Advice on a sleeping bag

[milesokeefe]

hey everybody,

I am in the market for making a purchase on a new sleeping bag to aid me on my '08 thru-hike, I will be setting out during the beginning to middle of March, and was wondering if I could get some of your opinions to what would be my best approach. I would like to find a bag that is down filled, three season, and that's not to terribly expensive.

As far as brands go, I am not to familiar to which are better than others. I have been looking at the Marmot bags, which seem pretty well to do, but I would like to hear other's opinions before making any form of decision.

Thanks for the help,
Tyler

[Midway Sam]

I'm not a thru-hiker, nor have I camped much below freezing, but my Campmor 20 degree down bag (http://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=86896&memberId=12500226)has been all I have expected and more. There are better bags out there, but I couldn't find anything near the price of my Campmor.

[milesokeefe]

okay so I've been doing some more looking around and have found two bags that I have taken an interest in:

the Marmot Arroyo
Marmot Arroyo reviews and information - Trailspace.com (http://www.trailspace.com/gear/marmot/arroyo/)
and

the Marmot Pinnacle
Marmot Pinnacle reviews and information - Trailspace.com (http://www.trailspace.com/gear/marmot/pinnacle/)

can anyone give me some pros and cons to either of these bags, someone that has possibly used one of the two, or possibly point me in a different direction with a different brand of bag.

thanks again

also as far as sleeping pads go what is more preferable to use opened-celled or closed-celled?

[Nearly Normal]

I would try the bag in the store and buy it at the best cost. You need to know it will serve your need.
I bounce around all night and like a stretch bag. Most regular bags are too small for me. My next purchase will be a Montbell. Fairly light and stretches well.
Open cell pads are usually more comfortable but will soak up water where a close cell will shed water.
As an older hiker I need the comfort and use an inflatible.
Weight always comes into play in the Mountains. To me it's worth the extra cost going up the hill.
I wish I'd known better when I bought my gear. I have a great pack but it weighs almost 6 pounds. With todays gear my big 3 should weigh about that. (Pack, tent, bag)

Nearly Normal

[Heater]

okay so I've been doing some more looking around and have found two bags that I have taken an interest in:

the Marmot Arroyo
Marmot Arroyo reviews and information - Trailspace.com (http://www.trailspace.com/gear/marmot/arroyo/)
and

the Marmot Pinnacle
Marmot Pinnacle reviews and information - Trailspace.com (http://www.trailspace.com/gear/marmot/pinnacle/)

can anyone give me some pros and cons to either of these bags, someone that has possibly used one of the two, or possibly point me in a different direction with a different brand of bag.

thanks again

also as far as sleeping pads go what is more preferable to use opened-celled or closed-celled?

If youre interested in those bags here are two that are comparable and that lotsa people use:

The Marmot Helium.
Western Mountaineering's Versalite Super.

Don't skimp on the bag.

[hopefulhiker]

Some people use blankets combined with a thick sleeping pad..

[Grumpy Ol' Pops]

I picked up a Marmot Atom on a great sale earlier this year and I've used it several times at different temperatures. Although it's rating is 40 degrees, I've been comfortagle at just above freezing on several nights. But I'm a warm sleeper. A thin liner might be just the thing for the starting weeks of a thru.
It's weight of just 1 pound and the size it crunches down (about the size of a large cantalope) offset the cost anytime!
My personal drawback is the width -- it's a little tight in the middle and shoulder, so I'd say to get inside one before you put down the cash. Full zipper would also help, also. Otherwise, no complaints!!
BTW, the price was nearly 50% of the MSRP, so please don't ask where I got it -- I chalked it up to an honest mistake at that store!!!

[Ender]

Probably the best bag makers out there are Western Mountaineering, and Feathered Friends. Marmot also makes a nice bag.

Still though, as someone else said, don't skimp on the bag. I've never once heard someone complain about a WM or a FF bag (except for maybe that they cost a lot, but no complaints about quality).

[optimator]

Probably the best bag makers out there are Western Mountaineering, and Feathered Friends. Marmot also makes a nice bag.

Still though, as someone else said, don't skimp on the bag. I've never once heard someone complain about a WM or a FF bag (except for maybe that they cost a lot, but no complaints about quality).
I had the same questions a month or so ago. I bit the bullet and bought a Montbell. It's hands down worth every penny and THE best piece of equiptment I own.

[Appalachian Tater]

Try to get the best quality, lightest shelter, bag, and pack that you can. You'll be living in and carrying them for five months. You've got plenty of time to keep an eye out for sales or used items. After a couple of weeks on the trail, the extra $50 you paid for a good bag will seem like a bargain.

The cheaper bags overstate their ability to keep you warm and understate their weight.

[minnesotasmith]

I'm in the market for one as well. However, my criteria are totally different from the thread starter's. I want a sleeping bag that is A) synthetic, B) rating of no more than 15 degrees F., C) superlightweight (under 2 lbs. if possible), and D) I don't much care how much I have to spend to buy it, if it's what I need.

My rationale for C) and D) is that the size sleeping bag in large part determines how small a pack can be. The larger the pack, the more the pack weighs. Last year, I found that needing to haul my (wonderful in every way except size and weight) winter sleeping bag in the North made me have to use my large pack on overnight/2-night slackpacks (what I call "lightpacking"). A smaller sleeping bag would have been a godsend for cutting my packweight, like a total of 6 pounds, perhaps. I saw fellow thruhiker "Trek" last year in GA with some high-end pack that was barely the size of my 40 degree summer bag, that he told me was rated to 15 degrees. Someone else told me it cost about 500.00. Wish I'd asked him who made it...

[Ender]

I'm in the market for one as well. However, my criteria are totally different from the thread starter's. I want a sleeping bag that is A) synthetic, B) rating of no more than 15 degrees F., C) superlightweight (under 2 lbs. if possible), and D) I don't much care how much I have to spend to buy it, if it's what I need.

Hmmmm... that's going to be a tough one. A synthetic bag rated for 15* and under 2 pounds? Probably not going to find that, but you never know. There are some decently lightweight synthetic bags out there though around 3 pounds in that temp range.

Here're two that I found with a quick search...

http://www.backcountrygear.com/catalog/bagdetail.cfm/MTH240
http://www.backcountrygear.com/catalog/bagdetail.cfm/BIG207

[Ender]

Here's another thought... it's down, but it's in a WPB shell...

http://marmot.com/catalog/fall_2007/13/59/63/node/883/1

[halftime]

You might check out one of these from REI


http://www.rei.com/Search.do?storeId=8001&origin=Outlet_Camp&cat=22000021&hist=cat%2C22000001%5Eorigin%2COutlet_Camp%5Estart %5Ecat%2C22000021%3ASleeping+Bags

[Heater]

I'm in the market for one as well. However, my criteria are totally different from the thread starter's. I want a sleeping bag that is A) synthetic, B) rating of no more than 15 degrees F., C) superlightweight (under 2 lbs. if possible), and D) I don't much care how much I have to spend to buy it, if it's what I need.

My rationale for C) and D) is that the size sleeping bag in large part determines how small a pack can be. The larger the pack, the more the pack weighs. Last year, I found that needing to haul my (wonderful in every way except size and weight) winter sleeping bag in the North made me have to use my large pack on overnight/2-night slackpacks (what I call "lightpacking"). A smaller sleeping bag would have been a godsend for cutting my packweight, like a total of 6 pounds, perhaps. I saw fellow thruhiker "Trek" last year in GA with some high-end pack that was barely the size of my 40 degree summer bag, that he told me was rated to 15 degrees. Someone else told me it cost about 500.00. Wish I'd asked him who made it...

Did your synthetic bag ever get wet on your thru-hike?

[minnesotasmith]

Did your synthetic bag ever get wet on your thru-hike?

When it rained extensively, and my bag touched the walls of my tent (single-walled Henry Shires Virga II tarptent). That was about it for anything serious. It got damp a lot, sure, but being synth, and keeping it clean (washed my sleeping bag about every other hostel stop), it did dry fairly efficiently on the Trail.

[Heater]

When it rained extensively, and my bag touched the walls of my tent (single-walled Henry Shires Virga II tarptent). That was about it for anything serious. It got damp a lot, sure, but being synth, and keeping it clean (washed my sleeping bag about every other hostel stop), it did dry fairly efficiently on the Trail.

So, in retrospect, do you think that by being no more careful than you were with the syntheic bag that a down bag would have worked just as well and saved you a pound or so on your back?

If you were to do another thru, would you still go synthetic... and if so, why?

[minnesotasmith]

So, in retrospect, do you think that by being no more careful than you were with the syntheic bag that a down bag would have worked just as well and saved you a pound or so on your back?

If you were to do another thru, would you still go synthetic... and if so, why?

No, Austexs, I don't think that a down bag would have served me as well. I would still choose synthetic material for a sleeping bag in the event of doing another AT thruhike. It's not that I'm simply grossly biased without reasoning against biologic-origin materials. As an example, if I did a CDT thruhike, down would be a plausible option IMO. (I'd have to carry even more water much of the time than I did on the AT, so cutting weight where I could would be crucial.) I've been in Colorado much of the time in the last 3 years, and know from personal experience how little it rains here, and how quickly everything dries.

Rather, it's a read on how materials actually work on the trail, and what it's like to hike when dependent upon particular ones. I knew that I could risk an ultra-light-weight small single-walled tent in part BC both my winter and summer sleeping bags were synthetic, and a water disaster could potentially be recovered from in the field. I felt able to switch to my summer bag (Kincora) and send most of my winter clothing home (Erwin) relatively early, and never regretted either decision. So, extra weight in a sleeping bag being synthetic arguably saved me weight elsewhere in my backpack.

Lastly, the peace of mind that comes from having gear one can rely upon is not to be underestimated. Remember that psychological factors drive more aspiring thruhikers off the AT than any other cause. Every time it started to rain, or I had a shaky bridge/stream rock-hop/ford, I could remind myself, "Well, no matter what fresh h**l happens to me here, I'm carrying a synthetic sleeping bag", and remove some stress with that smiling thought. :) :sun

[Colter]

First, the easy part: a closed cell foam pad is much better than a open cell pad because the latter tends to be a sponge. I personally do like the lighter therm-a-rest style pads though, with open cell foam enclosed within the pad shell. Lots of pad for the weight.

Personally, I much prefer down bags also. It takes a whole lot of water to soak a down bag enough to make a difference. A person will be uncomfortable in a down bag OR a synthetic if it gets soaked, and it's always more comfortable to pack a lighter sleeping bag, and down bags are lighter and more compressible than synthetics.

My Feathered Friends bag is very warm for the weight and I love it, but I've got an old Campmor down bag that has also served me well. As long as it fits you, I don't think you'll go far wrong with any name brand bag with high-loft down.

[neo]

hey everybody,

I am in the market for making a purchase on a new sleeping bag to aid me on my '08 thru-hike, I will be setting out during the beginning to middle of March, and was wondering if I could get some of your opinions to what would be my best approach. I would like to find a bag that is down filled, three season, and that's not to terribly expensive.

As far as brands go, I am not to familiar to which are better than others. I have been looking at the Marmot bags, which seem pretty well to do, but I would like to hear other's opinions before making any form of decision.

Thanks for the help,
Tyler


:) i am going to buy one of these:cool: neo
http://www.ray-way.com/quilt/index.htm

[hopefulhiker]

Also don't forget about considering a silk liner.. They only weigh a few oz's; They help keep you warmer by several degrees; Since you can wash themThey keep your bag clean; You can use them for super light weight bag by themselves in the summer time.