Western Mountaineering

[Old Creek]

like alot of folks choosing a cold weather bag has been a chore, even aonizing for me. I have it down to 2 or 3 bags with WM being the front runner but it bothers me there is no contact info on their web site, or am I overlooking it?

I am really liking their 10* bag,the antelope if I rememer right, have any of you guys used this bag in temps between 32 and 0 and if so could you please share your comfort level??

it is starting to appear that if you want to cut the weight of your bag by a pound and still be warm you will either have to haul 2 more pounds of clothing or resign yourself to being cold, or spend the price of another high end bag on a down sleep suit. straighten me out here cause I know I have gotta be missin something. I have down underwear I bought 20 years ago and I always thought they were light, I made the mistake of weighing them yesterday and the set came in at 2lb-3oz, ditched the bottoms and the top comes in at 1lb.

is sleeping warm and keeping pack weight down even possible for working folks? and when I say pack weight I dont mean cheating by claiming the jacket your gonna hang on your pack most the time in the worn weight colum ( I was tempted )

I know this is alot for one post and beg your patience as I attempt to talk myself down and gain from your miles on the trail in conditions I have no direct knowledge of.

Thanks to all.

creek

[Hikes in Rain]

Western Mountaineering; 1025 South 5th Street; San Jose, CA 95112
TEL 408-287-8944
FAX 408-287-8946

It took quite a bit of googling, so no guarentees. FWIW, I like Western Mountaineering. I have their 45* bag (Summerlite?), since I usually hike late spring to early fall. Finest bag I've ever had.

[10-K]

Best bet I'd guess... https://www.facebook.com/WesternMountaineering

[Old Creek]

thanks to you both, I will try those.

Hikes in Rain, depending where in T-town you live I am 50-60 miles sw of you in the ntl frst

creek

[bigcranky]

I have an Antelope, mine is rated to 5F with a microfiber shell. Great bag, has kept me warm into the single digits. At 32F it's far, far (far!) too warm for me. I bring it only when I am hiking in the dead of winter around here (Southern Apps.) I got mine on a closeout at a local outfitter for, um, $260 (sorry!) I bought one for my hiking partner, too.

My lovely wife has a Montbell super stretch UL bag rated to 0F; it's also a terrific bag, and can sometimes be found on sale online.

Is this for a thru hike of the AT? When are you starting? I have had success using my 3-season bag (an overfilled Megalite) with a down jacket, down booties, and warm clothes down into the mid teens, and the warm clothing has the added bonus of keeping me warm around camp. I'd probably go that route for a thru starting in March.

Sleeping warm and having a really light pack are not totally incompatible, but it does cost some $$$. I do think that it's worth putting the money into a good sleeping bag, and saving money elsewhere, but then I'm at a point where I can do that. When I was younger I couldn't, so I get it.

[gypsy97]

I attempted to thru hike the AT in 1997 and bought the WM Antelope 10 degree bag the week before I left for Springer. I loved that bag and it always kept me toasty warm - I think 18 deg. was the coldest night for me on the trail. It is roomy enough to move around, and the loft is unbelievable. I think it is well worth the money. After all these years one of my sons is putting it to good use.

[quasarr]

It is possible to have a lighter bag and still stay warm, but you do have to spend more money! The reason is that Western Mountaineering uses high-quality down, (fill rating 850) which is lighter weight but still warm. There is a good explanation here

http://sectionhiker.com/fill-power-ratings-the-low-down-on-goose-down/


Fill power measures the lofting power of goose down which is its ability to trap air. To measure fill power, one ounce of down is compressed in a small glass cylinder. When the weight is removed, the down’s ability to spring back can be measured. Down with a higher fill power rating is more resilient to compression, lofts better, and can trap more air. Besides being warmer, this also means that sleeping bags or parkas with a higher fill ratings require less insulation by weight to provide the same level of warmth than an item made with lower quality down.


However, goose down with a fill rating greater than 700 is quite expensive. Most commercially available goose down only has a fill rating of 400-550 because it comes from immature geese that have been raised for human consumption. Higher quality goose down with a fill rating in the 550 to 850 range down is collected from geese that are allowed to reach their full maturity and are specially bred for this purpose. This is far more expensive process resulting in higher consumer prices.

[q-tip]

I have 3 WM BAGS, Tamarack (really 45'), Kodiak (0') and my go to Alpinlite (20' + overfill to 15'). I also have a sierra design (30') but use rarely. I found these are bags for life. I am a very cold sleeper so this is a must have. I have been from the foothills of the Himalayas, to mountaineering in Switzerland to 1,100 AT miles from Aug-Nov. I am a huge fan and would not I anything else. Fortunately, there are lots of good sleep systems available trading off quality, weight and cost. WM bags are big bucks but IMHO worth ever penny.

[Hikes in Rain]

thanks to you both, I will try those.

Hikes in Rain, depending where in T-town you live I am 50-60 miles sw of you in the ntl frst

creek

Wow, no kidding? I'm off 90, toward Monticello. We've got another fella on here, perrymk, up in Quincy. He finds free books for us!

[soulrebel]

i do most of my miles with a 35F WM Highlite 17oz when weight and compressed size is an issue. I had used a marmot hydrogen 30F 23oz long for many years. The one thing i don't like about those bags...they start to lose warmth dramatically if you get caught in a continuous cycle of wet weather. I've been using a 20f water resistant down zpacks quilt wide long 22oz and it seems very nice, but no hood and a slight angular footbox-however it stays very warm when i need it and wasn't prone to as much loft loss after a few dew filled nights at altitude and it packs down to about 8L slightly larger than the highlite (smallest) and hydrogen.... In the winter i take WM versalite 10F but it's really overkill unless it's gonna be 0-10F. i've cowboy camped in single digits and woken up with snow on the outside of this bag--not a problem. I also own an WM alpinlite 20F warm, but it's wide and can create a draft in there--you can pull your knees up in there...WM megalite 30F-nice mummy bag, and a WM mitylite--rectangle full footbox opening with a separate zipper-too wide for most stuff. Ultralite 20F is nice but a slimmer cut--warms up fast if your not bothered by the bag turning with you...my friend has the wm alder 25f which has mfiber and the double zipper where the footbox opens fully--you can share it with someone small-this might be nice too in the summer more ventilation. if you take a puffy jacket of some sort that adds about 5F--so jus depends when you like to go out...i'd stick with 20-35F bags and buy a nice puffy jacket and maybe some puffy pants, synth or down...

[Venchka]

Are there no dealers nearby? WM really wants you to buy through their dealers.
I too own an Antelope Dryloft. Terrific bag. However, the Versalite uses the same interior shell dimensions, 4 ounces less down, and 10 degree rating. The Antelope interior dimensions are perfect for me (5'7"/150#) so I am considering the Versalite for my 3 season Rocky Mountain bag. The Antelope for my east coast & western semi-winter bag.
High R-value base under your bag, moving as much down as possible to the top of the bag and a wool layer from head to toe will keep you warm.
The hood, collar and foot box of the Antelope/Versalite are worth the price of admission. The Feathered Friends 20 and 10 degree bags in a size that fits you are worth looking at as well.

Wayne


Sent from somewhere around here.

[Venchka]

Correction:
Antelope: 26 ounces of down, 7" loft.
Versalite: 20 ounces of down, 6" loft.

Wayne


Sent from somewhere around here.

[swisscross]

The best and most versatile bag I have ever owned is the WM Megalite.
The next bag I purchase will be the the Versalite for my wife. She sleeps colder than me and will also give me a warmer bag for my winter trips.
Being a side sleeper that tosses a good bit the Terralite would have been a better option for me. Maybe one day.

[atmilkman]

I've got the Ponderosa MF 15º 6'6" semi rec bag and was completely comfortable in it at 9º with a mid weight merino wool base layer (Icebreaker) mid weight wool socks (WigWam) and a polyester stocking cap (Carhartt) Was even getting out of it in the night to pee and getting back in and warming right back up with no problem.
I have reached and talked to WM at the number posted earlier.

[Old Creek]

Hike In the Rain, I am kinda between the two of you, if you have heard of Bradwell Bay wilderness area I am about 4 miles from the nw corner a mile from the river.

Thanks to all you guys, I feel better about my research now and it will be a wm bag. OldCranky, my freind and me will be section hiking, 10 years from retirement but hope I am capable of it then.
Venchka, no dealers that I know of but I plan to order online from Backcountry more than likely.
Thanks again to all of you for the kind replys, the tent and the bag are decided on, now for the pack. I dont know how my wife lives with me, I have a room full of tents, pads and tons of pots, stoves and all the other stuff you collect when you get to the point where everything you see appears to have the potential to become camp gear and yet and still she is the one who convinced me not to listen to the tight wad in me and to go ahead and get the right tools for the job, gonna have to do somethin special for her.

Thanks again to all, it is truly appreciated.

creek

[Venchka]

Backcountry Gear in Eugene, OR is my go to online source for things that I can't get locally in Houston. They are a WM dealer.
I passed my 3 season bag to my grand daughter last month. I definitely need a replacement. Flipping coins.
ps: If you work through a dealer, you can order down overfill. The amount and price for various bags is listed at WM online. There are a lot of dealers on or near the AT in Georgia, the N & S Carolina and Tennessee.
http://www.westernmountaineering.com/index.cfm?section=pricing

Wayne