YOUR opinion....down vs. synthetic sleep bag

which...down or synthetic sleeping bags

  • synthetic

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • down

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    0
  • Poll closed .
I got a wiggys synthetic and while it's very warm, it's huge and heavy. Picked up my first down bag for the summer, looking forward to trying it out.

I gotta say though, I've gotten the synthetic bag wet (soaked in places) thanks to a half assed tarp setup and it dried fast even on a cool autumn day, not sure if the down would be so forgiving.

I think the topic of keeping your gear dry is worthy of it's own thread, I'd like to hear different strategies for adverse situations. You should get one going Brian :D
 
Brian Andrews said:
I totally disagree.
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Three days in a snow camp in New Hampshire’s White Mountains.

We're camped on Mount Eisenhower just below tree line.

Snow has been falling for days.

On the morning if the third day the weather breaks, we make the hike to the summit of Mount Washington, two peaks over from our camp.

The sky clears to blue skies by mid day, a warm wind blows and the temperature soars.

To make a long story short, when we returned to camp it was a wet mess of slush and running water, everything was soaked.

The warmest night of the trip was the coldest night of my life.





"If you're not living on the edge, …you're taking up too much space."

Big Mike
 
Big Mike said:
Three days in a snow camp in New Hampshire’s White Mountains.

We're camped on Mount Eisenhower just below tree line.

Snow has been falling for days.

On the morning if the third day the weather breaks, we make the hike to the summit of Mount Washington, two peaks over from our camp.

The sky clears to blue skies by mid day, a warm wind blows and the temperature soars.

To make a long story short, when we returned to camp it was a wet mess of slush and running water, everything was soaked.

The warmest night of the trip was the coldest night of my life.





"If you're not living on the edge, …you're taking up too much space."

Big Mike
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How did the water get in the dry bag?:confused: That sucks bro:(
 
I have owned both but I favor the down. I am fully aware that if it gets wet, im screwed.
 
i find it amazing that the poll is sooooo close!...lol

i am finding this VERY interesting, and enjoy reading the various opinions ...
thanks! and keep'em comin':thumbup:
 
I should mention that most of my camping these days is done from the back of a motorcycle. The down bag goes in a water resistant stuff sack, which in turn goes into a watertight, hard luggage case. It isn't hard to keep it dry under those circumstances.

If I was expecting wet conditions while backpacking, or if the night temperatures were quite warm, I'd take my 40 degree synthetic, which packs to bread loaf-size.
 
IF I was camping in arctic or near-arctic conditions (constantly below zero C) I would go with down. For the sort of 3 season camping I actually do, I like synthetic as dampness is a significant issue in the areas I camp. :cool:
 
I've always wanted to try a down bag but have never had the excess funds to just try one (a decent one anyway). I've been using a wiggys ultralight for years and if needed I bring the overbag. My only complaint is it's much larger than my friends down bag especialy if i bring the overbag setup. Other than that, the folks i go camping/backpacking with all harass me because i haven't upgraded my sleeping bag to something smaller. However, they all know i've never had a bad nights sleep due to bag (cold/moisture/comfort etc) issues when they have so they only joke so long before i start in on the "remember that time" stories that usually send them back under their rock. :D

I'm sure a down bag would be great for nice weather backpacking to save me some space and weight, but when i go out on winter trips, it's synthetic for sure. :thumbup:
 
Being inexperienced, I'd appreciate input on this. How would you keep down dry in a winter camping scenario? I went camping this past late-winter/early spring. We made a quinzee. Though it was -20C outside, inside our quinzee it was only -2C. It was very humid. We only vented enough to prevent CO2 (or CO if we were dumb enough to cook in there with a stove, etc) poisoning. The point is to keep our hot air inside and keep us warm.

I took a synthetic bag as opposed to my western mountaineering summer lite, which probably would have been ok (0C rated) for inside the quinzee, but its potential to lose alot of its insulating being inside a damp, humid, possibly dripping (if one doesn't smooth the ceiling properly), made me change my mind.

Plus, sleeping on snow I imagine my body heat would have melted some nearby snow, which may potentially run over into my bag.

Sleeping in down outside in -20 seems easy enough, but how do you do it in a snow cave?

thanks.
 
Statius, I think you'd be surprised at the effectiveness of the shell material that a quality down sleeping bag may have. My EMS down bag's shell makes moisture bead up as long as it's not soaking wet, which I've been able to avoid so far.

As for sleeping in a quinzee, I've never done it so I really can't give you input there. My first thought was to drape something over you and your bag, but that would probably make the down lose some insulating power.
 
I have to say synthetic.

Living in Florida, everything gets wet, no matter what.

Just the morning dew is so heavy, it looks like after a moderate rain
 
statius said:
I took a synthetic bag as opposed to my western mountaineering summer lite, which probably would have been ok (0C rated) for inside the quinzee, but its potential to lose alot of its insulating being inside a damp, humid, possibly dripping (if one doesn't smooth the ceiling properly), made me change my mind.

Plus, sleeping on snow I imagine my body heat would have melted some nearby snow, which may potentially run over into my bag.
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I would think some kind of breathable bivy would be in order for that sort of camping, regardless of Insulation. That and a proper sleeping pad (maybe a waterproof closed cell one) and you should be pretty well set.

I think keeping your insulation gear dry is more important than what kind of insulation. Just because its a synthetic bag is no reason to not worry about it. If it gets wet enough you will be still be miserable IMHO.
 
I voted synthetic. It's not as high maintenance at home, washes in a machine, and less problem if I screw up and get it wet. Also, since I don't perspire but sweat big time (must be from too many wrestling practices) synthetic seems to dry out the dampness pretty fast in the morning.
 
Hassilov said:
I've never done it but I would lay down pine boughs first then use an insulated pad with a bivy around my bag. And cook OUTSIDE.

sleeping strategies in winter
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I couldn't do Pine boughs, though I thought of it, because we were in a provincial park and cutting wood is a no-no (there is a huge supply of firewood pre-cut). I used two of my lightweight thermarest pads. I was actually very warm and the bag was only slightly damp from our (3 of us in the quinzee) breathing. I probably only needed the one pad. I slept in my gitch alone and was very comfy.

I voted Down. Next winter trip I'll bring my down bag.
 
I think the difference between the two only matters if you have to carry it. If all you do is car camping, there's little reason to go with down. On the other hand, if it's going on your back, there's a huge difference in terms of weight and compressibility. Down is (of course) more expensive. That said, a down bag should last almost forever if you care for it properly. Synthetics loose their loft relatively quickly. Down can be much cheaper in the long run. My bags are down.
 
Synthetic.
Buddy of mine fell off a log crossing a stream/river. His down bag was soaked through.
Three of them spent a miserable night trying to wrap up in 2 bags. OK, this happened 25 years ago and technology has improved tremendously, but that down bag was useless.
(He has since learned to pack properly.)

About 10 years back my wife and I pitched our tent on the only flat area we could find. Unfortunately it was hard, rocky ground carrying snow-melt run-off so the water table was high. Early in the morning I awoke because my feet were wet. Water had entered through a corner seam in the tent base. The bottom of my synthetic bag was soaked.
Wrung out the bag, put on dry socks, towelled up any water on the floor, repegged the tent and went to sleep. I could feel the damp area but I was warm. Synthetic will re-loft, down just colapses.
I'm used to hiking with lots of weight and bulk, so a synthetic bag is fine.
 
Lazydog1 said:
Synthetic.
Buddy of mine fell off a log crossing a stream/river. His down bag was soaked through.
Three of them spent a miserable night trying to wrap up in 2 bags. OK, this happened 25 years ago and technology has improved tremendously, but that down bag was useless.
(He has since learned to pack properly.)
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That's the point, isn't it? I always keep my down bag in an ultralight dry sack. Wet is a constant companion in the PNW, whether from the sky or the numerous streams and rivers.

-- FLIX
 
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