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View Full Version : Design the Ultimate AT trail Sleeping bag!



Wise Old Owl
08-09-2009, 20:20
Got you attention Huh?

Ok I am not affiliated with anyone (Right up Front)

But I am thinking guy about what I would want in a bag for a long 3 season trip.....


First I would choose Primaloft for the fill but not a lot of it.

More Primaloft in the toe box and the first three baffles.

A complety waterproof non breathable Sil covering for the first foot baffles.

A black interior for drying in the sun on the trail

a Waterproof back head to toe,

an inexspensive streachy top that breaths for side sleepers.

Sorry - some fill on the back for us tossers and turners.

looks like this with a side half zip and comes in at lets say 20 OZ.

http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg275/MarkSwarbrick/sleepingbag.jpg

What would you change or improve.. PS I like green.

shelterbuilder
08-09-2009, 20:43
Personal bias here: I have a great deal of trouble with any parts of a sleeping bag being waterproof. Many years ago, I was in a group from a local college outing club that spent a night on the Pinnacle (Berks Co., Pa.) in mid-December. Several folks had "waterproof" sleeping bags, and after their sweat soaked the insulation, they froze for the remainder of the night.

I like the idea of the black fabric inside the bag - I like to air my bag out every morning when it's not raining, and the black would absorb lots of solar radiation.

How about a zip-in/zip-out liner with some insulation of it's own, so that the bag could be used as a summer bag, or a really warm 3-season bag?

Tinker
08-09-2009, 20:51
I had my bags from Feathered Friends made with black linings, but they are down filled.
Using doubled bags means that you are carrying four layers of material instead of two (plus zipper, drawstrings, etc.)

Here are two bags that are good candidates for near ideal bags:
http://www.featheredfriends.com/Picasso/Bags/Specialty.html
I have a Rock Wren (actually my son has it now).
The arm holes and drawstring foot allow you to wear it as a garment. When I got it back in the 1990s people envied me as I got up in freezing temps, walked to the edge of the shelter clearing (yes, I used to sleep in them), did my thing at night, and returned, complete with my hard-earned body heat, back to the comfort of my sleeping pad.
The Vireo, because it has less insulation in the torso, allows you to use a jacket as supplemental insulation. I would get the long size so I could keep my arms and hands inside. It, too would be nearly perfect if it had a zipper from the hips down and a drawstring foot so you could walk in it like the Rock Wren.
I got 2oz. extra fill and ordered the higher quality fill as well. My bags are WAY warmer than the FF ratings.

Wise Old Owl
08-09-2009, 20:52
Good Ideas - Yet I get a sweat at the top of the bag hense it should be airy at the top, and in the past I have found ice at the top of the foot box so I am on the fence about that. I know the sweat came from my feet and yet I am the coldest there.

But not bad for the first post ... lets see if others will bite.

Wise Old Owl
08-09-2009, 21:50
Woo must be a few down hikers here......

Wags
08-09-2009, 22:09
i'll never buy a sleeping bag that isn't full zipper. so full zipper pls

max patch
08-09-2009, 22:43
Half zip is a deal breaker for me.

max patch
08-09-2009, 22:45
Primaloft? Is this a bag for the kiddies? Down only, please.

Egads
08-09-2009, 22:47
Down, full zip, stretchable...sounds like a MontBell

take-a-knee
08-10-2009, 08:54
I had my bags from Feathered Friends made with black linings, but they are down filled.
Using doubled bags means that you are carrying four layers of material instead of two (plus zipper, drawstrings, etc.)

Here are two bags that are good candidates for near ideal bags:
http://www.featheredfriends.com/Picasso/Bags/Specialty.html
I have a Rock Wren (actually my son has it now).
The arm holes and drawstring foot allow you to wear it as a garment. When I got it back in the 1990s people envied me as I got up in freezing temps, walked to the edge of the shelter clearing (yes, I used to sleep in them), did my thing at night, and returned, complete with my hard-earned body heat, back to the comfort of my sleeping pad.
The Vireo, because it has less insulation in the torso, allows you to use a jacket as supplemental insulation. I would get the long size so I could keep my arms and hands inside. It, too would be nearly perfect if it had a zipper from the hips down and a drawstring foot so you could walk in it like the Rock Wren.
I got 2oz. extra fill and ordered the higher quality fill as well. My bags are WAY warmer than the FF ratings.

I have and love both Wrens, the Rock Wren and the Winter Wren. They work well with hammocks also. If I had it to do over I would have ordered them with longer (50inches or so) zippers. That would make these bags ideal. Add a pair of down sleeves from JRB and a high quaility down vest and you have a lightweight insulation/sleeping system that will take you into the teens with comfort.

skinewmexico
08-10-2009, 16:18
Perfect bag is a quilt, with down, and Pertex footbox. Or Momentum. Or Event. Depends on how much money we have. Add a down sweater/pants for really cold weather. Once you compress Primaloft (or any synthetic) multiple times, you lose about 20 degrees of warmth. Quality down makes for a lifetime bag.

shelterbuilder
08-10-2009, 19:16
I had my bags from Feathered Friends made with black linings, but they are down filled.
Using doubled bags means that you are carrying four layers of material instead of two (plus zipper, drawstrings, etc.)

Here are two bags that are good candidates for near ideal bags:
http://www.featheredfriends.com/Picasso/Bags/Specialty.html
I have a Rock Wren (actually my son has it now).
The arm holes and drawstring foot allow you to wear it as a garment. When I got it back in the 1990s people envied me as I got up in freezing temps, walked to the edge of the shelter clearing (yes, I used to sleep in them), did my thing at night, and returned, complete with my hard-earned body heat, back to the comfort of my sleeping pad.
The Vireo, because it has less insulation in the torso, allows you to use a jacket as supplemental insulation. I would get the long size so I could keep my arms and hands inside. It, too would be nearly perfect if it had a zipper from the hips down and a drawstring foot so you could walk in it like the Rock Wren.
I got 2oz. extra fill and ordered the higher quality fill as well. My bags are WAY warmer than the FF ratings.

Did the drawstring foot and/or the arm holes leak much air? Sounds like a neat idea, though.

I won't argue with you about the extra weight of the zippers/drawstrings on a 2-bag system, however, I would take issue with the "added" weight of the 4 layers of fabric, since they, too, will capture a "boundary-layer" of warm air, and will therefore act as (minimal) insulation. But anything that you lose in "extra" weight, you more than make up in "versatility for the money spent", since you can send half of the bag home when temps warm up!

YMMV.

Wise Old Owl
08-13-2009, 16:09
Backpacker Magazine – August 2009 (http://www.backpacker.com/article/13200)
Gear Review: REI Aura Sleeping Bag

Even during a damp, tentless night our tester stayed dry.
by: Annette McGivney
http://www.backpacker.com/media/originals/reiaura_445x260.jpg
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REI Aura (Courtesy photo)



Summer Sleepers (http://www.backpacker.com/article/13254)
See more reviews
Best Synthetic
During a damp, tentless night in California's Mojave desert, one tester slept soundly in the Aura while his partner, in a down sack, got wet and cold. Credit the DWR treatment on the Aura's ripstop polyester shell and a silicone treatment on the fibers of the MXL PrimaLoft insulation (exclusive to REI), which also repels moisture.

The synthetic insulation blends large- and small-diameter fibers to maximize compressibility and heat retention, helping the bag stay true to its 40°F temperature rating and stuff down to the size of two Lexan water bottles. A contoured hood with cinch cords around the face and neck, along with a full-length draft tube, add warmth. The cut is narrow through the legs.

$179; 40°F; 2 lbs.; 2 men's and 2 women's sizes; rei.com (http://www.rei.com/).


Still a tad heavy, but I got my questions answered at BPM.