Synthetic Sleeping Bag Weights a Joke; HELP!

[mwienholt]

Scholars and gentlemen:

 

I just picked up a Moonstone Delta Cirrus long sleeping bag rated to 32 degress to replace my Moonstone Minima 3D which is rated to 20 degrees. I was willing to sacrafice the warmth for the smaller, lighter bag. Well, as it turns out after finally getting a scale accurate enough to weigh the bags the Cirrus bag weighs 2 lbs 6 oz and the Minima is 2 lbs 8 oz. Moonstone lists the Cirrus at 1 lb 14 oz and the Minima at 3 lbs even. What gives? Are they basically the same bag except my Minima has a collar sewn in and that's what's accounting for the 2 oz difference?

 

Basically, I'm looking for a TRULY small and light snythetic bag that's in the 20 - 30 degree range. Moonstone doesn't seem to have it together so they are now out. Any suggestions on a bag that you've either used and found to be accurately listed for temp and or know to be accurate in weight to manufacturer listing?

 

Lastly, I know that the manufucturing process impacts weights to a degree, but for both of these bags it's not even close.

 

Please help!

[Alpinfox]

 

If you want lightweight, go with down.

 

If you want the lightest weight you can get with synthetic, check out the Integral Designs Andromeda Strain.

[marylou]

You're probably just never going to find exactly what you are looking for with a synthetic bag. If you insist on synthetic, ditto on the ID bags. Personally I think Primaloft One is the best synthetic fill I've seen. It drapes and compresses better than some of the other fills out there.

 

That said, I currently own two bags and they are both down.

[John Frieh]

Wild thing half bag: 25 ounces. Epic Shell. 30 degrees.

[mwienholt]

Thanks to all for the suggestions!

[allsetcobrajet]

Definitely compare the fill-weight and overall bag-length when factoring in the temp rating. An interesting thing I noticed comparing the Moonstone bag with a comparable Mountain Hardwear bag was that the Mountain Hardwear bag had an extra 6 oz. of Polarguard Delta fill for the same temperature rating, and the MH bag was only 3" longer. I've found Mountain Hardwear bags to be very conservative with their temp ratings. I've used my 20-degree MH bag in the low teen's and been very warm.

[Nick]

Synthetic bags only weigh a bit more and you can carry fewer clothes since you can dry damp clothes inside your synthetic bag at night. The whole system may end up lighter. You have to compare weights of whole systems.

[JoshK]

Or you can learn how to keep a down bag dry and manage your gear. Every time this stupid discussion comes up it amazes me how many people claim all these benifits of synthetic when the real problem seems to be their inability to take care of their stuff. It's pretty simple - if you want the lightest weight invest in a good down bag.

[TREETOAD]

agreed, you can get a really light bag cover from Outdoor Research to prevent condensation problems inside a tent. Down bags do seem to soak up the condensation slightly after a few days in winter conditions but I still swear by them.

[Nick]

Snide man with down good. Stupid man with synthetic bad. Ugh.