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pvtmorriscsa
05-02-2004, 16:01
Howdy all,
I am researching to determine which sleeping bag I will take on this expedition. I was wondering if any of y'all had experiance with the Snugpack Softie. Seems pretty light, and not too damn expensive. Not to mention you it is really compact. Any info would be useful.

SGT Rock
05-02-2004, 16:37
Actually I have tried it and I hated it. http://www.hikinghq.net/gear/snuggpack_red.html

pvtmorriscsa
05-03-2004, 00:50
Thanks for the information. Seemed a bit too good to be true. I have been surprised at times with what technology could achieve. I have also learned that most times the stated claims on an item differ from the actual results. Got a 20-30 degree bag you would recomend?
Once again, thanks Top.

snuffleupagus
05-03-2004, 01:26
I tried the softie, much to small for me though. I'm 6'3 and 300lbs. It was like pulling a grapeskin over a watermelon. LOL

SGT Rock
05-03-2004, 05:25
I guess it would depend on how much you want to spend. I think you can go cheap on a lot of things and make a lot of good items yourself, but the sleeping bag is the one place I think you ought to not skimp on getting a good rating and should be prepared to spend some cash. I gess you should decide if you sleep cold? How much do you want it to weigh? What sort of shelter and pad are you planning to use? And, how much do you plan to spend?

chris
05-03-2004, 13:28
Another question to think about is _when_ you want to hike. If you want to hike, say, May to the end of August, then something like the Western Mountaineering Highlight might be for you (40 degree). It costs around $200 and I've got a review of it in the Gear Reviews section of this forum. If you are looking to hike March to October, then you will probably want something warmer, like a good 20 degree bag. Take a look at www.sierratradingpost.com for some good deals on various bags. They frequently have a lot of Marmot bags marked down quite a bit.

pvtmorriscsa
05-03-2004, 13:55
Howdy All,

I plan on starting this invansion of New England in March of next year. In fact I will be celebrating my 33rd birthday on the trail. (Which concidentally is also the 141st Anniversary of Virginia vs. Monitor day.) That being said I am expecting it to be cold. So I was thinking to get a bag rated at say 20-30 degrees, and some kind of bag liner. I reckoned that between the two items I can keep my skinny a** warm in just about any weather that the trail can throw at me. When it gets cold I can slip the liner in, and when it gets too warm, I can use the liner as a bag, and my sleeping bag as extra padding. I know I need to use synthetic insulation, and that I would want my bag/liner combo to weigh no more than 4-5 lbs.
I forgot to add that I am looking to spend around $250-300 for my sleeping gear.

Tha Wookie
05-03-2004, 15:31
I guess it would depend on how much you want to spend. I think you can go cheap on a lot of things and make a lot of good items yourself, but the sleeping bag is the one place I think you ought to not skimp on getting a good rating and should be prepared to spend some cash. I gess you should decide if you sleep cold? How much do you want it to weigh? What sort of shelter and pad are you planning to use? And, how much do you plan to spend?
One can easily make a sleeping bag with little sewing experience. Get Ray Jardine's "Beyond Backpacking" and he tells you how to do it, and how to figure out the temp rating. I did it, and have used the bag for over 3,500 miles and 200 nights. It was well worth the 8 hours of production and the $60 in materials. Making your own bag is not "skimping", it's creating something customed to your specific needs and empowering you to transfer your energy into every facet of your trail experience. Plus it can be much, much lighter than market-engineered bags.

chowhound
05-03-2004, 23:00
Don't be so quick to write off the Snugpak Softie. Backpackgeartest has been testing them, and so far all the testers seem pretty pleased with their bags. The testers report that the temperature rating (41 degrees F) is reasonable, and that they absorb very little moisture. I just bought one based on the good reports and reasonable price ($100). I wanted a summer weight bag that would handle moisture well, and the Softie 3 looks like it should do the job. I use a Marmot 20 degree down bag in cooler weather.

SGT Rock
05-04-2004, 06:04
Well I found the Snugpak's 41 F rating even a bit optimistic. I haven't read the reviews, but it may have something to do with the fact that mine wasn't totally new - which brings up a point about loss of loft and wampth over time. Personally I would not buy one. Especially not for use as a bag that would have to keep me warm on the AT in March. Neither Snugpack (I did try both models) kept me warm in Louisiana March weather, so I would not cound on them for the mounains of GA.

If you want to spend $250-$300 there are a lot of good bags out there. I notice you said you need to use synthetic - why do you? I personally prefer down, as do many other hikers. There seems to be a line of thinking that a down bag can't deal with the moisture of the AT, but I have only found this true when I stupidly allowed my bag to get wet, otherwise I have found down does just fine.

pvtmorriscsa
05-04-2004, 08:37
Howdy All,
Well Top, it would seem that all the accounts of the AT lead me to the conclusion that I am going to get wet, and stay wet for long periods. I could be wrong, but this is the impression that I get.
That being the assumption, I figured that I would go with synthetic. If for no other reason than to keep warm if my bag gets wet. I don't mind footlogging in the rain. I would like to know that at the end of the day, I may be wet, but I will be warm.

SGT Rock
05-04-2004, 08:56
That can be true, I find the best solution is to keep some dry (as dry a you can keep them) camp clothing like some long underwear, then change into that. Your body heat will warm stuff and even dry stuff, even in a down bag.

Hungry Howie used to have a great post about this on the old TrailPlace. He incorporated part of this into his piece on the down quilt he made. I sugest it as a good read to make an informed decision: http://www.newsushi.net/quilt.html . Look for "Low Down on Goose Down". It is a shortened version of his excellent post which omits a lot of good data, but you get the general idea. Check it out.

As to a synthetic bag, I have seen some good stuff from Wiggy, although I haven't personally tried it. My CO in Iraq had a Wiggy bag, and after a year it looked like it lofted just as well as when he forst opened it. Other synthetic bags tend to loose loft over time. I have seens ome good 3D bags that I was envious of (I almost got one) almost flat a year later. The person that owned it was no slacker - she took care of her gear.

Coolabah
05-08-2004, 05:18
Well I have the softie 3 and it is the coldest bag I have ever slept in. I think it is "over rated" in the temperature stakes. Feels very nice on the skin. I got soaked in a gale one night and didn't think it kept it's "warmth" very well. It also retails in my country for over $200 US I might add, so I have been really trying to like it. Instead I feel ripped off, and have bought a down bag- toasty !!. I must read Backpackinggeartest to see what they say but it won't make me feel any warmer in it I don't think. Just my 2 cents worth.

edited to add: Oh and Sgt Rock, even when new there is no "loft" like you would expect to see normally !

Lilred
05-08-2004, 09:05
I've said this before on other threads and I'll repeat here. I bought a 20 degree down bag made by Campmor and it worked great for me on the AT in Georgia in Nov. I awoke in Muskrat Creek Shelter and found my washrag frozen solid as a rock. I was toasty warm in my bag. Retails for about $100 and weighs right around 2lbs.
You really don't have to spend a lot of money for comfort. Go to Campmor.com for details. And no, I don't work for them ......just a very satisfied customer.

charlottebronte
05-10-2004, 14:51
If you go to backcountrygear.com, they have a matrix with the data on all the popular backcountry sleeping bags, so you can compare/contrast weight, fill, etc. REI also has one, but it's less backcountry-specific.

lobstergrrrl
05-11-2004, 21:14
REI has a 40* down bag for 99 bucks. It weighs 1.5 lbs. Sounds like a good deal to me. My current 40* synthetic bag weighs 2.75 lbs.

Rambler
05-19-2004, 12:21
Here's a down alternative that friends have used satisfactorily for winter bags at reasonable prices.X-Fibre (http://globalmart.com/page/t/tbs_20000.htm)

BigToe
06-29-2004, 20:30
Has anyone used the North Face Propel 40* synthetic bag? I'm looking at it for a July Vermont trip.