View Full Version : ultra light sleeping bags
randy moore
07-14-2006, 00:20
need help in trying to buy ultra light sleeping bag would like one at least 15 degrees I am 5' 10" tall medium build. mainly interested in cutting weight. thanks in advance :) :) trailwalker
I just bought a Western Mountaineer (Mt. Roger's Outfitters in Damascus can sell you one online--I don't know who else has them). I think it was 1 lb 9 oz for 20 degrees, but I would bet they may have one with a lower temp rating. Its a great bag, but they are a little costlier.
I purchased a WM Highlite for my summer bag. I loved it so much I replaced my winterbag with a WM bag. They are quality wellmade bags and the termperature ratings are very accurate. If you have the $$ that is a great gear purchase you will not regret.
maxNcathy
07-14-2006, 08:23
Have you checked the Marmot Helium bag? or Versalite by WM.
I bought Moonstone 800 PCT weight is 2 lb 10 oz bit got it on ebay for $180 new which is less than half reg price.
NICKTHEGREEK
07-14-2006, 08:25
You may want to look at the Moonstone Lucid. I have 2 bags from Moonstone who have been bought out by Columbia recently. They are very high quality bags now at sale prices. http://backcountry-equipment.com/slpng_bg/moonstone_lucid.html has excellent photos and has been a reliable seller should you decide to buy from them. While this is a 20 degree bag, I found it to be true to rating.
bigcranky
07-14-2006, 09:49
The Western Mountaineering Ultralite is a slim-cut 20-F mummy bag with a full zipper. WM bag ratings are very conservative, so their 20-F should be as warm or warmer than a lot of "15-degree" bags out there. It's about 1.5 pounds, and costs an arm and both legs.
The Marmot Helium is a 15-F bag with a half-length zipper. This is also a well-regarded bag, and costs if anything a little more than the WM bag. Though the ratings are slightly different, I suspect they will provide roughly equivalent warmth.
The Mountain Hardwear Phantom 15 is another bag that might should be on your list.
All these bags are insanely light.
hammock engineer
07-14-2006, 11:07
I have the MontBell Super Stretch #2. I really like this one. They give a temp range with theirs. It is from 5 to 25 degrees. I have the long one and it weighs 2lbs 2oz. Just like the WM bags, it is pricey.
Looking to find out which temperature bag would suffice for an AT thru-hike... Or do hikers start off with a warmer bag and then have a cooler bag sent them in the summer months ?
_terrapin_
11-03-2007, 11:18
Looking to find out which temperature bag would suffice for an AT thru-hike... Or do hikers start off with a warmer bag and then have a cooler bag sent them in the summer months ?
Yes, exactly. Northbounders will likely retrieve their cold-weather bags upon entering the White Mountains, typically in August. There's no one bag that will work for the entire range of conditions you're likely to encounter.
"There's no one bag that will work for the entire range of conditions you're likely to encounter."
I just want to point out, never say never. While what terrapin says is the standard advice given and the ideal (with good reason), I would not go as far as to say that no one bag will work. I have successfully backpacked year round, from high dessert in the summer to mountain whiteouts at 12 below zero, all with just one bag, a three season.
Since sleeping bags are such a major investment, you may find that you would prefer to save the extra money and make do. It's a matter of resigning to the fact that some nights you will sleep on top of your bag, some nights with it covering you waist high, some nights cinched tight with most of your extra clothes and an extra pad added. The additional cost of buying a second bag needs to be weighed against the extra weight when it's not needed and the extra hassle when it's not quite enough. But only having one bag will not preclude you from completeing a thru-hike.
My $.02 worth.
Tipi Walter
11-03-2007, 13:42
"There's no one bag that will work for the entire range of conditions you're likely to encounter."
I just want to point out, never say never. While what terrapin says is the standard advice given and the ideal (with good reason), I would not go as far as to say that no one bag will work. I have successfully backpacked year round, from high dessert in the summer to mountain whiteouts at 12 below zero, all with just one bag, a three season.
Since sleeping bags are such a major investment, you may find that you would prefer to save the extra money and make do. It's a matter of resigning to the fact that some nights you will sleep on top of your bag, some nights with it covering you waist high, some nights cinched tight with most of your extra clothes and an extra pad added. The additional cost of buying a second bag needs to be weighed against the extra weight when it's not needed and the extra hassle when it's not quite enough. But only having one bag, will not preclude you from completeing a thru-hike.
My $.02 worth.
I think I agree with this. Having one good bag year-round worked for me for the last 30 years of living out. I think back to the summer nights when it was just too hot and wasn't used and the summer nights at 6000 feet when I was all zipped up and was glad to have an item that gave me the freedom to go anywhere at anytime.
Tents too, back in the past, were all made "Four Season", we carried one year-round and it worked year-round. There wasn't a mad scramble to decipher subtle facets of tent design or peculiar fabrics, just good companies making great tents, with some lighter than others.
I think sticking to one thing also had something to do with "living out", with spending not a week or a month living out of a backpack, but spending years homeless with the only home being a good tent carried by a stout pack. With that mindset and lifestyle, where exactly are you gonna keep two sleeping bags or a summer and a winter tent?
Then the "hobby" of backpacking exploded, people with some extra income doing short trips with untested gear, and we have what we have today: A bewildering maze of outdoor camping products certain to confuse all but the most diligent fanatics. So we pine for the old hobo with a bandana bag on the end of a stick or a grandma Gatewood with a shower curtain and sneakers. Maybe this current cult with the ultralight craze is partly due to a desire to return to a simplier time with a bedroll and a plastic sheet.
_terrapin_
11-03-2007, 13:54
I think I agree with this. Having one good bag year-round worked for me for the last 30 years of living out. I think back to the summer nights when it was just too hot and wasn't used and the summer nights at 6000 feet when I was all zipped up and was glad to have an item that gave me the freedom to go anywhere at anytime.
My wording should not have been absolute. Oviously, it's possible. But IMO, far from desirable. Living in the woods isn't the same as thru-hiking.
Squeaky 2
11-03-2007, 14:16
the marmot helium is awesome! cant find a fault with it. under 2lbs and very durable. its expensive but i have put in over 8,000 miles with my one and been warm below its rating even after 3,500 miles of use. very hard bag to beat!
Survivor Dave
11-03-2007, 14:44
Ditto to that Hammock Engineer. I use the regular MB UL #2 SuperStretch Down 800 fill at 1 lb. 11 oz. Can't beat the stretchy comfort and warmth. Much less than WM.
SD
I have the MontBell Super Stretch #2. I really like this one. They give a temp range with theirs. It is from 5 to 25 degrees. I have the long one and it weighs 2lbs 2oz. Just like the WM bags, it is pricey.
"There's no one bag that will work for the entire range of conditions you're likely to encounter."
I just want to point out, never say never. While what terrapin says is the standard advice given and the ideal (with good reason), I would not go as far as to say that no one bag will work. I have successfully backpacked year round, from high dessert in the summer to mountain whiteouts at 12 below zero, all with just one bag, a three season. Well, yeah. It depends on what you mean by "works for you." If you mean it can be done, no matter how uncomfortable or inappropritate, sure.
I suppose you could use the same pack for a week-long winter trek to Katahdin and a paved quarter-mile tourist loop trail at a National Park Visitor Center, too, but why? Like sleeping bags, one size does not always work for all situations.
For me, I cannot image taking a bag will keep me warm at 12 below zero into the desert in the summer, as you say you did. Sorry, I just don't see that as "working."
Also, as one who has done my share of winter camping, I also have a hard time swallowing anyone winter camping in the Whites in a three season bag. I use a -25* and there have been times it was barely adequate. Anyone heading into the Whites in the winter should have a good emergency plan if they are toting a three-season bag.
For the AT in my section hiking experience between March and September, a 30* bag will probably work for the entire trip, if you don't mind being cold, then hot, then cold. But the money you spend to get out of the weather a half dozen or so days is likely to be more than the cost of a second bag. Thru or section hiking the AT is a multi-thousand dollar endeavor. An extra hundred bucks more or less isn't out of line, unless or course your trail name is Onebag.
I just got a Marmot Aspen Down 20 at Dicks, list $149, on sale for $70. 600 fill goose down, 5.5 inch loft, 2lb 14 oz pack weight. Evidently it was just made for Dicks and cannot be found on the Marmot web site.
Anyone have experience with this bag?
How does it compare to the Marmot Never Summer?
taildragger
11-05-2007, 08:08
A 20*F bag with a FULL zipper should work the whole way. Going with a 40*F bag won't save you much weight (if you're using the high dollar bags) or size. A full zipper will allow to vent out as necessary.
soulrebel
11-05-2007, 08:23
Bought a Marmot Hydrogen (Pertex Quantum w/ 900+FP down) 30F weighs 20oz. Took it down to 10F (smokies snowstorm 06) a few times but have a layered clothing system.
Left Mar 7. Packs to the size of a cantalope, but I gave it a watermelon sized stuff sack for the thru
They don't usually sell 900FP down anymore, but the bag is great minus the price $300...
With all that--I'm working on my first rayway quilt $100 and customized, but the sewing and time is kinda ridiculous-=you have to wanna make your gear.
_terrapin_
11-05-2007, 08:34
A 20*F bag with a FULL zipper should work the whole way. Going with a 40*F bag won't save you much weight (if you're using the high dollar bags) or size. A full zipper will allow to vent out as necessary.
The $$$ figure usually correlates (inversely) with weight.
taildragger
11-05-2007, 08:48
The $$$ figure usually correlates (inversely) with weight.
WM Ultralite 6' 20* bag: 1lbs 10oz
WM linelight 45* bag: 14 oz
12 oz weight savings for the hassel and cost of an extra bag
Personally, I'd try to roll with one bag, or get a cheap synthetic summer bag (which in reality, will probably weigh more than my Helium)
vaporjourney
11-05-2007, 11:23
Don't forget the possibility of using a quilt instead of a tradition sleeping bag. www.nunatakusa.com make fantastic quilts. I used their Arc Alpinist during the cold months of my thruhike this year, and was very pleased with it. It only weighs 1 lb 4 oz, and has 2.5" of loft. When used in combination with clothing layers I already had, I was able to take it down to 16* comfortable, and this is coming from a COLD sleeper. Backpackinglight.com and jacksrbetter.com also make good quilts to look at if you'd like to go that route.
If you can find a bag with high lofting down, ultralight fabrics, AND a design which dispenses with the insulation in the bottom in favor of using a pad exclusively for bottom insulation, you will probably have found the lightest option for a sleeping bag. I used to own a Stephenson Warmlite bag, which, with the exception of being way too long and wide, with too many zippers and a relatively heavy built in vapor barrier liner, would have been such a design. The drawbacks are that the bag will not curl up with you if you sleep in the fetal position much, but if you sleep stretched out on back or stomach, a top insulated bag with a pad envelope in the bottom might be perfect.
Rab of England and Feathered Friends in Seattle, Wa. make such bags. There are probably others as well.
T.
mountaineer
11-05-2007, 12:55
I didn't want to buy a second bag for summer on my thru, so I used my 20* bag (REI Sub-zero) for as long as I could, then went to Walmart while on a town stop and bought seven feet of fleece from the fabric dept and used it as a blanket in summer, for about $12. Didn't need to sew it or anything, as the edges stay neat; bolt fabric is usually 60 in wide and the little over 2 yards I bought was probably longer than I needed, but it was really light and I liked having the extra to curl up in. I figured I could cut and discard it along the way if it was too long or bulky, but ended up keeping the whole length. Went back to my 20* bag up north when weather got cold.
I too like the idea of a single bag augmented with clothing in colder weather. My current plan is to thru-hike the PCT next year with a 32-degree rated WM bag (Summerlite), but augment with extra clothes in the Sierras and possibly northern WA state.
Augmenting with clothes gives a certain flexibility for colder climates --- a much nicer experience to get out of the bag in the middle of the night and in the morning.
Chaco Taco
12-11-2007, 20:06
Also check out Sierratradingpost,I saw the Marmot 15 Medicine Bow down sleeping bag, I hear a great bag, 2 lbs 14 oz. Littel heavier, but good price.
Have you checked the Marmot Helium bag? or Versalite by WM.
I bought Moonstone 800 PCT weight is 2 lb 10 oz bit got it on ebay for $180 new which is less than half reg price.
hopefulhiker
12-11-2007, 23:01
Yeah, I would look into the quilts in combination with a good sleeping mattress or pad...
BOWSINGER
12-12-2007, 23:07
Randy Moore/Trailwalker originally asked about 15-degree ultra light sleeping bags, but many of the responses deal with 20-degree bags as that is what most of us have. So let me throw in another 20-degree bag to consider.
You don’t pack very far down the trail before you figure out that temperature ratings are so general as to be useless for anything but a starting point. Everyone is different and I know that I need four inches of two-layer loft to stay warm down to 30-35 degrees in a tent or under a tarp with no breeze. For 20 degrees and/or a wind problem, I want six inches of loft or some warm sleeping clothing in that four-inch loft bag.
My choice of a three-season sleeping bag is the Luxury Lite V Bag. It is a long, slim cut down bag with a center zipper instead of the more common side zipper. Mine weighs one pound, 14.2 ounces and I have measured the loft at four inches. It is a new bag and my coldest night so far has been 25 degrees. I stayed warm with head to toe fleece, wool socks and a down vest. I am hopeful that the center zip will give me more versatility in warmer weather. I already know that the center zip bag works as a quilt better than any of my older side zip mummy bags. I think that I got a heck of a deal at $125 plus shipping for a very high quality down bag. I could put two of these bags together for less cost than some of the best quality bags mentioned in this thread. That would give me a winter sleeping system of about eight inches of two-layer loft, under four pounds and less than $300.
I thought enough of this bag to do a review of it at http://www.backinglight.com/ (http://www.backinglight.com/) and I plan to do one for WhiteBlaze after the bag and I have spent more trail time together under a greater variety of conditions. Bruce Warren was quite surprised, we don’t know each other, it was my first purchase from Luxury Lite, and he had no idea I was doing a review. I detailed what I liked and a couple of things I didn’t like about the bag-mainly the nonlocking zipper. Here is how he responded to the review:
“It is my opinion that a customer can write whatever he wants to about my gear. I have no right to censor anything... as long as they are not outright factual errors.”
Now, I can deal with that.
as vaporjourney said in post #21, check out jacks r better! they have some excellent quilts. they also have a neat sleeping pad/quilt set-up for us "ground guys". high quality stuff and ultralight!
88BlueGT
12-23-2007, 13:31
Marmot Helium. 15 degree bag, 900 fill down, 1lb 13oz's. I dont have any personal experience with this bag but I have done lots of research on it and have found NOTHING but excellent things about this bag. Just one more to consider.....
Almost There
12-23-2007, 17:38
I have a Marmot Helium, and for your size I would completely recommend it. It has served me well in the Winter, Spring, and Fall. I just got a Monbell UL SS #5 for the summer, but that's my Xmas present, I had been using a cheaper summer bag. Good Luck! Try different ones out and get what works for you, who cares what some gear guru says, they don't know you or what you need...only you can decide that.
I just got a Golite Feather-Lite regular long to use over my hammock instead of my heavier, bulkier Marmot Sierra semi-rectangular. It's 1#7.75oz. and I have used it down to 18F (!) in the hammock comfortably (no wind, dry conditions). Paid $154.96 at Detourzone.com. Asked for regular ground shipment (free) got complimentary second day shipment courtesy of owner Robert Chavez.
I have had only one experience with this company, but I must say that it was far above my expectations.
www.detourgearzone.com (http://www.detourgearzone.com)
They have many other specials.
Check them out.
I bought a Princeton Tec 'Apex' headlight from Detourzone.com with free USSPS shipping. A fine company to do business with and and fast shipping too. I was surprised!
LIhikers
12-26-2007, 07:48
I'm going to suggest the Montbell, ultralight, super stretch, down hugger #1, which is rated for 15 degrees
www.campsaver.com/ItemMatrix.aspGroupCode=mtb0026&eq=&MatrixType=1 (http://www.campsaver.com/ItemMatrix.aspGroupCode=mtb0026&eq=&MatrixType=1)
That suggestion comes based on how much I like my Montbell bag
BOWSINGER
02-21-2008, 15:27
I gave the wrong Email address for my review of this bag in my first post
Randy Moore/Trailwalker originally asked about 15-degree ultra light sleeping bags, but many of the responses deal with 20-degree bags as that is what most of us have. So let me throw in another 20-degree bag to consider.
You don’t pack very far down the trail before you figure out that temperature ratings are so general as to be useless for anything but a starting point. Everyone is different and I know that I need four inches of two-layer loft to stay warm down to 30-35 degrees in a tent or under a tarp with no breeze. For 20 degrees and/or a wind problem, I want six inches of loft or some warm sleeping clothing in that four-inch loft bag.
My choice of a three-season sleeping bag is the Luxury Lite V Bag. It is a long, slim cut down bag with a center zipper instead of the more common side zipper. Mine weighs one pound, 14.2 ounces and I have measured the loft at four inches. It is a new bag and my coldest night so far has been 25 degrees. I stayed warm with head to toe fleece, wool socks and a down vest. I am hopeful that the center zip will give me more versatility in warmer weather. I already know that the center zip bag works as a quilt better than any of my older side zip mummy bags. I think that I got a heck of a deal at $125 plus shipping for a very high quality down bag. I could put two of these bags together for less cost than some of the best quality bags mentioned in this thread. That would give me a winter sleeping system of about eight inches of two-layer loft, under four pounds and less than $300.
I thought enough of this bag to do a review of it at http://www.backinglight.com/ (http://www.backinglight.com/) and I plan to do one for WhiteBlaze after the bag and I have spent more trail time together under a greater variety of conditions. Bruce Warren was quite surprised, we don’t know each other, it was my first purchase from Luxury Lite, and he had no idea I was doing a review. I detailed what I liked and a couple of things I didn’t like about the bag-mainly the nonlocking zipper. Here is how he responded to the review:
“It is my opinion that a customer can write whatever he wants to about my gear. I have no right to censor anything... as long as they are not outright factual errors.”
Now, I can deal with that.
BOWSINGER
02-21-2008, 15:34
Ok, maybe the third time I will get it right. www.backpackinglight.com (http://www.backpackinglight.com)
I think the WM Versalite is the best 3 season bag...