Couples and Double Sleeping Bags.

[SweetestFetus]

For our 2011 thru-hike, my boyfriend and I are considering taking a double sleeping bag.

He needs a lot of leg room in order to be comfortable while sleeping. He thinks the "mummy" style bags will feel too constricting for him.

Most double sleeping bags break down into two individual bags, so we'd each be carrying our own weight. Yes, I know that there'll be a lot of empty room in the bag, but we're usually hot sleepers anyway. Besides, we'd be generating heat for each other.

Has anyone ever used these while camping/hiking with a partner? If so, how'd it go?. I'd appreciate any feedback.

[wrongway_08]

Have him try a 1 person mummy bag. If he doesnt like it, he wont like sharing a 2 person mummy.

It will cost a bit to get a good size and weight 2 person. I would just stick with seperate bags and connect them when you want to sleep in the same bag.

[white_russian]

If he wants leg room look at Mont-Bell. I don't know if they mate well or not, but the super stretch sure is nice.

[bigcranky]

We mate my wife's montbell super stretch with my Western Mountaineering bag. It makes a nice quilt in the summer. In cooler weather I wouldn't want to sleep in a double bag -- I am always too hot, and my lovely wife is always too cold.

[Farr Away]

Car camping, my husband & I sleep in 2 zipped-together rectangular sleeping bags. We also use a top sheet to minimize the inevitable drafts.

[vamelungeon]

If it's warm weather, why take a sleeping bag at all? Sometimes I take a blanket, if my wife is with me we take a sheet too. Solves the leg room problem.

[The Solemates]

For our 2011 thru-hike, my boyfriend and I are considering taking a double sleeping bag.

He needs a lot of leg room in order to be comfortable while sleeping. He thinks the "mummy" style bags will feel too constricting for him.

Most double sleeping bags break down into two individual bags, so we'd each be carrying our own weight. Yes, I know that there'll be a lot of empty room in the bag, but we're usually hot sleepers anyway. Besides, we'd be generating heat for each other.

Has anyone ever used these while camping/hiking with a partner? If so, how'd it go?. I'd appreciate any feedback.

for at least 1.5 months of our 5 month thru-hike, we carried one extra-long 20-degree mummy sleeping bag between the two of us, and just shared it by using it as a quilt. worked great for us. i carried the sleeping bag, so no weight reduction for me. but my wife didnt have to carry a bag at all. she did carry a small cotton sheet that she slept on because she didnt want to lay directly on her sleeping pad. we were comfortable with this set up down to about 40 degrees.

[butts0989]

western mountaineering makes a great couples bag

[Johnny Swank]

for at least 1.5 months of our 5 month thru-hike, we carried one extra-long 20-degree mummy sleeping bag between the two of us, and just shared it by using it as a quilt. worked great for us. i carried the sleeping bag, so no weight reduction for me. but my wife didnt have to carry a bag at all. she did carry a small cotton sheet that she slept on because she didnt want to lay directly on her sleeping pad. we were comfortable with this set up down to about 40 degrees.

That's pretty much what we did when we went down the Mississippi River as well.

We use a Sweetie Pie Coupler from fall-spring. I'm probably going to make down version at some point, but I really like this setup. I've also played with making it into a sort of convertible vest too.

http://www.functionaldesign.net/about.htm

[Rain Man]

Has anyone ever used these while camping/hiking with a partner? If so, how'd it go?. I'd appreciate any feedback.

My wife and I have done some section hikes together, including in cold weather. We have two REI Sub-kilos that will zip together and we have two Holubars that also zip together.

There are pros and cons, like most things. In bitterly cold weather, it's impossible to cinch the hoods tight around your heads and avoid neck drafts, particularly when one of you rolls over. We roll over OFTEN during the night, on the trail.

But... they are nice for cuddling and worth it!

I'd say zipping two mummy bags together certainly lessens the feeling of tightness and constriction that one alone gives.

RainMan

.

[mudhead]

See if you can find a cheap (borrow) rectangular bag to try, totally unzipped, as a quilt.

Read the above about the sheet on the pad. It warms but feels odd at first.

Then buy a good rectangular bag for him, mummy for her, for in cold weather.

[rasudduth]

Any 2 sleeping bags will zip together save for you have a left zip and a right zip and it is the same kind of zipper (look at the number on the zipper to see this, there are only a few kinds of zippers used, even for different brands). Sometimes you each need your own bag for certain situations in town where you still need your bag but can't necessarily sleep next to each other. We modified a North Face bag to match my zipper on my WM by paying the awesome gear repair shop in Seattle (Wallingford - Yogi mentions this in her PCT handbook) to do this, cheaper than buying another WM to match mine. Worked great and the shared body heat more than makes up for extra air space. When it was warm we just used it as a big blanket.

[wystiria]

for at least 1.5 months of our 5 month thru-hike, we carried one extra-long 20-degree mummy sleeping bag between the two of us, and just shared it by using it as a quilt. worked great for us. i carried the sleeping bag, so no weight reduction for me. but my wife didnt have to carry a bag at all. she did carry a small cotton sheet that she slept on because she didnt want to lay directly on her sleeping pad. we were comfortable with this set up down to about 40 degrees.

We do this any time the weather is above 40 degrees reliably. We both carry silk sleep sacks as "sheets" and like the above poster, this has worked great for us! as comparison I am 5'5" and my DH is 6'1" so its perfect.

[NorthCountryWoods]

I'd say zipping two mummy bags together certainly lessens the feeling of tightness and constriction that one alone gives.

RainMan

.

I used to agree, however borrowed a friends BA King Soloman last year and it was awesome tho a bit heavy. I'm always hot and the wife is always cold, so the ability to unzip each side is convenient.

[RollingStone]

The biggest issue is that Mummy bags are designed to roll with the person. A bigger square bag, you roll inside it. You will both be much more comfortable on a thru with separate bags. However, I will admit, that on shorter trips and weekenders, it's fun in a double bag