View Full Version : Recommend a good synthetic -20* bag
saimyoji
12-07-2009, 15:38
Can anyone recommend a good synthetic bag rated around -20*?
Doooglas
12-08-2009, 10:06
Wiggy's Ultima Thule @ 5 lbs.
This http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0044998517586a&type=product&cmCat=cchart_slp_bgs (http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0044998517586a&type=product&cmCat=cchart_slp_bgs) is down but a good deal at $220. My system for real cold nights snow camping is a +20 Cat's Meow long (synthetic) and a Crysalis regular (down +20 or so) together. This is easier to pack than a single bulky and heavy bag. There is versatility and safety in having two options if it gets warmer or if one bag gets damp. Both bags have hoods-wear a hat with a chin strap and let your buddies laugh. I use an 'old school' wool balaclava and sleep in long underwear and socks. A really thick warm pad, or two, will give you the option to go lighter with your sleeping bag.
Snowleopard
12-08-2009, 11:32
I've been thinking of three alternatives:
grayfox's approach, my current +20 down bag inside a synthetic bag,
or the North Face Tundra -20 synthetic bag
or a MYOG synthetic overbag to go over my +20 down bag.
grayfox, how cold have you used your two bag system?
Snowleopard
12-08-2009, 11:58
That -40 Down bag (long only) at Cabelas for $220 looks like a real bargain. http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp?_DARGS=/cabelas/en/common/catalog/item-link.jsp_A&_DAV=MainCatcat20712-cat601142-cat20144&id=0044998517586a&navCount=2&podId=0044998&parentId=&masterpathid=&navAction=push&catalogCode=9IS&rid=&parentType=&indexId=cat20144&hasJS=true
It's heavy, 4 lb 15 oz, but would pack down a lot smaller than a synthetic cold weather bag. Something like North Face's -40 Dark Star synthetic bag has always tempted me, but it takes up a huge amount of pack space.
Damn..that is a good deal (if you are fitted for a long..otherwise it is a lot of extra room to heat up)
Assuming you need a -40 bag. :D
Can anyone recommend a good synthetic bag rated around -20*?
Why synthetic? (Your choice, of course.) I've got three bags in the -20 range. Two are name-brand and worked great but lost their loft. My down bags, on the other hand, are much warmer for the weight, compress smaller, and last much, much longer. More expensive though, and well worth it.
Snowleopard, I was in the Boundary Waters with a group on a ski/snowshoe trip. We did not know how cold it had been until we met some people who had a thermometer and said it had been -34 degrees. We were using tarps and had a lot of wind that night. I put my boot liners inside between the two bags and my boots under my shoulders between the two pads. Then I was using a slightly warmer synthetic bag I had borrowed and two ensolite pads about half an inch thick each. I was not cold in the bags but when I had to get up in the night it was brutal. My next winter adventure was in the Everglades!
Doooglas
12-09-2009, 03:38
Snowleopard, I was in the Boundary Waters with a group on a ski/snowshoe trip. We did not know how cold it had been until we met some people who had a thermometer and said it had been -34 degrees. We were using tarps and had a lot of wind that night. I put my boot liners inside between the two bags and my boots under my shoulders between the two pads. Then I was using a slightly warmer synthetic bag I had borrowed and two ensolite pads about half an inch thick each. I was not cold in the bags but when I had to get up in the night it was brutal. My next winter adventure was in the Everglades!
The coldest I have ever been in my life was dec 26 1989.
In the Everglades !
It was 26 degrees with 500% humidity and roaring winds.
Thank God for those old hunters shacks out there.We found one with a pot belly stove, killed and fried up a gator, and ate some swamp cabbage.
The next day it was almost 80:rolleyes: All of my orchids got fried :mad:
I hated Florida.
Snowleopard
12-09-2009, 10:54
Snowleopard, I was in the Boundary Waters with a group on a ski/snowshoe trip. We did not know how cold it had been until we met some people who had a thermometer and said it had been -34 degrees. We were using tarps and had a lot of wind that night. I put my boot liners inside between the two bags and my boots under my shoulders between the two pads. Then I was using a slightly warmer synthetic bag I had borrowed and two ensolite pads about half an inch thick each. I was not cold in the bags but when I had to get up in the night it was brutal. My next winter adventure was in the Everglades!
One big advantage of a warm enough sleeping system is you're not forced to get up just because you're too cold. At -34 I'd be tempted to just sleep until spring. :)
mweinstone
12-09-2009, 10:57
marmot sleeping bags are the truth the light and the way. my eq col -20 900 down biatch does crap your chick cant.
Most people go with a down if they are looking for a sub-zero rated sleeping bag rather than synthetic.