NF Tundra and Darkstar sleeping bags

[OlegV]

Anyone got experience with these bags on cold winter slopes? I mean actually sleeping outside in a bivy bag? I need a warm bag to serve me in subfreezing mountain conditions of North West and Alaska. NF Tundra and Darkstar caught my attention as affordable and relatively cheap bags. My only concern is their compressibility.

Any thoughts on similar or better -20F or below synthetic bags in the same price range? Thanks a lot.

[Fromage]

If your main concern is price, then maybe you will be content with a 6 1/2 pound monster that fills half your pack. I have used the Dark Star before, and while it was warm, it had a narrow comfort range. That is to say, you will probably only be comfortable in it when outside temps are really low. If the air is warmer than -10 you will be sweaty. Plus the longevity of synthetic bags is short. After a couple years of use your -40 bag will become a 0 bag, then a 20 bag, and so on.

 

Consider this:

 

1. If you are sleeping in conditions cold enough to warrant a -40 bag, there isn't going to be enough water in liquid form to get your bag wet to the point that you will need synthetic insulation,

2. You buy the Dark Star for $300. In four years the fill degrades to the point that it's not keeping you warm enough anymore. You now need to buy another bag. Repeat. You have spent $600 on 13 pounds worth of giant sleeping bag and get 8 years of use from it.

3. For $550 you can buy a sweet -25 down bag that weighs 3 1/2 pounds, packs waaaay smaller, lasts three times as long, and has high tech shell fabric to keep the insulation dry. Here is an example of the best down bag around.

 

If you are going to be in super cold conditions, you will have a down parka or some sort of warm insulation to wear, and this can be incorporated into your sleeping system to add warmth to a lighter bag.

 

So save yourself the weight and space to carry more food, and save yourself money in the long run by skipping synthetic bags altogether. For the kind of application you describe, they are an inefficient piece of equipment.

 

[jordop]

MEC Thor

is just about the best deal around on a -25F/-30C winter bag.

 

Though a Dryloft shell does obviously impede water transfer . . . The best scenario and the one I have been using in winter is something like a 0F bag with a dryloft/synthetic overbag. It's a bit more cramped than a big bag, but things stay quite dry in the down.