Help! REI Sahara, Sub-kilo, and Mojave

[Simrose]

Ahhh! I can not seem to settle on a bag to buy. Still thinking about the WM Ultralite because it actually comes in a length I can keep warm (one of my bag requirements is length around 5'6''), but I have heard good things about the REI Sub-kilo as well. So I went to look it up and saw their Mojave and Sahara bags:

Sub-kilo is 2lb1oz, +15 degree, $209
Sahara is 2lb2oz, +25 degree, $149
Mojave is 2lb6oz, +10 degree, $169

SO, is REI pretty accurate with their temp ratings? And if so, what temp would you recommend? I think I want one of these three, I just don't know which one! Will probably have a silk liner as well, April 10 start date.

[trippclark]

I bought REI Sub Kilo bag about 2 years ago. I like the bag. At the time they called it a 20 degree bag. For my comfort, however, I think that is ambitious. If it is below freezing I have to have layers on to feel comfortable. I have tolerated a 14 degree night in the bag with lots of clothes on and was cool but not cold (until I got out of the bag . . . BRRRR!).

[chris]

If you think you will be using the bag a lot, I couldn't more highly recommend the Ultralight. Sleeping in thermals and a hat make it a 10 degree bag. However, if money is tight and you are not going to use the bag heavily, then I would go with the sub-kilo and recognize that it is probably more like a 30 degree bag. But, since you're carrying thermals (right?), you can be comfortable with most nights on the AT in season. Mostly you are buying the added, solid warmth of the Ultralight, as it is only a few ounces heavier. I'm glad I spent the cash on the Ultralight.

Also, don't believe the weights until you put it on a scale for yourself. Only a few manufacturers seem to be able to properly weigh their gear. Of course, production is usually the culprit, so smaller makers will be closer to the truth. ULA and WM are the only people to do this well, from my limited experience.

[Footslogger]

Sub-kilo is 2lb1oz, +15 degree, $209
Sahara is 2lb2oz, +25 degree, $149
Mojave is 2lb6oz, +10 degree, $169

SO, is REI pretty accurate with their temp ratings? And if so, what temp would you recommend?.

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Can't comment on the Sahara or the Mojave but I own the SubKilo and carried it on my thru-hike in 2003. Mine is the older +20 degree version. I never did any scientific testing with the bag but I can tell you that it kept me warm and comfortable. With the new one rated at +15 degrees I can't see why it wouldn't work well for you.

I carried the SubKilo until Pearisburg, VA where I swiched to a 50 degree bag (also from REI) called the Travel Sack. Then in Glencliff, NH I got my SubKilo back and carried it to Katahdin. There were a few really nippy nights when I didn sleep in a couple layers but otherwise the bag did the job.

If you want one bag that's gonna work for you I'd go with the SubKilo (of the bags you listed). You will appreciate the extra warmth and comfort. The bag held up well and I still use it today.

'Slogger
AT 2003

[Rain Man]

Hmmmm ... you/we might be confusing the men's and women's Sub-Kilos. The men's is 20 degrees and the women's is 15 degrees, if I recall correctly.

I bought a men's Sub-Kilo a couple of months ago. It's light and packs small. I like that.

I slept in it under a rain-fly in my backyard last month when it got down to 10 degrees. First I put a Lexan one-liter water bottle in the Sub-Kilo, full of boiling hot water and wrapped in a t-shirt.

I slept toasty and in the morning the water bottle was still warm to the touch.

Rain Man

.

[kncats]

My wife has the short REI Sub-Kilo. It is light and it packs down pretty small. That's all she has good to say about it though. She has never been comfortable in it any where even close to its temperature rating. Hers is rated at 20 degrees but 40 is about the lowest temperature she is comfortable with. Also, the shoulder girth is only 57 inches. If you like to move around at all while you sleep you're going to find that pretty restrictive. My bag is 62 inches and that's about the smallest I'd consider going in a regular length bag.

[Footslogger]

My wife has the short REI Sub-Kilo. It is light and it packs down pretty small. That's all she has good to say about it though. She has never been comfortable in it any where even close to its temperature rating. Hers is rated at 20 degrees but 40 is about the lowest temperature she is comfortable with. Also, the shoulder girth is only 57 inches. If you like to move around at all while you sleep you're going to find that pretty restrictive. My bag is 62 inches and that's about the smallest I'd consider going in a regular length bag.

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This is a perfect illustration of the variation in people ...not the sleeping bags themselves. I'm sure that the actual comfort rating is the same for your wife's bag as it is for Rain Man in the previous post. The difference is in the basic body warmth characteristics of the hiker.

I sleep "warm" ...so like Rain Man, the SubKilo works for me. From the sounds of things, given the same weather conditions, your wife is a "cooler sleeper" (a lot like my wife) and may need a bag with a warmer rating in order to achieve the same comfort level.

'Slogger
AT 2003

[baseballswthrt]

I do agree that I am a cooler sleeper than most when I am outside. I am a HOT sleeper in the house. I have to leave a window cracked and freeze my husband out while I have a leg out and most of the covers off.

I used to use a Sierra Designs Wildbill. It is a synthetic bag rated at 20*. I don't ever remember being too cold while in it. We did spend one 14* night in SNP and I used it. I was cold when I got out, but not cold in it (other than the "down side" of me being cooler since I was using a thermarest on the ground. My sides and whichever part was facing "up" was warm.) The Wild Bill is heavier and does not pack down very much!

Ever since I have gotten the sub-kilo, I have been too cold. It is rated at 20* and one night in SNP it was 19 and I had on everything I owned, including 2 jackets (one down) and a balaclava and wool beanie. I froze my tail off! It was the most miserable night I have ever spent on the trail! Most of the time it feels like I just have only a layer of pertex wrapped around me and then it is so tight across the shoulders and arms, I can't move or bend my arms! I know my chest is bigger than average, but this is ridiculous! I do like how small it packs down and how light it is!!

I also have a Thermolite bag liner that I always use...winter or summer. In the summer I sleep in it with my bag open so I can throw the bag over me if I get cool. In the winter, I wouldn't get in the bag without it. It is amazingly warmer than not having it.

[Jeremy]

I work @ REI in St. Louis, MO. The REI Sub Kilo is a good bag, but I have heard from some customers that it is a little tight. If the bag is too tight around you, it will compress the down, reducing the loft. This causes a loss in heat efficiency, due to a smaller dead air space, which is what traps the heat, and keeps you warm. If you are of a smaller build, and can still move around freely in the bag, while kepping the top of the bag at full loft, then it will be warm and efficient( assuming you are not an overly cold sleeper). If this bag is too tight, the mojave and sahara have an extra two inches of shoulder girth, and the mojave is a slightly warmer bag. I suggest that you go to your local REI, and try all three bags out, see how they fit, and then decide. (One pointer, If you decide on the saharra or mojave, they do not caome with compression bags, only stuff sacks, so if you worried about packability, buy a compression bag for it.)