BWCA Asking the experts... 0* sleeping bags Boundary Waters Gear Forum
Chat Rooms (0 Chatting)  |  Search  |   Login/Join
* For the benefit of the community, commercial posting is not allowed.
Boundary Waters Quetico Forum
   Gear Forum
      Asking the experts... 0* sleeping bags     
 Forum Sponsor

Author

Text

Love2fish
member (41)member
  
02/25/2021 07:01PM  
Well I have an off the bwca topic question to ask. I have done about 15 trips into the bdub and Quetico. I’m actually doing a trip this may but my question is for another love of mine. I’ve now done 3 public land elk hunts out west. Those of you that know that territory will know it’s ruggedness and challenges. I couldn’t think of a better place to ask for a sleeping bag recommendation than here. I have a 0* Coleman bag and it’s not the weight that gets me, it’s the size. It’s so bulky on my hiking bag. Does anybody have a bag that they would recommend? Thanks in advance!
 
      Print Top Bottom Previous Next
cyclones30
distinguished member(4163)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberpower member
  
02/25/2021 07:34PM  
The more you spend, the smaller they get :)

What's your budget?

At first I checked Feathered Friends....they don't list packed size. I checked Big Agnes, one of their 0 degree down bags packed size is 6.5" x 7.5"

Is your current bag synthetic fill? That will make a huge difference (in price too though)
 
Love2fish
member (41)member
  
02/25/2021 07:57PM  
cyclones30: "The more you spend, the smaller they get :)


What's your budget?


At first I checked Feathered Friends....they don't list packed size. I checked Big Agnes, one of their 0 degree down bags packed size is 6.5" x 7.5"


Is your current bag synthetic fill? That will make a huge difference (in price too though) "


Budget, well I’ve learned that when packing or portaging, money is well spent. Don’t get me wrong my 0* Coleman bag is warm and comfy but compressed it’s bigger than a 5 gallon bucket. Our hunt we’ll do this fall is an ongoing hike, in bwca terms it’s a loop. So I need to downsize cubic inches but be ready for temps in the teens at 10,000 ft elevation. Thank you for the above advise, I’m checking them out now.
 
02/25/2021 08:03PM  
I also chase elk and mule deer in the Rockies; backpack and bow...and carry an Enlightened Equipment Revelation, 10 degree Quilt. Will bet it's 10-20% of the volume of your Coleman, and 1/4 to 1/3rd of the weight.

I'll never go back to a bag - quilts are way more comfortable for me. But you may want to read up on Quilts, pads, etc. before switching. A really good pad is critical - a great bag or quilt will not stop heat loss below. I have a Thermarest Neoair Xtherm, large...best warmth to weight ratio out there.

Both items are too warm to use in summer.
 
02/25/2021 08:27PM  
There are a lot of quality bags out there from a variety of makers that use high fill power down and compress to very small sizes with a compression bag. I use the Sea-to-Summit eVent compression bags. Feathered Friends, Western Mountaineering, Marmot, and many others. I'll second the need for a good pad and the Thermarest NeoAir XTherm as a warm, light, and small pad.
 
mgraber
distinguished member(1486)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
02/25/2021 09:58PM  
I pretty much agree with the last couple of posts, the Neo Air x therm and either a quality down bag or a down quilt and a lightweight cover for your pad. That is a hard combo to beat, and the insulation under you is a waste of money and weight. The X therm is about a pound, 2.5 thick, and like having a heater under you.It will all pack down very small and your total weight could be under 3# for pad and quilt at 0 deg rating.
 
cyclones30
distinguished member(4163)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberpower member
  
02/26/2021 12:32PM  
Yeah, no way a decent down 0 degree bag should be like carrying a 5 gal bucket as far as volume.

And you don't need to spend $570 on a FF bag, I was just dreaming. A good pad as mentioned already and a nice BA or other bag for half that price will still do a hell of a job keeping you warm. And yes, quilts or hybrid quilt/bag is something to look into over a bag. I still prefer a bag for now but the quilts are sweet especially if you also use hammocks.

A couple years ago I picked up a BA McAlpin I think it is....5 degree bag for $250 or so. Packs down nice and small and is very warm. Watch steep and cheap or other sites for winter closeouts now that the "cold" season is over these will be on sale
 
02/26/2021 01:05PM  
I have two Marmot bags that have worked very well for me, a +15º and a -40º. Marmot does make some bags with 650 fill and some with 800, so thats why some cost a good deal more. When I got my last bag, I also looked very closely at the Western Mountaineering bag. In many ways I liked it better than the Marmot I chose (like the use of 850 down), but after getting in both bags several times on different days, I found the Marmot was a better fit for my shoulders. In the specs, it was actually slightly narrower, but I think there must be differences in how each company measures. So if you do get a chance to get in one and try it out, that can really help.

 
02/26/2021 02:30PM  
Love2fish: "
cyclones30: "The more you spend, the smaller they get :)



What's your budget?



At first I checked Feathered Friends....they don't list packed size. I checked Big Agnes, one of their 0 degree down bags packed size is 6.5" x 7.5"



Is your current bag synthetic fill? That will make a huge difference (in price too though) "



Budget, well I’ve learned that when packing or portaging, money is well spent. Don’t get me wrong my 0* Coleman bag is warm and comfy but compressed it’s bigger than a 5 gallon bucket. Our hunt we’ll do this fall is an ongoing hike, in bwca terms it’s a loop. So I need to downsize cubic inches but be ready for temps in the teens at 10,000 ft elevation. Thank you for the above advise, I’m checking them out now. "


$600 isn't unexpected in 800+ down filled 0 degree. My 850 fill down Pomer Hoit, near 3 pounds and packs into a 16 L zippered bag. Combined wit an Exped 9 down mat has been comfortable to me down to -10 F. Western Mountaineering and Feathered Friends are top quality sleeping bags.
The price catagory makes the idea of a custom made sleeping bag make sense, Down Works is one example.

butthead
 
BrianDay
distinguished member (136)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
02/26/2021 02:32PM  
Hey Dan,

Lot of people recommending down. It is certainly lighter and more compressible than synthetic fills. Longer lifespan, too. Good stuff.

But...

Down bags tend to lose loft on multi-day winter trips.

This isn't a problem for me these days because I winter camp with a hot tent so I can dry any accumulated perspiration out of my bag every morning. But back before I switched to the hot tent I had a lot of trouble with down in the winter.

Went like this. Go to bed cold. Zip up tight to warm up. Fall asleep. Sometime in the middle of the night wake up hot and drenched in sweat. I know this doesn't happen to everyone but it's happened to me a lot. Stuff the slightly damp bag into a stuffsack, ski all day, pull it out and repeat. Result is a flat down bag in a few days.

I had a Moonstone Liberty Ridge down bag back back in the 1990s. Really high quality 5 degree bag. I could go about three nights before it was flat as a pancake. Have a Feathered Friends Widgeon that I've used for years. Packs down small but if I sweat it up its a goner. Only gets used with the hot tent.

I'm not anti-down in any way. But in certain circumstances it can be difficult to keep dry. The water resistant stuff is better, but not immune to this problem. Stuffing compresses the down and any moisture trapped in the bag freezes, reducing loft. This is a particular problem when temps are below freezing.

On hunts you need to stay warm and stay in the field. To me that indicates synthetic. Probably a bag roomy enough to wear some clothes inside so you can dry baselayers and insulation in the bag overnight. If you plan to sleep in clothes you can get away with a little less bag. Maybe a 15 degree synthetic bag will work instead of a 0.

A quality 15 degree synthetic bag will compress to less than half the volume of the Coleman bag you currently have. It'll weigh under 4 pounds, even if it has a really roomy cut.

I'm very tempted by some of the Climashield Apex quilt designs out there. Apex is a very durable synthetic that holds up better than the short staple bonded insulations that most manufacturers source overseas.

The Viam quilts look good.

https://viamoutdoors.com/product/rts-ready-to-ship-quilts/

Check out advice from the backcountry hunting world on this sort of thing. Lots of pro-synthetic advice. If you search out John Barklow you'll find he has some interesting thoughts on down vs synthetic. He used to run winter training for Navy Special Warfare on Kodiak Island, and currently does product design for Sitka. Aron Snyder from Kifaru is another good resource for advice on backcountry hunting bags and the benefits of synthetic insulation.

All that said, whether you decide to go down or synthetic you should have no trouble making a big improvement on the bag you're currently carrying.

Good hunting!

Brian
 
OldFingers57
distinguished member(4990)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberpower member
  
02/26/2021 03:01PM  
We use Mountain Hardwear Phantom 0 degree sleeping bags. They pack down somewhat small. Great bags. We have them in 15 and 32 degrees also.
 
THEGrandRapids
distinguished member (377)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
02/26/2021 04:16PM  
Two bag system- down inne and synthetic outie, allows the condensation to occur in the synthetic outer, and not effect the down. Sort of like two paned windows.

Something to think about. Not sure how you would compute ratings- if you had a 20 degree down bag and a 40 degree synthetic outer bag
 
Wolfee
senior member (74)senior membersenior member
  
02/26/2021 05:41PM  
THEGrandRapids: "Two bag system- down inne and synthetic outie, allows the condensation to occur in the synthetic outer, and not effect the down. Sort of like two paned windows.


Something to think about. Not sure how you would compute ratings- if you had a 20 degree down bag and a 40 degree synthetic outer bag"


I just did this exact thing a few weeks ago in -10 degrees. I used a Kelty cosmic down 40 for the inner bag (btw on clearance at Sierra right now). And a 5 degree Mountain Hardware Lamina z synthetic for the outer. It worked really well. I was nice and toasty all night.
 
      Print Top Bottom Previous Next