View Full Version : Used sleeping bag suggestion?
I'm in need of a lighter sleeping bag. I've got one that I used on my last (read, first) section hike last spring, a Wallyworld special rated for 20 degrees. Thing is, it weighs 6 pounds. Oh, it worked fine, kept me warm, but also kept me weighted down, lol. I've looked at some new ones at various websites, but gee, $200-$300? Are you for real?
Can these be had for less on ebay, etc?
What brand do you recommend?
We hike spring-fall in the Smokies, and do our section hikes in the spring.
hopefulhiker
01-13-2009, 19:49
The sleeping bag might be the most expensive piece of gear you have to buy. Ebay and the used gear forums on sites like white blaze are good places to look. I would buy a good used down bag with a silk liner. Even then it will probably be around $150 to $200...
This has a very good reputation and reviews for a budget down bag. Supposedly well worth the price.
http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___40065
I'm in need of a lighter sleeping bag. I've got one that I used on my last (read, first) section hike last spring, a Wallyworld special rated for 20 degrees. Thing is, it weighs 6 pounds. Oh, it worked fine, kept me warm, but also kept me weighted down, lol. I've looked at some new ones at various websites, but gee, $200-$300? Are you for real? Yes
Can these be had for less on ebay, etc? Yes, WB, & BPL too
What brand do you recommend? Montbell, Western Mountaineering, Feathered Friends, LW vouches for Campmor 20* bags
We hike spring-fall in the Smokies, and do our section hikes in the spring.
See responses in blue
Thanks guys, that'll get me started looking.
bigcranky
01-13-2009, 20:03
A well-made down bag from a reputable manufacturer will last 15 to 20 years of use. If you spend two weeks on the trail per year, that makes a $300 down bag cost about $1 per night.
This has a very good reputation and reviews for a budget down bag. Supposedly well worth the price.
http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___40065
That is a great budget bag. Others have used it on thrus to good effect.
If you are looking for a long term investment, you can't beat a Western Mountaineering or Feathered Friends bag. Sure, it will cost money..but man, it will last. I used a Feathered Friends bag for a bit on a few hikes here and there.
If you are on budget though, you really can' go wrong with the Campmor bag. A girlfriend I suggested the bag to (who is a self-described cold sleeper;very petite and thin) thanked me for the suggestion as it kept her warm all night. Will it last multiple thru-hikes? Probably not. Will it be a good bag to get in some nights in the backcountry? Absolutely.
Serial 07
01-13-2009, 20:49
what about synthetic? i know down is the lightest, but i don't dig bird bags...
boarstone
01-13-2009, 21:41
Check out...www.rockcreek.com They are having a great sale on bags, i just grabbed a Marmot Ecopro 15* women's reg bag for $98.95. Free shipping over $49. Many others, both synthetic/down.
Serial,
Synth. bags work fine, they are heavier and bulkier than comparably rated down bags. Supposedly, they also don't have as many compression/re loft cycles in them as down, meaning the loft of the bag may decrease faster than down. I have no knowledge if this is fact.
Most people who buy high dollar down bags do so because they last a long time, and are the lightest, most compact solution. Buy a good synthetic from a good manufacturer and you will get a good bag. Slightly cheaper, but there are trade offs.
what about synthetic? i know down is the lightest, but i don't dig bird bags...
Heat and compression are the arch enemies of synthetic sleeping bag fills. The way they make their loft is that they are filled with fine fibers which are crimped ("permed", if it works for you) using heat lower than 200 degrees (any higher and the fibers would melt). If you throw one in a hot dryer, leave it in a car trunk in the sun (especially in the stuff sack) or otherwise heat it, the crimp in the fibers will begin to relax and the fibers will straighten out, losing their ability to provide loft.
Don't overheat a synth. bag.
Don't store it in its stuffsack.
Don't expect to get more than a couple of years out of it with frequent use. If using one on a thruhike, don't expect it (the bag) to be as warm in Maine as it was in Georgia (or vice-versa if you're a southbounder).
Blissful
01-14-2009, 13:32
NF Cat's meow is a good synthetic 20 degree bag. campmor sells the older version.
This is how you find high quality used bags for sale. Quality comes at a price.
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=17958&skip_to_post=137720#137720
Good point bigcranky
Most gear has a sweet point that represents "value for money" . That is the point where ( backpacking) below that you have wasted your money, above that you pay more and more for less and less.
To illustrate, most have spent $30 to $100 ( and $150/200/250....) on a bag that just did not do the job. Too cold or too heavy/bulky. Most often a used $100 sleeping bag is impossible to sell or say you may get $30 from a friend. Lets pretend that you have used a bag like that for 5 nights before you give up, that is still $20 per night, so compared to a quality bag that will last for years, the cheap bag is usually very expensive.
Of course, if you plan to only use it a couple of times a year, than you can put up with almost anything.
As a maybe silly comparison, if you are a keen cyclist a $50 bike from Big Box is not going to do the job, is it ? In fact cyclist can and do spend more than $200 on "bits" for their $3-8k+ bikes and do so regularly... ( the $200 Titanium bit replaces last week's $120 alloy bit that replaced the $80 aluminium bit that....)
Franco
Jonnycat
01-27-2009, 11:56
a Well-made Down Bag From A Reputable Manufacturer Will Last 15 To 20 Years Of Use. If You Spend Two Weeks On The Trail Per Year, That Makes A $300 Down Bag Cost About $1 Per Night.
Qft
garlic08
01-27-2009, 12:19
Hey, that $1 a night rule just might work. I've got nearly 300 nights in my Marmot Helium and it's starting to show it. And there were plenty of nights in there that bag was priceless.
I'd like to post yet another vote for that Campmor bag. Great value.
i recently picked up a REI sub kilo down bag for 30 bucks at the REI attic sale. there is another one this weekend if you have one near you.