Marmot Pounder?

[mankoon]

Just wondering if a 40 degree Marmot Pounder would be OK starting in Georgia May 1st. I also have a 15 degree liner. What kind of temps. can i expect.

[iTrod]

I was at Springer Mountain Shelter on 3/1/09. Temp 10 degrees, 40 mph winds, 4 inches of fresh snow. I was cold in my 15 degree Marmot bag. I am taking a 15 degree bag with a Reactor liner when I start my NOBO on March 10th.
Good Luck!

[restlesss]

In Ga and NC in may it can be warm but also could be cold too. I think it depends on if you are a warm sleeper or not. along with the idea you could always wear a fleece while sleeping. remember that gear ratings like 40 degree bags should not be trusted unless you have already experienced THAT rating in THAT bag. With that being said, I use a 30 degree bag most of the spring, summer and fall, aand if it is too hot I use it as a quilt.

SO after all that rambling...go for it!!! the pounder is a good bag

[garlic08]

I switched to my one-pound down bag (MH Phantom 45) in early May in Pearisburg VA, and it was just a little too early. I had several nights in the upper 30s. It was survivable, but definitely cool. So you should make it too if a little cold doesn't bother you too much.

[max patch]

I started my thru 5/1 with a 20 degree bag and just about froze a couple nights in Georgia. Snow flurries in the GSMNP. No way you'd catch me in a 40 degree bag.

[Dogwood]

Mankoon, this is what I notice on WB quite often. Someone asks a question, leaving out many possible variables, and expects an accurate answer from someone else who doesn't comprehend how those variables might effect you. There are a great many who are quick to give all manner of answers not knowing how important variables might effect you. It leads to all going down all sorts of tangents and misleading info and generally makes the whole process of learning what you really need to know that much more cumbersome.

I also could give a quick answer to your question or perhaps in turn ask some of my own questions to better understand your situation, and then give you an answer about sleeping bags. If that is all you seek, then fine. I'm sure you will find someone to give you a fish. What I offer to you is how I go about finding an answer to the exact kind of question you posed. I do it when deciding appropriate gear set-ups, including sleeping bag temp requirements, for every hike I do. What I offer is a brief fishing lesson so you can catch fish yourself! You will be able to answer your own question once you understand how to access the info you need to make your own better gear decisions.

This is what I would do. This is the age of computers. Go to the weather channel website. Look for the avg monthly temp for Springer Mountain Ga for May. Also, you can access the avg high and avg low for any specific day of May for Springer Mountain Ga. Now, you have your weather question answer about temperature data. Since temps were not exactly given for Springer Mountain when I typed it in I picked a town that I knew was near Springer Mountain. I typed in Dahlonega GA. I got all the weather, including avg temps, for Dahlonega. I also was able to obtain the elevation of Springer Mountain and Dahlonega. SM - 3780 ft. D - 14654 ft. I know that temp roughly drops 1 degree F. for every 1000 ft of elev gain. So, I took all my avg temps for Dahlonega and decreased them by roughly 2.3 degrees F for Springer Mountain because Springer is roughly 2300 higher in elev than Dahlonega. Ta Da! Now I have my low avg temps for May 1 for Springer Mountain Ga, which are about 37 degrees F. And, always keep in mind, exactly what these numbers are. They are avgs! It doesn't mean this is absolutely what you will experience as far as low temp! It could be a bit warmer or, and this is important, a bit colder!

Now, lets look at SOME other things that can effect what temp rated sleeping bag
would be best: changing elev., if you are in a tent you can add about 5 *, how cold or warm you sleep, what you plan on wearing to sleep- a warm hat, warm dry socks, an extra clean sleeping layer can go a long way in sleeping warmth - metabolism, eating shortly before going to sleep, campsite selection, liner, etc etc etc. Let me say it again, clearly, "this is not an all inclusive list."

I'm familiar with The Marmot Pounder. IT IS a sleeping bag designed for warm summer use! Summer doesn't officially begin until June 22, even in GA. A bag liner, even a high end well made one, will not provide 15 * extra warmth. I would say most of the temp rating increases often asserted by liner manufacturers are very generously quoted on the warm side. I use a Silk Cocoon Mummy liner to extend the temp rating of my WM Highlite quite often. It provides about a 5-8 * temp boost. Not what is quoted by the manufacturer!

Unless you are a warm sleeper, have exceptionally consistently warm weather, select warmer campsites, use a liner, and sleep in an enclosed tent I think you will experience a few night's of uncomfortable tossing and turning sleep with the Pounder if starting on May 1 going NOBO. I don't think it will be life threatening situations, but high probability of some uncomfortably intermittent sleeping on cold nights. Definitely be prepared to add extra warmth by adding sleeping clothing. IMO, what you are deciding is marginally uncomfortable for at least a few nights. Your call

I make these kinds of marginal gear choices consistently. I also consider myself experienced with knowing how to thrive with less. Risking having a good night's sleep is something I think long and hard about. Probably, because I've made the wrong choice of going with something lighter before and paid for it by tossing and turning uncomfortably throughout the night.

[Lilred]

Mankoon. It doesn't take a thesis to give you an answer to your question. NO! a 40 degree bag will not be warm enough in the mountains of Georgia in May. Get a 20 degree bag and don't change it out until you are at least through the Smokies. I've hiked through the Smokies in June and was darn glad I took my 20 degree bag. There is about a three week difference in Spring from the flatland to the mountain top.

Here's a scenario for you. It's been raining for days, (and it will), you're soaked and the temp is only 45. The sun is going down and you're teeth are starting to chatter. Crawling into a 40 degree bag isn't going to help you much. You can get hypothermia at even 50 degrees. You'll want a warm bag.

[Lilred]

SO after all that rambling...go for it!!! the pounder is a good bag

This is bad advice.

NO don't go for it. You WILL regret it. Are you going to listen to someone that lives up in Michigan or someone that lives in the south. It has snowed in the mountains in May down here. Just cause it's the south does not mean it will be warm up in the mountains.

Max Patch is from Georgia, listen to him!

Anyone who tells you you'll be alright in that pounder in the mountains in the south has either 1. Never hiked in the southern mountains in May or 2. never hiked.

[mankoon]

thanks for all your info. Kind of what I had expected. I am just trying to cut weight, but don't want to be in danger.

[bus]

I have the the Marmot Trestles 15*. Although I am a warm sleeper, I am from Florida where we dont get freezing temps that often, thus , I am not acclimated to sleeping outdoors colder temps.

We did an weekend hike last weekend. The temp got to 31* outside, just cold enough for some frost and slightly frozen river mist, it was about 42 in the tent.
I felt just at the line of being comfortable and a bit too cold. Any colder outside and I think I would have wanted a warmer bag.

The next night was a bit warmer, but windier, so It felt colder until in the tent and bag...That night the bag felt a little warmer than just right. I unzipped it a bit and that did the trick.

You can always go warmer bag and unzip if it is a bit toasty...I definitely would err on the side of warmer bag.

[Blissful]

You'll ok by Memorial Day usually, depending on where you're at.

[prain4u]

Gainesville, GA is located 45 miles Southeast of Springer Mountain. Elevation is 1,250 feet. Record low temperature in May is 33 degrees. (Franklin, NC--record low in May is 28 degrees. Elevation 2200 feet).

If you use Dogwood's figure of deducting an additional degree for every additional thousand feet of elevation--some of those early Georgia and North Carolina mountains have seen record temps as low as 25-30 degrees in May.

I personally would not want to be using a 40 degree bag if record low temps hit that region once again. Depending on the rest of the gear that you have (and how wet you get), using a 40 degree sleeping bag could prove to be potentially "life threatening" at such record low temps.

For me, safety and having at least some minimal level of comfort, far outweigh saving a little bit of weight. Therefore, I would carry a warmer sleeping bag for at least another month.

[Strategic]

I own a Pounder, it's a great bag...put it in your drop box for Damascus.

Seriously, though, it's too early in the season in those relatively high and cold southern mountains to use a bag like the Pounder, even if you're like me and a relatively warm sleeper. I've used mine comfortably down to about 35*, but I'd never try to take it if I even suspected lower temps than that. If you really need to save weight, take a look at a quilt instead. You'll be able to get a better rating for the same weight. Remember, it's the pad that gives you ground insulation, not the bag, so it makes some sense to dispense with the bottom bag insulation that's not really doing much to keep you warm anyway.