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Jah
10-04-2008, 12:37
Would a 40 degree sleeping bad be sufficent for hiking the Colorado Trail in the summer (July-August)? Say the Marmot Atom?

Mags
10-04-2008, 14:31
In my opinion, no.

It can get quite cool at night at the higher elevations. I'd suggest a 30F bag and layering/wear a hat to bed. I pefer a 20F bag myself, but I also use it in the fall.

BookBurner
10-04-2008, 16:10
A 20-degree bag served me very well on my CT thru in July '05. It was never too much, and on some nights, just enough!

tom_alan
10-04-2008, 19:09
I would go with a 20 degree bag. At the higher elevations it can get down to the 20's and 30's at night. You need to keep in mind that part of the trail is above treeline so there is very little shelter. I do not believe a 40 degree bag would do the trick. JMO You should also carry a warm hat with you to wear at night.

Wise Old Owl
10-04-2008, 19:21
I don't think so - Higher altitudes have more surprises,

Check out someone who has been there.

http://www.trailquest.net/RM2003ctjrnl.html

tom_alan
10-04-2008, 20:47
:-?Lets go one step further ~ I have seen Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park that only goes to a little over 12,000ft get closed down during July and August due to heavy snow.:eek: There are some high saddles that you will be going over that are higher than 13,000ft. You will need to be prepared for all types of weather. Keep in mind that at those altitudes there is less oxygen so you need to pack light as well. Make use of drop shipping to post offices along your route and try to dehydrate all of your food. Water source is usually not a problem along the trail.:rolleyes:

Jah
10-04-2008, 22:01
Thanks for the info. I am thinking to possibly doing the trail in the future and am also looking for a warm weather sleeping bag for in general. I already have a campmor 20 degree bag that sounds like it would work for the CT. I've been looking into the marmot atom and mont-bell #5 for a warmer bag that could be used on the AT during summers, etc.

Terraplane
10-05-2008, 17:32
The 20 degree Campmor bag worked great for me last year. It got below 30 more than once.

Terraplane

backpackingdiggity
10-06-2008, 12:35
I hate to echo previous responses, but a 40 degree bag will be insufficient. Go with a 20 degree down bag - you won't regret your decision!!!

Jah
10-18-2008, 14:20
Would mont-bell SS down 800 40 degree bag in combination with a sea to summit thermolite reactor liner (adds 15) work? That would bring it down to 25, plus I would be sleeping in a big agnes seedhouse tent. Would this setup work ok or would I still be pushing it.

mudhead
10-18-2008, 19:34
You should get your hands on one of those Reactors and check it in a store before planning anything with it. My opinion only.

Mags
10-20-2008, 16:05
I personally think the ratings of liners is rather optimistic to be honest.

As Mudhead said, try itout first before relying on it.

backpackingdiggity
10-31-2008, 16:31
I think you'd be okay with the liner, but would definitely shiver through a few of the evenings. I hiked the CT with a 32 degree bag and spent approximately 10 out of my 45 nights wishing I had a 20 degree bag.

boarstone
01-17-2009, 14:51
I'm glad I got a 15*.....

MountainMatt23
02-10-2009, 00:18
Sleeping comfort varies from person to person. I did 11 days on the CT last summer, went from denver to copper mtn, personally I used a 15 bag. However my brother used a 40 bag with a liner. One of the nights it got to the mid 20's and we were both fine. I must add that my brother also used a 30 bag on a single digit night in the smokies last spring and was also fine. So if you sleep warm and have some layers to throw on, then you could use the 40 with a liner and be alright. However echoing the previous posts, if you think you might get cold, don't chance it!

RickD
02-12-2009, 13:57
Just for reference, last year it was 44 degrees plus or minus 4 degrees every single night on the Colorado Trail. From what others are saying, it can occasionally drop to freezing, but for us, it only did once when we were stranded at 13,000 feet, having taken a wrong turn.

Spirit Walker
02-12-2009, 14:24
When we hiked a section of the CDT in the San Juans in 1998 I got bady hypothermic on a summer day of all day drizzle and 40 degree temps. No, it wasn't freezing, but even in my 20 degree bag it took a couple of hours for me to warm up.

Graywolf
04-01-2010, 05:04
At the beginning of July, 1-5 we had a base camp at the base of Mt. Yale..Just spending a few days hiking, not really any backpacking..On the second night temps droped below freezing and we woke up to a "White Summer" it was awsome but some of us were cold even after we told them to bring warmer sleeping bags..

I say go prepared..Prepare for the worst, but expect the best..

Mountains make their own weather and it can change in minutes..Never underestamate them..They are beautiful without dought, but dont take them for granted...

Graywolf

Black Sheep
04-09-2010, 23:02
I use a Marmot Atom for a lot of my warmer weather hiking, but with that said have spent plenty of cold nights in it. It is not, in my opinion, a bag that does well near its temperature limit. I am a warm sleeper and have still been left quite cold in this bag in the mid 40's. I also use a couple of Western Mountaineering bags and much prefer them when there's a chance of a chill.


Good luck.

middle to middle
04-10-2010, 20:20
nothing worse than shivering all night.

Just Jeff
04-24-2010, 11:31
You can always cook up a hot water bottle to sleep with and extend the range of your bag.

jaybrez6
04-25-2010, 14:03
I went with the Campmor 20 degree last year while my friend had a 30 degree bag. He was fine most nights, but there were about 6 or 7 times that he said he barely slept at all from the cold whereas I was fine.

longhiker
06-09-2010, 10:21
I'm planning a thru of the Colorado Trail in August.. I presently own a Mountain Hardwear Ultralamina 32 sleeping bag -- a synthetic bag that weighs 2 lbs. I think I can sleep in it at 32 F ... but just barely and with extra clothing.


Here are my options:

1. Take the Ultralamina 32 (30 oz) + warm clothing (Midweight merino baselayers + a 14 oz FUGU New Balance Down jacket (really warm))

2. Take my girlfriend's North Face Cat's Meow 20 F bag -- 40 oz -- (apparently not quite truly 20 F but warmer than the Ultralamina) + warm clothing as above

3. Buy a new light 20 F bag

It seems to me that clothing + bag is the most versatile option.. do you think a heavy 14 oz down jacket + a thin 32 F bag would be good enough for this trail? I'm a reasonably warm sleeper.

JAK
06-09-2010, 10:47
A 20F bag provides quite a versatile range, because temperatures closer to 30F tend to be more wet, and temperatures down to 0F tend to be more dry. There are exceptions though, like drenching rain or freezing rain or very wet snow, followed by frigid temperatures.

For conditions above 30F but with risk of frost, if the ground and vegetation is moist, then the freezing point provides somewhat of a lower limit, so in some places it is quite safe to go with a bag in the 30F to 40F range. It doesn't sound like that applies in this case however, because if you go up in elevation where there is less soil and vegetation or stuff might already by frozen, temperatures can drop below freezing more easily. Even if it is infrequent, it is something that needs to be prepared for. In the woods in summer, even in the North, 32F is pretty much a floor, because of the longer days and the moisture in the environment. Mountains, and deserts, even quite far south, might have higher average temperatures than woods further North, but a more siginifcant risk of temperatures below 32F.

Having mobility to seek lower altitudes and more wooded terrain is an option in the mountains that you don't have in the woods or deserts, but the higher you go, or the more encumbered or slower you are, the more limited this strategy becomes. So some people can get away with a lighter back because they have more mobility, but even they can twist an ankle or something like that.

Just rambling. Sorry.