Another bag question

[tammons]

Questions

Thinking about mid March start.

I have a Mountain Hardwear phantom 15dF bag. Weighs 36oz and is lofty and very warm Q-down WR down etc.

Have a Montbell 40DF #5 - 22 oz. Not WR down.
Have a MYOG Climashield Apex 5oz quilt - 19 oz. Its bomber although a bit bulky. Probably good to 35dF if properly tucked.

Have the Nemo Tensor 25x78 insulated. Will take a GG thin light pad.

My 1st question is - would I be better off starting with the 15dF bag or should I take both the Montbell #5 plus Apex quilt? The Apex quilt inside the MB #5 is like an oven although I have not tested the lows.

Seems to me like taking both the MB #5 bag and quilt would be more versatile and I could use the quilt as a topper to better deal with moisture.

#2 question is in the mid Atlantic states would I be better off with a 40dF bag or a 30dF bag? Would I ever catch a number of nights where I might need a 30dF bag?

#3 question - when I get to New England what rating bag do I need up there.
IE will a 30dF bag be enough or would I go back to a 15dF bag?

Thanks

[AlamoHiker]

I looked at weather data along the trail for the last 7 years to gauge what gear I'm gonna need when.

[JohnG10]

I think the 15 degree bag for a mid march start is the way to go, and a great choice for New England. For the mid Atlantic, a 40 degree bag is better than 30 IMO.

For both options, put on your jacket for extra cold nights, and sleep with the zipper open on warm nights.

[Venchka]

I think the 15 degree bag for a mid march start is the way to go, and a great choice for New England. For the mid Atlantic, a 40 degree bag is better than 30 IMO.

For both options, put on your jacket for extra cold nights, and sleep with the zipper open on warm nights.

More or less agreed.
1. You have personally verified the 15 degree rating.
2. This gets into personal preference: I find that a down vest or jacket works best if draped over my midsection like a small blanket. If it's a jacket, turn it so that the sleeves are against your body.
Wayne


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Just Bill]

I think the 15 degree bag for a mid march start is the way to go, and a great choice for New England. For the mid Atlantic, a 40 degree bag is better than 30 IMO.

For both options, put on your jacket for extra cold nights, and sleep with the zipper open on warm nights.

Agree- and a synthetic is a better choice than down for mid trail summer as well. So sounds like your Apex bag is the better choice there.
Odds are good it won't be a 35* for long either with heavy trail use you'll likely find it looses 5-10* after 40-60 nights of packing unless you baby it.

Play it by ear- but swapping back in your cold gear around Maine Junction or the VT/NH border is common. While not strictly needed... I think you've missed an opportunity of a lifetime if you don't cowboy camp a few times up high on the northern half of the trail. So worth having the cold bag for that reason alone even if you happen to hit the warmer season.

[Just Bill]

Questions

Thinking about mid March start.

I have a Mountain Hardwear phantom 15dF bag. Weighs 36oz and is lofty and very warm Q-down WR down etc.

Have a Montbell 40DF #5 - 22 oz. Not WR down.
Have a MYOG Climashield Apex 5oz quilt - 19 oz. Its bomber although a bit bulky. Probably good to 35dF if properly tucked.

Have the Nemo Tensor 25x78 insulated. Will take a GG thin light pad.

My 1st question is - would I be better off starting with the 15dF bag or should I take both the Montbell #5 plus Apex quilt? The Apex quilt inside the MB #5 is like an oven although I have not tested the lows.

Seems to me like taking both the MB #5 bag and quilt would be more versatile and I could use the quilt as a topper to better deal with moisture.

#2 question is in the mid Atlantic states would I be better off with a 40dF bag or a 30dF bag? Would I ever catch a number of nights where I might need a 30dF bag?

#3 question - when I get to New England what rating bag do I need up there.
IE will a 30dF bag be enough or would I go back to a 15dF bag?

Thanks
Unless the Apex is severely compressing the down bag- keep the synthetic outside when stacking to preserve the down from degrading due to frost buildup.

While bulky- the synthetic would weigh less and be more effective than piling in a ton of clothes "just in case" and you could keep it handy outside the pack for a rest stop blanket/wrap so you don't need a "winter volume" pack to start with either.

Montbell 40D plus the 40D apex (rounding) is a 10* combo... provided it's all stacking well (and you have the right hats). So you are correct; depending on the rest of your system you may find this a better combo overall.

MH 15 plus the 40d apex is a -10* or so combo... again providing it's stacking well. The advantage here may be the ability to leave some of the piles of extra clothing home if you plan to move most of the day...you'll have a bomber pile of insulation to crawl into too if you get snowbound for a day. That said... most are going a bit slower and ramping up both due to conditions and to prevent injury... so they tend to have more camp time at the beginning of the trip. So shorting yourself on clothing when you probably will have a good few hours a day in camp isn't much fun either.

Guess that's the call I'd make- multiple pieces of sleep gear and clothing for best comfort in varied conditions OR a minimal system with a bomber sleep combo for safety.

The difference being one leaves you open to anything- the other leaves you stuck in a moving or not moving style of hiking.... you'll be able to sit around in a shelter and talk but you won't be hanging around camp outside your bag. But some folks love to have that monster bag to crawl up into and live in at camp so think about what fits your style best.

If you're starting in March... you're probably not planning on hitting it hard out of the gate so likely the MB, Apex, and flexible clothing system is best for that style.
You're still safely covered to zero if snowbound for a day... and I think that's a reasonable benchmark level of caution to adhere to that time of year. Winter is not the time to play around, and winter in the mountains even less so.

It ain't the whites by any means- but being out for a few days, early in the trip, with good potential to get damp/wet here and being out for multiple days at a crack it's worth a bit of redundancy. It also might save you the silliness of bailing/zeroing at Gatlinburg just to dry your bag... everyone is different but I think you should be geared up and planning for a no-resupply smokies hike. If you choose to pop out... it's your vacation and option. But as far as gear planning goes I'd suggest you gear up as if you did not have the option to bail. I'm as likely to get suckered into going for a beer as the next drunk- so ending up in town of my own volition is one thing- but getting forced into town is pretty shoddy planning IMO.