even so, make sure what you get has a full zip for ventilation, as the Marmots do). You can add a sheet or a fleece liner for extra warmth, and extra clothing can help, too.

As others have said, there are good REI, TNF, WM, and Marmot bags available -- and they often have a 600-fill alternative that is a hundred bucks cheaper than the ~800-fill version, at the cost of a bit of extra weight. Worth considering, anyway.

A good pad is absolutely crucial -- not just for comfort, but for keeping you warm.

I've had a zero-degree synthetic TNF bag for years, and even though it's super comfy in the right conditions, I doubt I'll use it for anything but car-camping again. Five pounds or more, bulky, and just too much.
 
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