View Full Version : Lighter sleeping bag for Virginia in June?
I am trying to do a NOBO section hike from Damascus to Humpback Rocks in Virginia starting around June 10th. I currently have a North Face Cat's Meow, which is rated for down to 20 F. Should I swap this bag out for a bag that is lighter and not as warm? If so, any recommendations for a good summer bag?
daddytwosticks
05-11-2014, 06:47
Maybe consider a lightweight down or synthetic quilt? I use a mummy sleeping bag for cooler weather because I am a very active sleeper and sleep cold. In the warmer weather, I can get by with a light down quilt. It's a Montbell Thermal Sheet, opened up and used as a quilt. I think it weights about 14 ounces. :)
garlic08
05-11-2014, 09:13
Ditto the quilt. Look at enLightened Equipment, for one.
johnnybgood
05-11-2014, 10:32
Ditto the quilt. Look at enLightened Equipment, for one.
This ^. I have a 50* summer quilt on order . Inexpensive and quality made here in the USA.
www.enLightenedequipment.com
Slo-go'en
05-11-2014, 10:45
The Cats meow will definitely be overkill. A 40 degree bag would be more then enough. If your on a budget (and who isn't?) Walmart has a 2 pound, 40 degree synthetic bag for $38 which packs small.
bigcranky
05-11-2014, 13:34
I got a Jacks r Better down quilt last summer to use in Virginia in June. It's rated to 45F and packs down to nothing. Total weight is 17 ounces. Not super cheap but really nice for the price. It's on sale right now for $170. (http://www.jacksrbetter.com/shop/shenandoah-standard-rectangular-quilts/)
Thanks for all the responses guys. I like the idea of the quilt since I am a stomach sleeper and always feel constricted in a typical sleeping bag. But, I have a question since I am not too familiar with the use of quilts. I do not sleep in a hammock. Are there any negatives with using a quilt inside a tent or shelter?
Slo-go'en
05-11-2014, 14:43
Are there any negatives with using a quilt inside a tent or shelter?
Not really. A quilt is basically a blanket, use it the same way. Some quilts have a foot box to keep the bottom over your feet, so you can think of a quilt as a sleeping bag without a zipper and hood.
However, you'll want something to put between you and your sleeping pad. Any bare skin on a plastic pad isn't very comfortable. I use a silk liner which is usually enough for most of the night when it's real hot out.
bigcranky
05-11-2014, 14:44
Not really, especially in the summer. You might need a light fleece beanie for your head if it gets into the 50s.
In a shelter you might feel a little more exposed to bugs and mice. (Good reason to tent...) But then in the summer I wouldn't be real happy all closed up inside my mummy bag, so I'd have the same problem in a bag as under a quilt.
If I were planning to stay in shelters a lot with my quilt, I'd bring my homemade bug bivy, which has mesh all over the chest and head.
Dadburnet
05-11-2014, 16:09
Just finished Atkins to Damascus, got home today! Summer quilt with fall back down jacket is more than enough! It was much warmer than predicted or typically was last two years. 75 80° and 50-65 at night.
garlic08
05-11-2014, 17:55
I put my hiking shirt on top of my pad and that's comfortable enough for me. One huge unexpected benefit of the quilt is that is stays much cleaner, since you don't actually sleep on it. A few minutes of sunshine once in a while and mine stayed fresh for a 1 1/2 month trip recently and didn't even need laundering when I got home.
MuddyWaters
05-11-2014, 19:20
Not really. A quilt is basically a blanket, use it the same way. Some quilts have a foot box to keep the bottom over your feet, so you can think of a quilt as a sleeping bag without a zipper and hood.
However, you'll want something to put between you and your sleeping pad. Any bare skin on a plastic pad isn't very comfortable. I use a silk liner which is usually enough for most of the night when it's real hot out.
I use the clothes Im wearing.