sleeping bag

[jeremyaw]

I have a 20 degree North face bag that is great for summer. I am interested in doing some winter camping and was wondering what your recomendations were for and overbag etc..

[Bronco]

I'd recomend a warmer bag and a solid tent.

 

I was at Costco over the weekend and noticed they have a 0 degree down bag by Kelty for $80.00. I don't know how much it weigh's, but the box listed 2 lbs of fill, so probably around 3 lbs.

[mattp]

I don't disagree with Bronco, but a light-weight synthetic overbag would pair up with your down bag to make a winning combination. When you put a down bag inside a thin synthetic one, the frost weatening and the moisture that doesn't make it out from the inside ends up in the synthetic bag, which is easier to dry out and less affected by becoming wet. This combo will be slightly heavier and bulkier than the warmer down bag alone, but it works very well - particularly for extended trips.

[North_by_Northwest]

If you are really poor you could get a wool army blanket and wrap it around your bag. I did this for my 20 degree bag for a long time and it worked to zero quite comfortably.

 

The Keltys are Ok, Backside (NF ripoff Co.) also makes a cheapy synthetic zero degree. The problem with these is not weight but compressibility.

 

Mattp's advice is very good too, or you could check out the current bag thread in the gear critic section if you have the $$. I made a suggestion on a good 5 degree I bought recently on that thread.

 

Good luck.

[STORER]

I use my 15 degree Sierra Designs down bag all season long. I wear my Padagonia fleece, hat and neck gater to bed. If it's really cold I place two Nalgene bottles filled with hot water. But I'm a lean guy with a huge metabolism.

 

Steve

[allthumbs]

We stayed at one of the chalets in Glacier Natl. Park once, and took fire-warmed rocks to bed. They worked great.

[Cpt.Caveman]

I fart in the my sleeping bag aka (fartsack) to keep myself warm.

[allthumbs]

I'll bet the betty's luv to snuggle down in afterwards and savor your manly perfume.

[freeclimb9]

Never sleep. Keep moving. Your 20 degree bag will be perfect for filling out the pack you carry, or for filling a closet.

[COL._Von_Spanker]

quote:

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Originally posted by trask:

I'll bet the betty's luv to snuggle down in afterwards and savor your manly perfume.

---

They call it a "Dutch Oven"

[Toast]

I have a FF 20 degree down bag. It shrinks up super small and is awesome in the summer. In cold weather I'll add a bivy sack which adds another air trapping layer. Add a fleece hat and down vest and I'm toasty... ha, a pun

[Beck]

on a technical note to second on Mattp's suggestion of a synthetic overbag.

 

The addition of an overbag moves the dew point (the temerature that moisture condensates as liquid out of it's vapor state) out of your down sleeping bag and into the outerbag. this keeps your down drier because H20 stays vapor in the down and condenses in the overbag. you get a better transpiration rate and moisture movement out of down bag into next layer.

This will keep your down drier than having a full winter temp down bag and one arguably reccommended for extended trips.

[Toast]

Aren't there similar mechanics at work with a GoreTex bivy bag?

[Beck]

being that dewpoint is a result of temperature varience, possibly. However, the relative thinnessof the bivy most likely keeps the depoint temp inside your bag still. It seems condesation occurs inside of bivies, eh, crew? There's some explaination of some sorts on MEC's site. in matter of temperature enhancement -Overbag vs. bivy for long trips, overbag. Bivy'll wet you out damn quick. you still need protection from the elements so this topic presentssome slippery vectors to gauge

 

[ 10-30-2002, 11:16 AM: Message edited by: Beck ]