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Graywolf
08-24-2010, 06:22
Im looking at a Big Anes "Encampment" rated at 15*, and a Big Agnes core insulated pad rated to 15*,

I also have a fleece liner that drops another 10*.

Any thoughts on this system and on the Encampment itself??

Looking for a sleeping bag for a late fall section hike and a possible thru beginning in February of 2011..

deadhorsejoe
08-24-2010, 08:03
graywolf

I don't have this specific bag but I do use the insulated pad with other big Agnes bags. for me its works best to add 10 degrees to the listed temp. My lost ranger bag is listed as a 15 degree bag but I get cold in it down around 25 degrees. everyone is a bit different so the bag temp may be spot on for you.

SMSP
08-24-2010, 11:08
I have this bag. I havent used it yet in cold weather. I am using it with a neoair pad. I needed a bag with wide girth for my shoulders. Also, I just rec'd an REI mailer. This bag will be on sale between 8/27-9/6/2010 for $110 (regular) and $120 (long).

I read alot of good reviews about the sleeve system, a few who didnt care for it. I am a sid sleeper, but the main desirable feature was the room the bag offers. It's not lightest, but I think a good compromise. One day, I'll fork over the $$ for a down.

SMSP

Graywolf
08-24-2010, 11:39
I have this bag. I havent used it yet in cold weather. I am using it with a neoair pad. I needed a bag with wide girth for my shoulders. Also, I just rec'd an REI mailer. This bag will be on sale between 8/27-9/6/2010 for $110 (regular) and $120 (long).

I read alot of good reviews about the sleeve system, a few who didnt care for it. I am a sid sleeper, but the main desirable feature was the room the bag offers. It's not lightest, but I think a good compromise. One day, I'll fork over the $$ for a down.

SMSP

Thanks, I too recieved the mailer and thats why I was looking at it..Tgought maybe, hey, a new bag..It does look roomy. At just over 3 pounds, dosnt look too bad, and with the liner, maybe warm enough..Hmmm. I'll have to give it a look

SMSP
08-25-2010, 09:29
While returning home from my GSMNP trip in 10/2009, I went back thru Nashville and stopped at the REI there. I was able to get inside an Encampment to try it out for size. I liked it. Then waited for my dividend and the 20% coupon. It looks like the sale price that will be offered in a couple days is about what I paid for mine as well.

SMSP

Graywolf
08-25-2010, 14:33
While returning home from my GSMNP trip in 10/2009, I went back thru Nashville and stopped at the REI there. I was able to get inside an Encampment to try it out for size. I liked it. Then waited for my dividend and the 20% coupon. It looks like the sale price that will be offered in a couple days is about what I paid for mine as well.

SMSP


Awsome. I too plan on using soem of my dividends.. Just love the thought of investing in your own equipment....

My biggest concern is the pad. I have always used a foam pad. I have been reluctant on the air pads, but this seems a great deal..

I went to Big Agnes website and looks like they offer the whole thing as a sleep system. I wonder if REI will accept that package as well..

Omega Man
09-08-2010, 17:23
I bought the Encampment for the same reasons as everyone else -- it's roominess..., but now I'm starting to second guess my choice for sleeping systems. In mid March I'm setting off on a thru-hike with my 69 year old father. I purchased my Encampment "long" bag on eBay for just under a hundred bucks with free shipping. It took several auction losses before I finally got my price, so I was kinda pleased with myself for getting the bag I had researched and wanted for what I thought was a decent price. For me, it's a little tough to justify spending a hundred bucks for a sleeping bag, but I consider myself fortunate that my better half is as understanding as can be expected, considering I'm leaving our perfect little world for a five to six month jaunt through the woods. Anyway, when it arrived, I was a bit disheartened by the enormity of the bag when placed in the stuff sack that came with, and to be honest, those 3.8 pounds felt more like five, but I weighed it w/ stuff sack and sure enough, 62 ounces was it's true weight.

I've selected a Gregory Z65 to carry all my stuff in and when I placed the Encampment inside, it took up over half the room in my pack! I knew synthetic bags packed larger than down, but considering the AT was a "wet trail," I felt this bag would be a logical choice, but I had no idea that it would be such a hog with such vital pack real estate. I suppose I'm left with a few choices, one, I find a compression sack that will cut the size in half, therefore providing room for food and clothes, or two, get a rainproof compression sack and somehow affix the bag to the outside of the pack, or three, find another bag that takes up less room, and simply forego my sleeping comfort (mummy bags are too narrow for me. I think I'm too old to compromise my side-sleeping style).

For a solution I went back to Big Agnes and found a clever little item called a girdle compression strap. Based on the pictures on the website, it looks like it should solve the space issue, but be forewarned, it's a spendy little contraption, by the time you add the s&h, it cost 30 bucks! So now I'm into my sleeping system for 125 bucks or so and still need to get an appropriate pad that will both insulate and provide enough cushion for my spine spurred back at the end of an arduous day on the trail.

The bag's slot fits a rectangular type of pad that is 78" x 20". I'm leaning toward a 2.5" pad also, from Big Agnes called, Dual-Core. It weighs 2lb 9 oz. and from the picture on the website, does not look too terribly compact either. It may have to go on the outside of the backpack wrapped in some kind of waterproof bag... It's gonna set me back another hundred bucks, plus whatever those guys in Steamboat Springs decide to charge for shipping! Is it me, or has anybody else noticed that shipping and handling is starting to become a real racket??

So, when all is said and done, my sleeping system will have cost me, give or take a few bucks, about $250 and 6.1 lbs. +/-. If I was a Rockafeller (or single), I suppose I'd get a down bag and a fancy thermo-lite pad, but then I suppose you'd have the whole rain /wet bag issue, et al...

I guess I'll see if I made the right choice. Just thought I'd share my experience so far with the Encampment bag. I plan to do plenty of winter camping this season, so I will definitely know before I actually start the big hike, whether or not I'll be taking the Encampment sleeping system.

DapperD
09-08-2010, 17:58
I bought the Encampment for the same reasons as everyone else -- it's roominess..., but now I'm starting to second guess my choice for sleeping systems. In mid March I'm setting off on a thru-hike with my 69 year old father. I purchased my Encampment "long" bag on eBay for just under a hundred bucks with free shipping. It took several auction losses before I finally got my price, so I was kinda pleased with myself for getting the bag I had researched and wanted for what I thought was a decent price. For me, it's a little tough to justify spending a hundred bucks for a sleeping bag, but I consider myself fortunate that my better half is as understanding as can be expected, considering I'm leaving our perfect little world for a five to six month jaunt through the woods. Anyway, when it arrived, I was a bit disheartened by the enormity of the bag when placed in the stuff sack that came with, and to be honest, those 3.8 pounds felt more like five, but I weighed it w/ stuff sack and sure enough, 62 ounces was it's true weight.

I've selected a Gregory Z65 to carry all my stuff in and when I placed the Encampment inside, it took up over half the room in my pack! I knew synthetic bags packed larger than down, but considering the AT was a "wet trail," I felt this bag would be a logical choice, but I had no idea that it would be such a hog with such vital pack real estate. I suppose I'm left with a few choices, one, I find a compression sack that will cut the size in half, therefore providing room for food and clothes, or two, get a rainproof compression sack and somehow affix the bag to the outside of the pack, or three, find another bag that takes up less room, and simply forego my sleeping comfort (mummy bags are too narrow for me. I think I'm too old to compromise my side-sleeping style).

For a solution I went back to Big Agnes and found a clever little item called a girdle compression strap. Based on the pictures on the website, it looks like it should solve the space issue, but be forewarned, it's a spendy little contraption, by the time you add the s&h, it cost 30 bucks! So now I'm into my sleeping system for 125 bucks or so and still need to get an appropriate pad that will both insulate and provide enough cushion for my spine spurred back at the end of an arduous day on the trail.

The bag's slot fits a rectangular type of pad that is 78" x 20". I'm leaning toward a 2.5" pad also, from Big Agnes called, Dual-Core. It weighs 2lb 9 oz. and from the picture on the website, does not look too terribly compact either. It may have to go on the outside of the backpack wrapped in some kind of waterproof bag... It's gonna set me back another hundred bucks, plus whatever those guys in Steamboat Springs decide to charge for shipping! Is it me, or has anybody else noticed that shipping and handling is starting to become a real racket??

So, when all is said and done, my sleeping system will have cost me, give or take a few bucks, about $250 and 6.1 lbs. +/-. If I was a Rockafeller (or single), I suppose I'd get a down bag and a fancy thermo-lite pad, but then I suppose you'd have the whole rain /wet bag issue, et al...

I guess I'll see if I made the right choice. Just thought I'd share my experience so far with the Encampment bag. I plan to do plenty of winter camping this season, so I will definitely know before I actually start the big hike, whether or not I'll be taking the Encampment sleeping system.This is why down bags have become popular, even among people like yourself who felt synthetic was the better choice for the A.T. I think if you are careful with a down bag, and store it inside say a plastic garbage bag before putting it inside it's stuff sack, you can avoid getting the bag wet. Compared to the benefits of down (warmth to weight ratio, packability, low weight, etc...) I think dealing with the system you plan to use may cause an unnecessary burden once you factor in the added weight and bulk of it. There is no doubt that quality down bags cost , but when dealing with a sleeping bag sometimes this extra cost is worth it when one plans an extended backpacking trip of this sort:-?.

SMSP
09-08-2010, 21:32
REI usually offers free shipping on purchases over $75, plus their customer service if you not satisfied, plus the membership.

SMSP