View Full Version : Warmer bag vs. Cooler bag and liner
CHILL_TX
03-24-2017, 14:46
What are you opinions on using a 40 degree sleeping bag (or quilt) with a 15 degree reactor liner vs. using a 25 degree sleeping bag (or quilt).
I'm trying to find a bag/quilt solution that would work for the entire AT without having to ship and replace the whole bag/quilt once the weather warms up. Most of my camping and backpacking is done in very warm weather in Texas, or nice weather in WA, so shelling out the cash for a nice 20 degree bag or quilt for a month on the AT, then shipping it home is not attractive.
Opinions and reasons would be greatly appreciated.
Ashepabst
03-24-2017, 15:03
the pressing question is does it really add 15* to your bag? i wouldn't rely on someone else to tell answer that question.
they can help cut down on draftiness, but i wouldn't count on a liner adding significant insulation. better test it before you get out there.
When are you going to start hiking the entire AT?
Uncle Joe
03-24-2017, 15:28
I wouldn't take a 40F bag with a liner into the 20's.
CHILL_TX
03-24-2017, 15:42
Spring 2018
When are you going to start hiking the entire AT?
the pressing question is does it really add 15* to your bag? i wouldn't rely on someone else to tell answer that question.
they can help cut down on draftiness, but i wouldn't count on a liner adding significant insulation. better test it before you get out there.
The answer is no. I'm using that liner with a 20* EE quilt currently on the AT. I would say it honestly adds about 6-8 degrees, maybe 10 at best.
Not quite a week ago it got down near 10* at Mount Collins Shelter. Everyone's boots froze solid since we had been hiking in wet slush all day. I slept well with the liner and quilt in addition to a lightweight baselayer, puffy jacket, and EE good.
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Should have said EE hood
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CHILL_TX
03-24-2017, 15:45
All reviews I've read of the Sea to Summit Thermolite liners have said that the temp claims run true.
the pressing question is does it really add 15* to your bag? i wouldn't rely on someone else to tell answer that question.
they can help cut down on draftiness, but i wouldn't count on a liner adding significant insulation. better test it before you get out there.
All reviews I've read of the Sea to Summit Thermolite liners have said that the temp claims run true.
Everyone is different.
For some a 40 degree quilt/bag can only be good for 50 degrees while others might be warm at 30 degrees.
For me my 20 degree bag, with all the right accessories starting with an R-5.7 Xtherm Large, is comfortable at 12 degrees. In my backyard. On the Upper East Side of Texas.
Only you can answer your questions with real world testing.
Wayne
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saltysack
03-24-2017, 16:41
I sold mine after using it a few times...didn't add much if any warmth....they do offer several variations of this product so maybe others are better...got twisted up inside my bag...I've since gone to quilts...believe was the basic thermolite reactor...
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In all serious I'd say that I'd start a thru hike the first week of May and take a 50* bag and skip all the winter gear. And the daily April rain.
CHILL_TX
03-24-2017, 18:14
May 1st is my birthday, so that might be a neat idea!
In all serious I'd say that I'd start a thru hike the first week of May and take a 50* bag and skip all the winter gear. And the daily April rain.
That would still give you a solid 5 months and it'd be really easy to put a sub 20# kit together. Less weight means easier hiking, less chance of injury, and more miles if you choose. Plus it's just more fun to hike with a lighter pack.
Before you got through PA I bet you'd start catching people who started in March.
Starting May 1 you will pass a lot of people who bailed out for various reasons.
Back to the 50 degree quilt. What is the lowest temperature that you have comfortably slept under this thing?
What R-value do you have under you?
It's a jigsaw puzzle and you need all the pieces to fit together.
Wayne
That would still give you a solid 5 months and it'd be really easy to put a sub 20# kit together. Less weight means easier hiking, less chance of injury, and more miles if you choose. Plus it's just more fun to hike with a lighter pack.
Before you got through PA I bet you'd start catching people who started in March.
But...a later start might bring you up against BSP's new quota system.
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If you can figure out how to hike from Springer to BSP boundary you can probably figure out how to hike the last 15 miles.. I can't imagine there won't be some way to summit Katahdin even if all the permits have been issued.
Slo-go'en
03-24-2017, 21:51
You just have to time it right. With a May first start, the 40 bag and liner should be fine, even for a Texan with thin blood:) But I wouldn't push it much earlier then that. By May first, your very unlikely to see freezing temps, though it will still be nippy early in the morning. You'll have to supplement with base layers early on, but that's a given. By mid May it will be blazing hot.
Don't you mean 40* bag/quilt and liner vs colder bag?
With the May 1 NOBO start date allowing 5 months for the thru getting done on Oct 1 an accurately rated 40* QUILT and a 15* c2S Reactor liner should be all you need. However, this brings you back to ridding yourself of the liner in summer/early fall.
With the May 1 NOBO start date allowing 5 months for the thru getting done on Oct 1 an accurately rated 40* QUILT and a 15* c2S Reactor liner should be all you need. However, this brings you back to ridding yourself of the liner in summer/early fall.
Might want to keep the liner...I slept in just the liner a few days ago at Standing Bear. Too warm for the quilt, and I was happy not to be lying directly on the "mattress". LOL
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CHILL_TX
03-25-2017, 07:41
I've slept on a NeoAir Xtherm (R5.9) in a 45 degree bag (only bag I currently own) with a couple base layers in 13 degree weather for two nights alone in the tent. I was obviously cold, but I survived, and I know my limits now.
For the AT, I'll be using a Nemo Insulated Tensor, which is rated to 15 degrees (no R value rating). In reality, I'll be buying a quilt and keeping the same quilt along the entire trail, so finding the right system is going to be important. The kicker is that I'm trying to keep my sleep clothing to one single thing base layer. I'm also going to use the quilt this summer on the Wonderland Trial.
Starting May 1 you will pass a lot of people who bailed out for various reasons.
Back to the 50 degree quilt. What is the lowest temperature that you have comfortably slept under this thing?
What R-value do you have under you?
It's a jigsaw puzzle and you need all the pieces to fit together.
Wayne
CHILL_TX
03-25-2017, 07:42
If it's below 65, it's sweater weather here in Texas!
You just have to time it right. With a May first start, the 40 bag and liner should be fine, even for a Texan with thin blood:) But I wouldn't push it much earlier then that. By May first, your very unlikely to see freezing temps, though it will still be nippy early in the morning. You'll have to supplement with base layers early on, but that's a given. By mid May it will be blazing hot.
CHILL_TX
03-25-2017, 07:47
After 2,200 miles, summiting Katahdin would be worth a fine or couple nights in jail if I couldn't get a permit. Highly doubt it would come to that, but I'd jump a fence and hike at night in the dark at that point. lol Seems like permits should be guaranteed to anyone completing a thru.
But...a later start might bring you up against BSP's new quota system.
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After 2,200 miles, summiting Katahdin would be worth a fine or couple nights in jail if I couldn't get a permit. Highly doubt it would come to that, but I'd jump a fence and hike at night in the dark at that point. lol Seems like permits should be guaranteed to anyone completing a thru.
By the time you've hiked that far you're pretty creative having solved logistical problems for months in a row. Getting from Abol Bridge to Katahdin won't be hard to figure out, even if all the permits have been issued (which I doubt).
As far as 40 or 50 degree bag for a may start it really depends on quality of the bag. I'd take my 50* Mont Bell bag down to 40* without hesitation and supplement with my Ghost Whisperer puffy which I'd have anyway. I wouldn't be toasty warm all snug-as-a-bug-in-a-rug but I could sleep.
Also, if a freak cold snap takes you back to the 30*s where you camp is important - not too low cold air sinks, and not too high because it's colder at altitude. Keep out of the wind , pile up leaves to insulate your sleeping pad from the ground, and while you're at it, kick some leaves up against your tent... etc. etc.