View Full Version : Sleeping Bag Help
I'm looking for a new sleeping bag, i hiked for about 5 days this summer and used a thin Columbia Sleeping bag that got through Georgia in late July, I am 16 years old so it is hard for me to find the time when nobody i know really goes hiking and since i live in KY i still have my Permit, I found out about the AT from summer camp and eventually want to do a thru-hike, which will probably be after i graduate college, earliest would be Spring of 2014, saying i do a 3-2 year program for Engineering with Georgetown College and UK. I need some advice on what temperature rating sleeping bag would be good for a full thru or for most of it, i also need to know some good bags that could last until then and possibly even through a thru hike, until my thru i would do some section hiking at most. There is my hiking life story, Thank You and all advice is appreciated.
-wrenman29
well I hope you are ready for more than one best sleepingbag because your going to get a lot. I used the REI sub kilo.It is a down bag and I L O V E I T !!!
I would rather perfer down bags because they can pack smaller and i try to pack as light and i have read about ways to protect a down bag from the elements. But synthetic bag recommends are still welcome
-wrenman29
Appalachian Tater
02-07-2008, 00:13
What is your budget?
350 max possibly, 200 range
take-a-knee
02-07-2008, 00:19
With a name like Wrenman you should buy a Feathered Friends Rock Wren.
350 max possibly, 200 range
try one of the montbell or western mountaineering bags. I use the montbell UL SS #2 ,with the montbell liner for extra warmth if needed.
What is your budget? 350 max, 200 range
With a name like Wrenman you should buy a Feathered Friends Rock Wren my last name is Wren
Last question, if i am 5' 11" and about 3/4 then should i get the regular length or the long/tall length
I haven't owned a synthetic bag since 1987. The one I owned lost its loft in a commercial clothes dryer in about 30 minutes. They should be air dried. Down can be dried, though, without much loss of loft. I minimize the amount of washing necessary by using an ultralight bivy bag, tent, ground cloth, or hammock, and by sleeping in long underwear. A synthetic bag is probably fine for summer, since you don't need much of that polyester fill, which is heavier than down, but a summer down bag will still be lighter (and last longer, stuff smaller, etc. etc.).
Bag temperature ratings are usually set by the manufacturer, and some are realistic, some are optimistic, and a few are conservative.
The only way to know what will work for you is to buy and try. Places like REI will usually take a bag back if it is clean and is returned in a reasonable period of time. If you include a note that the bag wasn't as warm as it was rated to be, you can most likely trade it for another bag.
The short answer is that most people leaving Springer Mt. in April get by with a 20 degree bag if they're using a tent that can be closed off from wind. A tarp user might need something warmer, and, in either case, when it gets below the bag's rating you can put clothes on to sleep warmer (if the bag isn't too tight).
Remember, though, you won't know how warm the bag is until you actually use it.
Appalachian Tater
02-07-2008, 00:29
With a budget of up to $350, look for a bag from one of the top manufacturers with a 800+ fill down. Top manufacturers in that price range would include Western Mountaineering, Montbell, Feathered Friends, Marmot. Decide what features are important to you, like a full vs. half-zipper. Then look for one on sale.
A typical NOBOer thruhike starting somewhere in March would probably use a 20 degree bag, more or less. If it had a full zipper you might get by with it for the entire summer but most hikers get a summer bag for comfort or reduced weight. Summer bags are significantly cheaper. For instance, you can pick up a 40 degree Marmot Atom for $180, sometimes less.
I am about your height. You will probably be okay with a regular bag if it is a comfortable cut. However, since you're sixteen, have you stopped getting taller?
I'd try out the golite ultra 20. It's pretty reasonably priced for being a 20 degree 800+ fill bag ($225)
take-a-knee
02-07-2008, 00:45
350 max, 200 range
my last name is Wren
Last question, if i am 5' 11" and about 3/4 then should i get the regular length or the long/tall length
You'll probably need the large, but don't take my word for it. That is what makes Feathered Friends rock, since you have to talk to an experienced sales guy to order, you'll likely get exactly what you need. They don't do retail, at least not their bags.
Top manufacturers in that price range would include Western Mountaineering, Montbell, Feathered Friends, Marmot. I have been looking at the MegaLite bag from Western Mountaineering
Appalachian Tater
02-07-2008, 00:52
That is indeed a very nice bag. It was on my short list but I decided to go with a 20 degree bag and was glad I did.
You probably won't go wrong with any of the top brands as far as quality and conservative temperature rating. The differences are mostly cut, dimensions, fabric, zipper.
I am thinking that if your thru is five years away that there may be some advancement in fabrics over that time period. Much of the weight is in the shell, so it is possible to trim weight with lighter fabrics.
hopefulhiker
02-07-2008, 00:55
Look at Montbell, Western Mountaineering, or Big Agnes.. You might also want to consider a quilt.. I used one on my thru hike from Nunatak.. also Jacks R Better makes a good set of quilts.. also think about your sleeping bag as part of a system..
That is indeed a very nice bag. It was on my short list but I decided to go with a 20 degree bag and was glad I did.
i may go 10 more degrees and get the Alpinlite Super which is a 20 deg bag, their bags just look and seem to be amazing
LIhikers
02-07-2008, 09:10
... if i am 5' 11" and about 3/4 then should i get the regular length or the long/tall length
Each manufacturer has their own recommendations on this. So when you find a bag that's got your interest check to see what the manufacturer says.
jersey joe
02-07-2008, 10:25
wrenman29, I'd go with a 20degree bag. There were 5-10 nights on my thru hike, even into may and june where I was very glad I had a bag rated that low.