Sleeping bags what works for you?

L

lukeeson111

Joined
Nov 6, 2008
Messages
187
I'm in the market for a new sleeping bag and will be using it for backpacking spring/summer/fall. In the past I have used a cheap 25degree rated bag, but when the temp. dips even to the mid 30s that bag sucks (I freeze all night even with baselayers & sweatpants / sweatshirt on).

-Do better brand sleeping bags keep you warmer than a lower quality bag even if they are both rated for the same temp? Also, the temp ratings on bags seem to be very generous in their claims of comfort.

-What do you recommend for temp ratings, brands ect?

-I am looking at Montbell bags and Snugpak Mil style bags.

-Something that packs down small

Any advice is appreciated!
 
The temperature ratings are very...subjective.

If you want something that packs down small, you won't find a better ratio of light weight/compressibility to warmth than down.
 
Generally speaking a better brand, like snugpack, will do a better job. Note, Better Brand, not more expensive
 
Many military SF units use Wiggy's triple bag system. With all 3 together you could probably sleep in a blizzard :D
 
I have an Altima mountaineering mummy bag from the 80's. I stick it in a bivy sac (also old) when it gets real cold and i am sleeping in a hammock. Still one of the lightest -20 bags i have met. I have always been a fan of real down over synth, but thats all personal preference and experience.

I have a Kelty 32 degree, a Marmot 0 degree, and a couple of big flannel lined ones for car camping.

Also, I find that too much insulating clothing makes a bag, especially with a bivy sack, much less effective. The most I wear is fleece pants, and a wool sweater. I have learned this over years of camping in all seasons in the Sangre de Cristo mountains, Rampart, and Sawatch ranges. I often experience temperatures below -25 before the windchill when back country tele-skiing, and my system seems to work for me.
 
Yup ... you get what you pay for.

Although expensive, I love Western Mountaineering and Feathered Friends bags: light, warm, highly compressible. I have a 0F/-18C rated Feathered Friends bag and it compresses to about the size of a basketball and weighs a little more than 2 pounds. I should easily get 15-20 years out of the bag with proper care. Temperature ratings are spot on. Cheaper alternatives: go to an REI - find something within your budget/temperature range - generally, they sell great products.

Because you're using the bag for three seasons, buy a bag with "continuous baffles" these allow you to shift down [can't do this with synthetics] from top to bottom thereby adjusting the bags temp. rating. More down on top for late fall, less down on top for summer. With continuous baffles, you could buy a slightly warmer bag knowing that you could/can adjust it.

A good down bag is a big investment, but so worth the money if you care for it properly. I have a -12C bag I bought in 1995 and it's still going strong.
 
I want a Snugpak, they roll down to a little bigger than a loaf of bread. Along with a USGI surplus bivy bag, a USGI poncho liner, a tarp and a Thermarest pad...I should have a really good grab-n-go sleep kit for the ruck.
 
My quick advice:

- Go to a place with lots of variety (like REI) where you can climb inside bags and try them out;

- If you want something that packs down small, get down, in which case pay attention to hoe the bag is sewn and how the baffles keep the down in place;

- Make sure any bag that you get features a good waterproof coating and ask to pour water on it in the store;

- Don't make the mistake, like I did, to try out bags without tossing and turning, as I actually found out after buying an expensive bag that a mummy really doesn't work for me and a rectangular bag suits me best.

Good luck.
 
hi
i use a wiggys 0° regular, it's for me very nice and strong enough. it's just a litlle bit to big in the back pack
 
For three-season backpacking I've been happy with a 15 degree Marmot Helium bag. Weighs 1 lb 13 oz. and fits my 6 ft., 225 lb frame. VERY compact when stuffed.

DancesWithKnives
 
Mountain Hardwear Lamina 20 is one of the lightest synthetic sleeping bags on the market. Its served me well as a 3-season bag.
 
Well I sleep in cooler weather better then in the heat, so I might not provide the best advice on this... but....

Fall and Spring I simply use a Lowe downfilled Sleepingbag liner. Very light, packs up quite small, and works great to about 0 or a little below. Winter time I will dig out the 3 season EMS bag, and use the liner and the bag combo, this work very well to really cold temps. (-25 is the coldest I can remember for actual temp, not wind chill)

Again it depends on your own tolerance to the cold/heat as well. Have been on plenty of trips where the guys I am with have this huge -100 rated bags to sleep in, and they are cold whenever they out of the tent, while I am using a GI Poncho liner and a wool blanket..... Anyways, there are a ton of brands out there that will work. If there is an EMS near you, check them out. They have a couple of locations that allow you to rent gear for a weekend, and that way you can always try before you buy. :) I like Lowe, and EMS gear a lot, had great luck with both the bags and the tents.

Keep in mind, a sleeping bag does nothing more the retain the heat you are producing.

Cheers!
 
don't forget the sleeping pad. it won't matter what your bag is rated to if it's on cold ground and you don't have a decent pad. down is more expensive than synthetics, so your budget will have a big role in deciding what you buy. I'll second the mountain hardwear bags; I've been using an ultralamina for a few years now. super light, packs tiny, and ladies love the way I look in it. also, if you aren't an REI member already consider joining. a few times a year they mail their members coupons for 20% off, which comes in handy.
 
My spring/summer/fall bag is a Montbell Super Stretch #4 and I love it. It does seem pretty accurately rated as long as you are using a pad. It packs down to the size of a Nalgene bottle and weighs around 1lb.
 
I use a North Face mummy bag for backpacking. I used it for two weeks in the fall, in the mountains of New Mexico. It gets pretty cold at night. I was snug as a bug. In a compression sack its a little bigger than a football. Also very light.
 
Ive been using a Eureka Puffin 200 for almost a year now. It is a very warm fitted bag with synthetic fill and hood, that packs down nice and tight (even comes with its own compression sack). The comfort range is 37F - 59F, and believe me that is accurate. Any warmer out and you'll be sweating if the bag is zipped closed. In these situations I just zip it open and use it as a blanket. It also has an extreme rating to 26^F with proper layers on. Well worth it for the $60 I paid new.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top