View Full Version : should i get a long bag?
ok so here's my thinking. i have a +40 that i'm pleased with, but am looking at getting either a +25 or +20 to help me get out into colder temps. my dilemna is this. i'm 6'0" so i fit into most regular bags, however, i'm pretty sure i'm goign to end up getting a long bag to allow for stuffing things into the bottom of my bag (shoes/water/clothes i'll be wearing the next day). is this thinking off or am i right in allowing for the extra space?
thanks
Alligator
02-02-2009, 12:42
I'm 6'2". The only bag I've got that's a long is my winter bag. I do ocassionally dry stuff out in my 20 degree bag and once in a while I might throw in a Nalgene. I don't typically put my hiking shoes/boots in my bag. They are the only thing I can think of that I might and that would take up a lot of space. I don't overnight with more than a liter of water if I expect it to freeze. IOW, I only make an effort to keep about a liter unfrozen.
papa john
02-02-2009, 12:53
Another critical measurement is the shoulder girth. I have a down Campmor bag that is long enough for me, but there is no way I can actually get in it and zip it all the way up. Too small in the shoulders.
bigcranky
02-02-2009, 15:30
I would get the long bag.
i mean if it's cold enough to use a 20 bag don't you think keeping boots and water in the bag should be a priority (plus my clothes for the next morning so they're not freezing when i get up)
Longer bags are usually wider, too. If you're very thin it may allow too much free space in the bag which your body needs to heat up. If you wear layers of clothing inside it and could use the space, I'd say go for the long. You probably won't need to keep much more than a hot water bottle and some boots and socks at the foot of your bag (and at that, only once in a while), so a regular bag may be enough. You just have to decide whether the extra cost and weight are justified according to your intended (and real-life) use.
i think my reasoning is sound, but i'm scared my feet will get cold :D
I am 6'-0" and have a WM Alpinlite long. It's a good fit.
At 5'10" I have always opted for the long size sleeping bags because I'm broad shouldered and find they have more room. When it gets really cold you can work your way down to the bottom and have a little distance between your face and the face opening, making breathing and staying warm more pleasant.
You don't want your winter bag to be a tight fit. Go for the long and stuff your clothes in there to keep them warm.
I'm 5'6" and I use a long bag (Montbel)
The way I sleep I just barely fit into a regular bag.
It does have the little drawstring thing at the bottom if I need to block it off.
ok that settles it. thanks for reaffirming my thinking
bigcranky
02-03-2009, 09:35
I'm 5'6" and I use a long bag (Montbel)
The way I sleep I just barely fit into a regular bag.
My wife is 5'4" and has two Montbell bags, both in the Long size. Measured against my long WM bag, the Montbell Long is about one full baffle shorter. I realize the Montbell bags "stretch" and all that, but having tried them on, I wouldn't want to spend a cold night in one (I'm 6'2".)
bcranky,
you need an XL mb bag, lol. I have one in long, and I am 6' even, and it fits perfectly with just enough extra room in the bottom for stuff if needed. They run very small, length wise. I love the overall fit thou.
Hiking, if u are using the bag in cold temp shoulder seasons, for sure go long. You can always put a tie around the end of the bag and make more down area for your feet, if you have nothing to put in there.
bigcranky
02-03-2009, 12:40
bcranky,
you need an XL mb bag, lol. I have one in long, and I am 6' even, and it fits perfectly with just enough extra room in the bottom for stuff if needed. They run very small, length wise. I love the overall fit thou.
Thanks, though I have two Western Mountaineering long bags that I love. So I don't need the XL Montbell bag. But thanks for letting me know that they make it.
I was just pointing out that Montbell bags seem to run short, since my 5-4 spouse uses the Long.