2 light three season bags which would u choose

[Wise Old Owl]

In looking at inexspensive bags I discovered two three season bags under $100 Marmot 40 degree with 600 goose down at 2 lbs and a Slumberjack with micro polyester fill at 2lbs + some ounces with a foot zip and zip drafttube for $69. Both bags at Dick's Sporting Goods. (On the floor not on the website)

If you were on a budget or trying to make your winter bag last longer, which would be a better buy for the AT and why.

Ie example: I would pick the Slumberjack as it is more water resistant under a tarp

perhaps you might have a better suggestion under $100 and two pounds

What do you think?

[EWS]

What temp rating do you want?

[capoken]

http://www.llbean.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?page=llbean-goose-down-sleeping-bag&categoryId=48813&storeId=1&catalogId=1&langId=-1&parentCategory=500149&cat4=1097&shop_method=pp&feat=500149-tn

If you can stretch your budget another $39, LLB sells very high quality products.

[shelterbuilder]

I've had reasonable results with Slumberjack products over the years. They tend to be a bit heavier than some other products, but if you're on a budget, the price can be attractive. You're only giving us two features to compare: price and weight. The weight savings for the price does not justify the Marmot bag, unless there are other features that the Marmot has that you're not mentioning.

[LIhikers]

Like shelterbuilder I too have had a Slumberjack sleeping bag. It was warm and comfortable as well as being heavy and very large when rolled up. I presently have a Marmot bag with 650 down and I would rate it as OK, not great but not terrible either.

[Just a Hiker]

http://www.llbean.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?page=llbean-goose-down-sleeping-bag&categoryId=48813&storeId=1&catalogId=1&langId=-1&parentCategory=500149&cat4=1097&shop_method=pp&feat=500149-tn

If you can stretch your budget another $39, LLB sells very high quality products.

LL Bean Outlet is where I always shop first for sleepbags. I have gotten really lucky on finding great bags for cheap! But to answer the question....I would go for the down bag:)

Just Jim

[Ridgerunner50]

Marmot 40 degree bag. I just picked up a Marmot 20 degree 600 down bag at Dick's for $69 + tax. 2 lbs 10 oz. They were clearanced. I am very happy with it so far. I might test it out this weekend as it is supposed to dip into the 30's;)

[sweiver]

The best piece of advice that i can give when choosing a bag (or any other piece of equipment) is dont ask the general public. The smartest thing to do is to ask people just like you. What might be a perfectly good beg for me may be too minimalistic for you (for example).

My advice is a website that I use for researching my gear. I'll give you the link specifically to backpacks...but they have pretty much everything you can imagine!

http://www.buzzillions.com/packs-backpacks-reviews/n/4294966178/

Whats so cool about this site is that you choose tags that pertain to you specifically (how you plan to use the pack, what sort of features you are looking for), then they show you a list of products that people just like you have recommended. You can browse those recommended products and read reviews. Once you find some things that you like, you can compare them side by side, feature for feature.

I use this site to research my gear- I like to see what people with the same preferences as me have to say about the products that i am about to spend money on.

I rely on this site for making informed purchases...i feel more confident reading 20-30 reviews for a product instead of hearing what 2-3 people on a blog say about the products...when it comes down to it, we all have different preferences.

Hope this helps!

Let me know how it goes! Cheers!

[YeOldeBackpacker]

A Big Agnes price is a little over $100. or a LaFuma Several models in that temp,weight & price range Used the Lafuma 650 Pro 2 weekends ago, the temps were in the low 40's the bag worked fine,
Here are the specs.
wt.1 lb 7 ozs
Temp 40 degrees
cost $75.00
in Stuff sack it is a little small than a Nalgene Bottle

[whitefoot_hp]

speerhammocks.com has a great sleeping bag on sale, the frog sac, 40 degree rating, which i can verify, under two pounds, 80 something dollars shipped, primaloft insulation, one of the better/best synthetics.

[mountain squid]

which would be a better buy for the AT and why.
What is your intent on the AT? If you are planning for a 'thru-hike' attempt beginning in Mar/Apr, a 40F bag will probably not be sufficient, regardless of price/weight/manufacturer. It will get very cold in the mountains.

See you on the trail,
mt squid

[Tinker]

I don't know if Marmot is the same company it used to be (look at Mountainsmith products in Dick's to see what I mean). I have a 40 degree Marmot Sierra that I bought at Sierra Trading Post four years ago. It weighs 2lb.4oz. It keeps me warm in a tent down to 20 degrees and in the open or under a tarp down to the advertised 40 degrees. I sleep warm, however. Btw, the bag is a semi-rectangular bag with no side baffle, so I can adjust the amount of down on top to match the temperature. I had a Slumberjack back in the late '70s. It was a bulky monster that weighed a ton. A cheap down bag will outlast a cheap synthetic filled bag, but must be kept dry to keep you warm.

[FanaticFringer]

Hard to beat this bag. Slightly over $100 and 2lbs.
www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=86896&memberId=12500226

[Tinker]

Sorry, I got knocked off the internet before I could add an additional comment.

If you're buying a bag from Dick's, try to get the display model if you can. Most of the bags I've seen there have been stuffed in their stuff sacks for who knows how long. This is not good for the loft. Storing a sleeping in a loose sack or hanging up is preferable to using a stuff sack.
That said, I'd also agree that a bag rated to 40 degrees will probably not be sufficient for warmth if you are planning a thruhike. In March of '06, probably one of the warmest on record, it still got below freezing on the AT in Georgia and North Carolina. Unless you have experience with a bag's true warmth (a very personal thing, some people sleep warmer than others), trust the judgement of others who've done a thru (I'm a section hiker), and go with a warmer bag. The one I used in Ga. last year was rated to 15 degrees (conservatively) and made to my specifications by Feathered Friends. If anything, I was too warm except on the first night, when my tent got frosted over. Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.

[dessertrat]

I have the slumberjack. I think I paid about $40 for it from campmor, so maybe it was on sale. I don't know if I'd have bought it for $70 before something else.

[Lilred]

Hard to beat this bag. Slightly over $100 and 2lbs.
www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=86896&memberId=12500226


I have this bag. Excellent. I highly recommend this one.

[Frolicking Dinosaurs]

I'd buy a Campmor 20* bag instead of either of the bags listed - it is only about $10 more than the Marmot and is far, far warmer. Many have hiked the entire AT with this bag and some suitable base layers.

[Wise Old Owl]

Well it turns out most of you would not go on a beer budget for a bag. I guess my problem is I want my winter bag to last as long as it can. I was looking for a spring, summer, early fall bag for under a hundred and under two pounds. After reading a few emails many you suggested going $40 more. If I was walking the AT as most of you do. The higher altitiude in places causes some chilly nights even during the summer. Slumberjack is ok - but the one I had from a couple of years ago lost its loft too quickly. I am trying to go light and shed a few pounds. The old slumberjack had to be replaced. LLBean does not post their total bag weight. I feel a draft tube is critical and most companies are charging too much for these bags.
Hense, the question about bags and taking a poll. I learned something about this from this post. Thanks everyone.