requesting sleeping bag review [Archive] - WhiteBlaze

johnny quest

01-01-2007, 12:47

im requesting a review here. ive got a rei gift card burning a hole in my daypack. ive got just about everything i need for my thru hike but havent gotten a sleeping bag yet. i plan to hammock the at. i have a hennessy and the hennesy under-system... although im not sure im sold on that particular under-system yet. so my sleeping bag needs to do the following:
1. be able to handle a.t. temps for a sobo thruhike starting in february.
2. be compatible with the hennesy hammock and some kind of under-system
3. be usable on the ground or in a shelter with addition of a pad
4. weigh no more than 3 pounds
5. has to be available from rei (duh, giftcard? pay attention)

im looking at the agnes gilpin that is currently on sale at rei. strangely i cant find anything about it on the big agnes site. whatupwiddat?

MOWGLI

01-01-2007, 12:54

SOBO in February with a hammock? Did you mean nobo???

johnny quest

01-01-2007, 13:00

of course i do. nobo. thankyou.
actually anybody could have made that mistake. its only 4 fingers and 180 degrees apart.
somebody actually read my thread!

Heater

01-01-2007, 13:12

REI sells Marmot Bags. I'd look at the Helium. 15 degree rating. 1 lb. 13 oz.
I don't have one but I am sure someone on here has experience with one.

Ridge Rat

01-01-2007, 16:51

If you want to go cheap go with the REI Sub-kilo 20 degree bag. It's slightly over 2 pounds but after purchasing it I have found for myself its the biggest bang for the buck. I have used it for a year now with a henessy hammock with a walmart CCF pad. Have slept in temps comfortably down to lower to mid 30's without much problems. Just remember when it's cold to swing low. Less room under the hammock the less breeze to freeze the rear parts. Keep an eye out. I purchased the bag for $160 when REI had a sale.

johnny quest

01-01-2007, 16:53

swing low. sounds like an old spiritual. thanks for the advice

DrewNC2005

01-03-2007, 09:31

I second the Helium - no experience with it, but from reading the reviews, it's one of the best bags REI sells

Footslogger

01-03-2007, 09:49

[quote=Austexs;295030]REI sells Marmot Bags. I'd look at the Helium. 15 degree rating. 1 lb. 13 oz.

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Second vote for the Marmot Helium. Lightest weight 15 degree down bag on the market (at least that I have ever found) with 850 fill and a pertex outer shell. Also check out the Helium "EQ", which is a little heavier and has a more durable outer shell fabric.

Not a cheap bag by any means but they do mark them down from time to time so just keep yours eyes open and catch a sale.

'Slogger

hopefulhiker

01-03-2007, 09:51

I heard good reviews on the Marmot Helium. Be sure to look at girth considerations.. Good Luck and speed on your hike!

Ewker

01-03-2007, 10:28

I have the Marmot Helium 15° bag and it is great. Mine weighs in at 1 lb 6 oz. I got it off ebay for about half the normal cost

johnny quest

01-03-2007, 10:35

girth is an issue. i have wide shoulders and have been unhappy with shoulder girth of other bags before.

Footslogger

01-03-2007, 10:42

girth is an issue. i have wide shoulders and have been unhappy with shoulder girth of other bags before.

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The Helium is listed as having a 62" shoulder girth. Most other bags in it's catagory have a 60" girth.

That might make the difference for you.

'Slogger

Hammerhead

01-03-2007, 10:51

I've got a BA Crystal 30degree bag and an HH Exp. Asym with NO under quilt and was quite toasty the other night at 28 degrees. It's a long bag and it fits great in the hammock.

trippclark

01-03-2007, 12:17

JQ,

I guess I am a bit surprised that you would be searching for a sleeping bag since your intent is to hammock. I realize that many folks who hammock do use sleeping bags, but I have assumed (perhaps wrong) that in most cases this was because they already had a sleeping bag before they moved to hammocking. I would expect that most folks who have the hammock first, go with a quilt system. Again, maybe I am wrong.

I realize the dilemna that you have with the REI gift card, but if I were in your situation I think that I would strongly consider the JRB system. Other than availability from REI, it seems to meet all of your requirements, especially with the introduction of their new "down to earth" pad converter which integrates and addresses your third requirement very nicely.

Good luck!

Tripp

Sly

01-03-2007, 12:26

=============================

The Helium is listed as having a 62" shoulder girth. Most other bags in it's catagory have a 60" girth.

That might make the difference for you.

'Slogger

Anyone know how to measure girth? I take it, it's around the shoulders. But how much extra should one buy to be comfortable?

I have a 20* Campmor, which is a tight tight, but they don't have the measurement on their website and an email went unanswered.

hopefulhiker

01-03-2007, 12:35

On the feathered friends site , they talk about girth.. They say that you should measure girth by holding your elbows to your chest and hold your hands out.. The most comfortable girth is supposed to be measured around your torso and around your hands.. They have a picture of this..... I was overweight when I started out and had to use a WM semi rectangular bag....with a 65 inch girth....

johnny quest

01-03-2007, 12:37

After

01-03-2007, 12:47

I recently hiked with someone that was using the Marmot Helium and he was very happpy with the bag. You might also want to check out the Mountain Hardwear Phantom 15 degree bag. It competes with the Helium (similar temp, size, weight, etc.) but I was able to find it on sale at EMS for about $120 less than the Helium.

terrapin_too

01-03-2007, 12:53

Speaking of Mountain Hardwear Phantom... I recently bought one of these (the Phantom 45) and find it a bit narrow. I'm not a particularly large person. But not having bought a new bag in the last 20 years or so, I have no point of reference. Are some bags or brands known for a "wider" cut? Is the Phantom bag known to be "narrow"? I dunno....

trippclark

01-03-2007, 13:38

trippclark, good point about the jrb system. i thought about that but the rei giftcard is the main reason i dont go that route. the other is that i want something i can use outside the hammock too. im not against quilts...as a boy that is all i had...but those two reasons make me go the sleeping bag way.

I fully understand about the REI gift card. I am holding a couple of cards for other retailers myself and know well that it is "easier" to spend a gift card than cash sometimes. That said, do take a look at the JRB "down to earth" system that they just unveiled. I had a chance to see this first hand in a "preview" by Jack back in October and it is really slick. Using omni-tape and properly cut pads, the quilt converts to a regular mummy bag, so you have the best of both worlds.

All that said, someone earlier mentioned the REI sub-kilo. I have that bag also, and while I have not used it at all since moving to a hammock/quilt, it is a nice bag and a good value, although for me the 20 degree rating is a bit ambitious as I became slightly chilled at about 30 degrees.

Good luck!

halftime

01-03-2007, 15:18

girth is an issue. i have wide shoulders and have been unhappy with shoulder girth of other bags before.

If girth is an issue you might look at Big Agnes. No bottom insulation but has a sleeve for your sleeping pad. The Lost Ranger is 15* bag and is quite roomy (70 in girth). Weighs 2lbs 10oz. http://www.rei.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?storeId=8000&catalogId=40000008000&productId=47780408&parent_category_rn=4500514

johnny quest

01-03-2007, 15:31

Hammerhead

01-03-2007, 16:06

i saw that one as well as the gilpin on sale. but there is no gilpin listed on the bigagnes website. ***? and does anyone have experience with the big agnes? is there absolutely NO insulation on the bottom?

Absolutely none, there is only a sleeve for a pad which you have to buy separately. I've only spent one night in mine but I love it!

johnny quest

01-03-2007, 16:12

a special pad? what does it weigh? to be fair i need to figure the price/weight of the pad into my studies

hopefulhiker

01-03-2007, 16:14

You can use the BA insulated air matress. Long Haul used this system for his thru hike in 05

Hammerhead

01-03-2007, 16:16

a special pad? what does it weigh? to be fair i need to figure the price/weight of the pad into my studies

I have the Crystal 30 degree long bag, it weighs 2lbs 12oz, and I have the 20" x 78" x 2.5" Aircore pad and it weighs 25oz.

Hana_Hanger

01-03-2007, 16:27

Just to add a thought:
ANY 20" pads will fit most Big Agnes Bags....or if you get the extra large bags they recommend the 25" pads.

If it is really cold I use two inside the sleeve...one CCF blue and either my Therm-a-rest Pro 3 or the Big Agnes Air core.

Also a lot of us use our sleeping bags unzipped as a quilt in the hammocks as I am sure others do in a tent as well.

The nice thing about having the sleeping bag is...if one must camp hugging the ground instead of swinging in the air...a bag is easier to keep warm in... for me anyways. My quilt keeps slipping and moving around and lets in all the cold air.

K-Man

01-03-2007, 16:52

JQ, what is the Hennessey under system? Is that an underquilt or a pad? I'm a clark hammocker so I'm not up on the Hennessey system.

halftime

01-03-2007, 16:56

i saw that one as well as the gilpin on sale. but there is no gilpin listed on the bigagnes website. ***? and does anyone have experience with the big agnes? is there absolutely NO insulation on the bottom?

No bottom insulation but the theory is compressed insulation is useless anyway. Insulation is provided by the pad. Not sure which pad would work best w/ a hammock.

Not sure if this is an important consideration when using with a hammock, but the BA also has the advantage of a full length zipper whearas some lightweight bags (like the the Helium) have a 1/2 length zipper.

johnny quest

01-03-2007, 16:57

i traded hennessy some dublin dr pepper for a silnylon fitted undergarment (!) and a foam pad that went between the bottom of the hammock and said undergarment.

Skidsteer

01-03-2007, 18:26

Earl Grey

01-04-2007, 00:53

I have a Marmot Sawtooth and its a 15 degree but weighs more than the Helium. Its been a great bag so far with 15 degrees being on the high side as ive used this bag down to 10 with no problems. I got it at REI on sale over the summer.

copythat

01-04-2007, 03:12

a special pad? what does it weigh? to be fair i need to figure the price/weight of the pad into my studies

hana's right about any pad fitting the b.a. bags, as long as you pay attention to which shape it is ... some b.a. bags use rectangular pads, others use tapered pads, but if you use closed cell (like a ridgerest) you can cut and slash to make it fit the tapered sleeve, too.

btw, i think the gilpin is discontinued. i went looking for it, too. looks like a nice bag. i would have bought it, but i keep running out of money! (shoulda bought a used car and a new sleeping bag, not the other way around!)

johnny quest

01-04-2007, 10:23

Won't REI let you redeem the gift card for cash?

i dunno. if i was rei i wouldnt. that aint no way to run a capitalist retail railroad.

gotta give a clap to bigagnes. i emailed them asking about the gilpin. got a prompt and edumacated response which turned into an enjoyable running conversation.

new addition to criteria....full length zipper so it can be used in quilt mode.

johnny quest

01-15-2007, 13:45

sleeping bag update. i was THIS close to buying the big agnes gilpin from reioutlet.com but i waited about 12 hours too long and they sold out. oh well. perhaps it was meant to be. i spent a couple hours looking at sleeping bags at 2 different rei's and like the big agnes alot. the girth is more what i need. but on reflection im leaning more toward a quilt.

Weldman

01-15-2007, 14:20

J.Q.,

If you can wait 4 wks, new bags are coming out at Rei. I stilling look for a good down bag, missed out on the 06 Mojave 15 deg bag( wife likes hers). Now waiting for the 07 Mojave since the Sub Kilo is to narrow, not enough girth.

Mike

johnny quest

01-15-2007, 14:24

yoru right about that subkilo. i couldnt zip that thing up over my shoulders. actually i am shelving that burning desire for a bag right now. i think i will save my change for a quilt. what I REALLY want to do is have a custom one made according to this great idea i have. but that costs alot.

Weldman

01-16-2007, 14:10

J.Q.

Here's a idea, you want a quilt( fast & cheap) and still want to buy at REI . Go to a used gear sale in the next few wks, buy a bag with a broken zipper or defect( try to find recent maunfacture date- white tag if any ). Then do some sewing along the zipper and hood area and cut off both = instead quilt !

Mike