View Full Version : Should I get the bigger bag?
http://www.rei.com/product/862474/rei-radiant-sleeping-bag-#specsTabHi all. Looking for some input based on experience. I will buying a new sleeping bag soon. Specifically the REI Radiant down bag. See link. It comes in regular, long or a long-wide size. I am 6 foot and 200 lbs. Not skinny, not heavy. I like the extra length of the long. I tried out the long and also the long-wide in the store today. I really enjoyed the extra shoulder and hip room in the wide version. It was very easy to turn over inside the bag. I sleep on my back and also my stomach. My question is this: Will I be sacrificing warmth by getting the roomier bag? I will be doing some cold weather backpacking with temperatures in the low 20's at times. I don't mind the extra size and weight of the wide version if it will keep me as warm as the regular width long version. I have read that it will be harder to maintain warmth if the bag is not a close fit. My first new bag in decades and considerable $$$$$ (for me) so want to make the right choice. Go for the room or snug as a bug in a rug? Thanks in advance for any input! - TSPORT
Offshore
04-12-2014, 07:18
It's a compromise really - in theory, the more space in the bag the more air you need to heat up so it will take longer to warm up and you need to maintain the warmth. On the other hand, the extra space allows you to wear an extra insulating layer in those instances where you're close to the bag's limit. And then there's the claustrophobia factor - if you're psychologically uncomfortable in a tight bag, to me that's as bad a being cold. I'm 6'2" 185 and use long bags. I don't like an ultra tight fit, especially around my shoulders. I find that I'm OK with a 62" - 64" shoulder width, as I tend to be a side sleeper. Personally, the 70" shoulder width seems a bit much for a 6 foot 200 pound person, but I'm not the one using the bag. Sleep your own sleep, so to speak. I think that if you're comfortable in the roomier bag, are OK with the extra weight and volume, and are prepared to potentially need to wear an insulating layer on colder trips, you should go for it. You can take measures to increase the warmth of a bag when needed, but its tough to increase the size.
Thanks for the input, Offshore! I agree the 70" shoulder as a bit much. I felt too constrained with the 62". Wish there as something in between. Maybe I will keep looking.
I'd think twice before getting a bigger bag than needed. I have a Marmot Helium long. At 6'1", I have several inches of extra room at the foot unless I cinch up the excess (which can come undone when I sleep). The width of the bag is also somewhat too large for my frame. It is a 15 degree bag but I'm not comfortable below the mid 20s without my down socks and down parka. I suspect that if I had the regular, I'd be good down to 15 just in my base layer and wool socks. Having said all that, the extra roominess is in fact nice on the majority of nights that are well above freezing and I rarely camp in winter conditions...