new 3 season sleeping bag

[gotnoname]

looking for new sleeping bag in 14 to 23 fahrenheit range. Weight and compressibility is my biggest issues. Will be using it for weekend backpacking/mountaineering/ski touring. Anyone have any comments?

[fear]

If weight and compressibility are truly your main concerns then down is your best best. I just got a new "Swift" down bag (20 degree, generously sized since I'm huge, 2.5 pounds, compresses to a big cantelope )from Feathered Friends right in downtown Seattle across from REI. Hey it's expensive but at least my money isn't going to China... They'll custom cut whatever you want...

 

-Fear

[JoshK]

Is price an option? Marmot Helium is awesome, but quite expensive.

[fleblebleb]

http://westernmountaineering.com/thebags.htm

 

Get them at

 

http://www.promountainsports.com/

[cracked]

For an affordable bag that still competes with the best, check out the REI Sub Kilo.

[gotnoname]

thanks all, I'll check the bags out. One thing I forgotten to mention, is that I also want some sort of waterproofness on the outer shell. I know of a thing called dryloft, is there any other technology/material out there? Do the bags you guys mention also have such a treatment?

[Redoubt]

I just spent quite a while looking at down bags with a 15 to 20 degree rating and somewhere around 2 pounds. I needed a bit of extra shoulder girth and wanted some water repellency in the shell. I ended up with a Marmot Helium. Great loft and more shoulder girth than most others, no collar but a good top closure, and a Pertex Quantum shell and lining. Downsides were a shorter zipper than others and a retail of $359 (less 20% with the latest REI coupon). I am 6 feet 1/2 inch tall and this also was the only bag I found where the regular length was long enough for me.

 

The other bags I liked were the WM Ultralite (awesome bag but a bit tight for me) and the Mountain Hardware Phantom 15 (has a collar, almost went with this but the Helium had a slightly better fit for me).

 

The REI Sub Kilo is great for the price, but also narrow and I don't think as good a loft as some of the others and maybe a bit overstated as to its warmth. The Moonstone Lucid 800 is one to look at. Ugly as sin white/transparent color but nice loft. Mont Bell makes a few bags (Alpine Huggers?) that might work for you but seemed to have the lightest and least durable shells that I saw (also saw one MB with no zipper at all!). I didn't think the Mountainsmith Vision had the loft of the others, otherwise a nice bag.

 

I don't think you can go wrong with a FF Swallow with an EPIC shell. Very nice bags. I would have had to go to the Swift for the shoulder room I wanted and the weight starts to climb. And I didn't want to wait to have it made.

 

Lots of good bags and there's a lot of personal preference involved. My choice was made largely on fit. I would get into all of them and see how cramped you feel (if 60" shoulder girth is enough for you then you'll have a larger selection than I did), check out the zipper length if that's important to you (several have short zippers), see how easy it is to zip everything up snug and then get unzipped (not so easy sometimes!), not all of them have collars, not all have water repellent shells (and those that do are all different!), if you're anywhere near 6 feet tall you need to see if you need a long instead of a regular, and lay them out and look at the loft. The temperature ratings just get you in the ballpark. And be aware that all bags in this range are getting some of their weight savings from lightweight fabric and will need a bit of extra care.

 

Good luck!

[Redoubt]

thanks all, I'll check the bags out. One thing I forgotten to mention, is that I also want some sort of waterproofness on the outer shell. I know of a thing called dryloft, is there any other technology/material out there? Do the bags you guys mention also have such a treatment?

Several (probably most) of the bags I looked at said that the shells were water repellent, or had a DWR finish, or something like that. How well any of them work is a mystery to me. FF has an EPIC option and I felt that might be the most water resistant, but that's probably just because I've been hit with all the marketing hype. I haven't seen anything about any comparative testing that's been done on any of these.

[John Frieh]

Gotnoname:

 

One of the best (if not the best) sources for ultra light bags: nunatak

Custom made in the state of Washington at weights you can't beat. I have the very first orange alpinist he ever made (had it since 2000/1)... epic fabric... no zipper... 25 ounces... 20 degrees… stuffs to the size of a loaf of bread. Can't say enough good things about their products. I'm getting a double next for some alpine cuddle sessions. Don't scoff at the prices... you get what you pay for.

[Rodchester]

Most of the 2lb lightweight down bags are not very water resistant. Dryloft does a pretty damn good job of keepin gthe moisture out, and still being breathable. However, it will add weight and cost to the bag. FF has its own version, I think it is the Epic that other mention here.

 

If you think moisture and getting wet will be an issue, then the dryloft (or like) is worth it.

 

If not, look at the Moonstoone Lucid and the new Mountainsmith bags. Good performance at a fair price.

[cirpich]

Most of down bags in the market are made of water-resistant shells. Personally, I doubt it's worthwhile to spend extra $$ for the extra water resistance. Here are my thoughts:

1. I do not expect a sleeping bag to be rain resistant. I have a tent that should do this job.

2. More water resistance usually means extra weight.

3. Shell that helps to keep water out also helps to keep it inside the bag. The moister inside a sleeping bag is always an issue to me during long trips in cold weather. Seems that sleeping bags with lighter fabrics dry faster.

 

I bet there should be at least one reason why manufactures uses more and more water resistant fabrics. Maybe it really works better in permanent 100% humidity conditions. Don't know because I never tested down bags in that environment. You may want to take a synthetic bag for 100% humidity.

 

So far, Nylon RipStop worked great to me. It's light, compact, breaths great and it is very durable.

 

FF who produces decent bags still has Nylon as an option and there are others.

 

Hope it helps.

[Rodchester]

I have two down bags with Dryloft and two without. Those without are nylon with DWR treatment. The difference is huge.

 

The Dryloft is still very breathable, so it does not trap moisture and it is very water resistant (though not waterproof). The one with only a DWR treatment wicks away basic moisture but does not do much in the way of actual water. (Had a cooking accident, and found out the hard way just how ineffective the DWR is).

 

If you think you'll be using it in winter (which it sounds like you're not) or in wet conditions, go with the Dryloft (or other version). If you are doing mostly summer weekend usage in the Cascades and or Rockies, you'll be fine with out the Dryloft. As I said above, it weighs more and costs more.

[gotnoname]

thanks everybody

[fern]

 

Rodchester sort of made the point, but I will re-iterate it. One of the main advantages of Dryloft is that it protects your bag fill from spills inside the tent - cooking, drinking, drips etc. This can make a big difference on a long trip with lots of tent-living.

[marylou]

I'm kind of digging on the MontBell Alpine Hugger #1 at the moment.

[JoshK]

The two bags I use both lack a very water resistant shell. I have never had a problem except for once, and that was my fault...bivying with a non-closeable bivy in a snowstorm was just stupid.

 

Unless you plan on bivying in crappy conditions a lot I personally dont think the heavier shell is worth the weight or money on a lightweight bag. If you can't prevent spilling stuff on yourself inside the tent then...well...learn

[munckee]

I just ordered two WM megalites with 2oz of overfill each. I did a lot of research and I was sold on the Marmot Hydrogen...until I saw the WM bags in person. Their construction is just top notch.

 

My previous bag was a TNF down bag with dryloft. It's definitely not as comfy as other bags I've used. Unless you're in a really rainy area and you're worried about being able to keep your bag dry, I would NOT get a waterproof bag. They don't breathe well and you end up sweating your butt off in them.

[Jedi]

Dryloft also makes the bag noticable more bulky when packed.

The shell on the Heluim might get damp from the frost in the tent but that shell will dry fast. Dryloft might be breathable but not nearly as breathable as Pertex Quantum.

So your shell gets damp. It will dry faster than the damper down in the dryloft bag. Out of 48 days in AK, I have yet to spill water on my bag. If you do, dry it.

 

One place moisture/water builds up is between your bag and a RidgeRest. You will have little puddles of sweat that your bag is laying in.

Jedi