Sleeping bag temperatures, the only deciding factor?

[Earl Grey]

So ive been researching sleeping bags for the past week and ahve come to a few conclusions. First is that you should go with down for its superior warmth and compressibility over synthetic as long as you keep it dry. It is also lighter than synthetic and if taken care of probaly will probaly last longer too. Im a hot sleeper by nature so my thinking is that depending on what your coldest temps will be you should get something "colder" than that. I dont plan on doing any winter hiking this winter but maybe next winter I might. Id rather get something now I can use for years than something now thenm something different later.

[Tinker]

I've used a cheap 45 degree down bag in a tent with outside temps in the mid 20's. It's a Marmot Sierra semi-rectangular bag. I'm also a hot sleeper (a couple of weekends ago I joined a one-time hiking partner for a weekend on the Long Trail in Vermont and hammocked without a sleeping bag at all, just a fleece vest and long underwear, and slept fine). Night time temps fell into the low 60's.
If you know you're a warm sleeper, you may be able to use a bag rated warmer than the conditions you'll use it in. Just make sure you test it in your back yard before you venture out into the wilds. I've spent hundreds of bag nights in the back yard experimenting with different sleep systems, and my experimenting has paid off many times over.

[fiddlehead]

Other things to think about:
1/what kind of material is the shell and inner lining? to me, i want the lightest possible for 2 reasons: first one obviously lightweight is more fun to carry, 2nd the lighter materials breathe easier and the bag dries out quicker (we all sweat at night and that moisture gets in the bag,making it heavier)
2/ Zipper? full zip, half zip, no zip? again lighter weight. My bag has a half zipper
3/ I have 3 bags, all down Don't let the manufacturers fool you into thinking that the synthetic bags will keep you warm when wet. try this trick: put a down sleeping bag and a synthetic sleeping bag in a pond of water, weighted down by rocks for a day or two, then sleep in them. and tell me which was warmer. (i haven't tried it yet, but of course the point is to keep your bag dry no matter what) down is lighter, packs smaller, and warmer.
4/ think about a liner. you can get a 20 deg. bag, add a couple different kinds of liners to make it into a 15 deg., 10 deg, 5 deg. giving you a 4 season bag. there's silk, microfleece (what i use in the cold temps) and heavy fleece. making your own gives you a liner that fits your bag perfectly and no wasted space.
5/ the bag should fit you like a glove. having a bag that's too big makes you warm those extra spaces for what? My bag doesn't have any wasted space so it's efficienct for me. Try them on before buying. (or if you're really good, make your own)
6/ i forget what they're called but having a string and cord lock system inside just above your shoulders will make the bag warmer (although a little heavier of course) my winter bag has this feature and it's nice when it's really cold. This would be in addition to the hood's tightening system
7/ Don't try to put your whole head inside the bag. Leave your nose and mouth stick out. You don't want all that extra moisture in the bag, that will make it wetter and colder. A hat or balaclava helps too as there's not too much down (or whatever) in the hood
8/ On the AT, i always double bag my sleeping bag. (this is related to #3 above) It's so humid in the east and rains a ton. Out west i don't worry as much about this as it's drier air.
9/ If you take your wife/girlfriend hiking with you, try to get bags with opposite side zips. And make sure they zip together before buying. Not all zippers are compatible
10/ Keep your sleeping bag clean. (a liner does this but you don't need a liner in the summer) I wash my bag about once every other month on a thru-hike which isn't a lot but it's amazing how much better it is in many ways once it's clean, The down fluffs a lot higher meaning more air space, meaning more warmth. (plus it feels better of course)

[hopefulhiker]

I began to look at it as more of a sleep system, including pad, liner, clothes worn... You can get by with a lower rated bag if you look at wearing a down sweater, and use an insulated pad...I ended up using the down back country blanket,only about 17 oz... along with the Big Agnes inuslated air core, and a silk liner, and a down sweater for really cold nights.

[frieden]

I just snagged a pair of SmartWool pants on Steep and Cheap; I got my jammies! :) I agree with the layering system. We layer when we hike. Why wouldn't we layer when we sleep? Temps are always changing. I plan on wearing warm "jammies", a silk liner, and a quilt. Unfortunately, sleeping in a hat would be difficult. Normally, I regulate my temperature through my feet.

[Footslogger]

The advertised "comfort rating" of a sleeping bag begins to change as soon as you use it the very first time. That's a fairly good reason to consider choosing a bag that is a little warmer than what you think you might need.

Some hikers own 2 or more bags that they use in different seasons. Choices are easier if you are fortunate to go that route.

On the other hand ...if you're looking for one sleeping bag that will work over several seasons you may want to consider something a bit warmer. You can always sleep "on top" of it if the weather is warmer but you'll appreciate the extra warmth if the temps drop.

There is a broad range of sleeping styles and temperatures but on average, something around a 20 degree rating seems to work well for most hikers.

'Slogger

[Just Jeff]

2/ Zipper? full zip, half zip, no zip? again lighter weight. My bag has a half zipper

All good things to think about, fh. I don't think I'd buy a half zip, though - I'm testing the SD Wicked Fast for BGT right now, and I find that the half zip really restricts my ventilation. That means for warmer weather my legs get sweaty, so in effect the half zip narrows the temperature range that I can comfortably use the bag in. Personally, I'd be willing to carry an extra half an ounce for a full zip just for that reason. In this case, though, I think an extra 12" would probably solve the problem, so maybe a 3/4 zip would work.

So rather than dismiss half zip altogether, if I were considering another bag I'd try it on and make sure I could easily get my legs out to vent when using it unzipped.

Just something to think about.

[fiddlehead]

I've probably slept in my 20 deg bag more than 1000 times. And you are right, sometimes i wish the zipper was full. (maybe 5% of the time i wish that) But I'm anal about weight so to carry an extra oz for the very few times it's needed is not necessary to me.
Also, i'll mention that after all of that use, the zipper is starting to get harder to pull. I guess that means in a quality bag (Feathered Friends Hummingbird) the first thing to go would be the zipper.

[dloome]

Temperature ratings mean practically zip in terms of how warm you'll be in a given sleeping bag. A temperature rating doesn't take into account what kind of pad you are using as insulation from the cold ground, how much body heat you produce, what clothes you are wearing, if you are inside a tent or not, if you are wet, if your clothes are wet, if the bag is wet, if you just ate a big meal, if you're hungry, if you're well hydrated or not, if you just hiked 30 miles or if you've been sitting idle for a few hours, if you have a full bladder, etc. etc.

All these things can have a HUGE impact on how warm you'll sleep in a given bag. There is still no standardized tests that yield an accurate temperature rating, only use a temp rating as a very rough ballpark. That being said, high quality bags like Feathered Friends, Western Mountaineering, Mountain Hardwear will at least be more accurate or even warmer than the rating, while cheaper bags can be VERY optimistic in their ratings. My Mountain Hardwear Phantom 32 bag is much warmer than a cheap Kelty 20 degree bag I used to use.

IMO, the best thing to do is to get a bag with roughly a temperature rating of the coldest temps you expect to encounter, than approximate the rating as needed by adding in a liner or sleeping clothes or various weight depending on season. If you get a down bag, understand how things like condensation accur, and how to keep your bag dry which can be very difficult in prolonged periods of cold temperatures or rain. Down bags are great, but you have to know how to take care of it. Wet down bag + cold night= You're f***ed. :(

[Just Jeff]

I guess that means in a quality bag (Feathered Friends Hummingbird) the first thing to go would be the zipper.

It's also the easiest thing to repair...good thinkin.

Except for the test, I don't hike w/o my No Sniveler* - quality with no zipper to worry about!

*It was actually kind of a shock on my first trip with the test bag - I was ready to go and realized that I didn't have upper body insulation. That's never been a problem for me before b/c I wear the NS as a poncho! I threw in an extra thermal top just in case.

[fiddlehead]

Temperature ratings mean practically zip in terms of how warm you'll be in a given sleeping bag. A temperature rating doesn't take into account what kind of pad you are using as insulation from the cold ground, how much body heat you produce, what clothes you are wearing, if you are inside a tent or not, if you are wet, if your clothes are wet, if the bag is wet, if you just ate a big meal, if you're hungry, if you're well hydrated or not, if you just hiked 30 miles or if you've been sitting idle for a few hours, if you have a full bladder, etc. etc.

All these things can have a HUGE impact on how warm you'll sleep in a given bag. There is still no standardized tests that yield an accurate temperature rating, only use a temp rating as a very rough ballpark. That being said, high quality bags like Feathered Friends, Western Mountaineering, Mountain Hardwear will at least be more accurate or even warmer than the rating, while cheaper bags can be VERY optimistic in their ratings. My Mountain Hardwear Phantom 32 bag is much warmer than a cheap Kelty 20 degree bag I used to use.

IMO, the best thing to do is to get a bag with roughly a temperature rating of the coldest temps you expect to encounter, than approximate the rating as needed by adding in a liner or sleeping clothes or various weight depending on season. If you get a down bag, understand how things like condensation accur, and how to keep your bag dry which can be very difficult in prolonged periods of cold temperatures or rain. Down bags are great, but you have to know how to take care of it. Wet down bag + cold night= You're f***ed. :(


my lightest bag is a 40 deg. My heavies is a -35 degree. Are you telling me these ratings don't mean anything. I'd like to see you try to sleep in my heavy bag when its +40 F out. I can't even sleep in it when it's 0.
I've only used it 3 times, all below zero and it was still too warm.
Sleeping bag ratings mean a lot to me. Of course they can be slightly wrong and yes, the pad/mattress does make a difference. So does snow, concrete, wooden platform, etc.
Also, some people just sleep colder than others. i think these factors still have a plus or minus range of 5 to 10 degrees, but to say that "Temperature ratings mean practically zip" doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Fit(of bag), body fat, age (of you) , cleanliness (loft) , proper wearing of the bag (face completely inside will blow those ratings far out of whack for example) , these are all contributing factors of course.
Wow, I think i have too much time on my hands to be writing all this about something as simple as a sleeping bag. ( i wish my kid would wake up so i could take him shopping)