View Full Version : Bag (sleeping) question
An unanswerable question I know...
I've been looking at various gear lists people have for the CT and bag temps seem to be all over the map. I sleep warm and am leaning towards my 35* WM bag for a CT thru beginning July 22 and ending around August 13th-ish)
A lightweight silk base layer and 35* bag weighs less than my 20* bag so I'm leaning in that direction.
Sound good? If temps were going to go into the mid-20s I'd probably suck it up and carry the 20*.
saltysack
04-23-2017, 12:21
I was cold a few nights in September in a 20* quilt wearing cap 3. Wearing rain gear etc on an xtherm..also hoping for early July and definitely bringing my 20* again but surly July will be warmer....I sleep cold though....
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saltysack
04-23-2017, 12:22
Curious what you decide on for resupply as I'm on a similar schedule....
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I bought Yogis guide to the CT because I like the detailed resupply info in her books. My plan is to start with 4.5 days of food to get to Breckenridge and then wing it from there. There was one more 100+ mile carry around Silverton I think but other that that it looks pretty easy to resupply every 50-75 miles.
I'm figuring 21 days to thru but I have 30 budgeted so no rush.
I hiked eleven days in the San Juans in 2014 in early August and one week of that hike was on the CT. The San Juans have a reputation for being the chilliest part of the CT. My coldest night got down to 29 degrees and another night got down to 32. Both of those nights I was camped a little above 12,000 feet. I'm guessing since you sleep warm you would have been fine on both of those nights with your 35 degree bag and silk base layers.
I'm going to be doing the Collegiate Loop starting August 6 at the Sheep Gulch Trailhead. You will be through there before I start, though it would have been cool for our paths to cross again.
DuneElliot
04-23-2017, 21:08
I have seen temps get down into the 20s above 9000ft in July and August on a fairly frequent basis in all mountain ranges I have lived or camped in, including various sections of the Rockies. I wouldn't consider going without a 20* bag unless you are a super-warm sleeper.
OkeefenokeeJoe
04-23-2017, 21:22
I have seen temps get down into the 20s above 9000ft in July and August on a fairly frequent basis in all mountain ranges I have lived or camped in, including various sections of the Rockies. I wouldn't consider going without a 20* bag unless you are a super-warm sleeper.
Good advice.
OkeefenokeeJoe
colorado_rob
04-23-2017, 23:31
What sort of tent do you have? That makes a big difference. A small (solo) conventional double wall tent sleeps much warmer than a larger, single wall "tarp type" tent, which by design is ventilated much more (AKA: drafty). I used to use a marginal 32 degree bag all the time in mid summer all over Colorado, even sleeping fairly high (yuck, yuck...), but then I also used a small conventional solo tent (Big Agnes Seedhouse SL1). When I bought a Zpacks hexamid solo+ a few years ago, a heavily ventilated tarp-type tent, my trusty old 32 degree bag was many times a tad uncomfortable used in the same areas, same time of year (again, mid summer, like your upcoming hike). I started using a 20 degree rated sleep system after that and "retired" my old 32 degree bag.
And if you ever plan on cowboy camping in Colorado, the higher altitudes really make for extreme radiative cooling at night, meaning even on nights that the air temperatures stay well above freezing, you can get some big frosts on your bag sitting out under clear dark (but very cold from a radiation standpoint) skies.
garlic08
04-24-2017, 09:44
My last CT hike (August) I carried my 30F EE quilt up to Breckenridge, where my wife met me and I changed to my Helium. If I didn't have that re-gear option, I would have carried the Helium the five extra days without thinking about it. I agree that solid 20F insulation should be carried in the high country.
Ok.. based on this it looks like the 20^ bag is the best choice then.
StubbleJumper
04-24-2017, 18:50
On both of my thruhikes, I went with a bag that is notionally rated at 32-degrees, but it's really only comfortable down to about 40 degrees. I always slept in capilene-3 long underwear, and on cold nights, I wore my puffy jacket to bed and a beanie too. For me, that was adequate, but I did tend to wake up feeling a bit chilly at 4am on the colder nights (and then I need to wait until 5:15 or 5:30 for the sun to rise). For a mid-July to mid-August hike, you should plan to wake up to frost on a couple of occasions. I would take a 32-degree bag on a future hike, but not without the supplementary clothing.
saltysack
04-24-2017, 21:00
On both of my thruhikes, I went with a bag that is notionally rated at 32-degrees, but it's really only comfortable down to about 40 degrees. I always slept in capilene-3 long underwear, and on cold nights, I wore my puffy jacket to bed and a beanie too. For me, that was adequate, but I did tend to wake up feeling a bit chilly at 4am on the colder nights (and then I need to wait until 5:15 or 5:30 for the sun to rise). For a mid-July to mid-August hike, you should plan to wake up to frost on a couple of occasions. I would take a 32-degree bag on a future hike, but not without the supplementary clothing.
Curious what time in July the sun rises..5:30 you had light?
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StubbleJumper
04-24-2017, 22:10
Curious what time in July the sun rises..5:30 you had light?
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That's how I remember it. I'd wake up at 4am feeling a bit chilly. Then I'd try to nod off a bit, without much success. Some time around 5am or 5:30am, it would start to get light and that was a good enough reason for me to get out of bed and start moving. Just looking at the daylight stats for Breckenridge, that recollection is roughly right:
https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/usa/breckenridge?month=7&year=2017
Sunrise is at 6am, but civil twilight is at 5:30, which is the point when you realize it's getting light. July's great because you have a bit more than 15 hours of useful light, so your legs are a bigger constraint than the length of the day.
saltysack
04-25-2017, 06:42
That's how I remember it. I'd wake up at 4am feeling a bit chilly. Then I'd try to nod off a bit, without much success. Some time around 5am or 5:30am, it would start to get light and that was a good enough reason for me to get out of bed and start moving. Just looking at the daylight stats for Breckenridge, that recollection is roughly right:
https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/usa/breckenridge?month=7&year=2017
Sunrise is at 6am, but civil twilight is at 5:30, which is the point when you realize it's getting light. July's great because you have a bit more than 15 hours of useful light, so your legs are a bigger constraint than the length of the day.
Perfect thx
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