Do i honestly need a Summer Sleeping bag?

[SETX_Mason]

Ok,.... So my Sleeping bag is the Sub Kilo it goes down to about 20 and i got a bag liner to drop it even more if need be.....


But alot of people seem to switch to a lighter sleeping bag during the summer rated around 40 or so..... I see no value since i can't find a sleeping bag rated in that range that has a large differnce in weight from my Sub Kilo( about 30 ounces)....


i honestly dont want to spend the money unless i can find some thing that will lighten my load more than just few ounces...


Any ideas? Or should i just sleep ontop of my bag in the liner during sumer?

[4eyedbuzzard]

You do not honestly NEED a summer sleeping bag. A really lightweight summer bag or quilt might save you almost a pound over the Sub Kilo, but a bag or quilt that light ain't going to be cheap. The other, cheaper, option is just a fleece blanket. Couldn't tell you the weight on those though.

[max patch]

Use your bag as a quilt.

[BadAndy]

I'll second the fleece blanket. I use a Jacks R Better Summer Quilt/Quilt liner and it's perfect down to about 60 deg. in my hammock with no UQ or pad. On the ground with a pad you could probably stretch it a little lower. Only about $30 and nice and light. Doesn't really pack too small though.

[Rocket Jones]

I hit Joanne's fabrics during a sale and picked up a few yards of sturdy fleece. Cut the taper and added a footbox, weighs about a pound. Like noted above though, it's not very compressible.

[garlic08]

For the AT summer I found a 17 oz down number, the Mountain Hardware Phantom 45, for about $175. My other bag was the Marmot Helium 15, which weighed nearly twice as much and is way too warm for summer. After the hike, I sold the Phantom 45 for $125, so it wasn't too expensive to have a comfortable summer bag. The bag was true to its rating and I was very happy with it.

[daddytwosticks]

I use a Montbell Thermal Sheet opened up as a quilt for summer nights down to about 55 degrees. Less than 14 oz. total weight and compresses down to nothing. Cost me about $180. Love it when coupled with my SMD Meteor bivy. :)

[CrumbSnatcher]

in 99' at A thrift store in waynesboro VA.
i bought 2 bed sheets that worked great, switched back to my bag in glencliff NH.

[Blissful]

The marmot pounders were quite cheap like last year. Maybe there are some still around online. Really like the 16oz for 40 degrees. Used mine last week.

[malowitz]

SETX - just start with your 20 degree bag. If you find it is too much in the warmer weather, buy another along the way (you can buy an outfitter or order off the web and have it shipped). I thru'd in 2010. I started with a Western Mountaineering 20 degree bag. In Waynesboro I bought a 1 lb Mont-Bell Superstrech (maybe #5) and used it the rest of the way. I never went back to the 20 degree bag. I finished Aug 23, for reference.

The summer bag only 1 lb and packed smaller. I would do the same thing if I were hiking again. Some nights I just used my bag liner when it was too warm.

Mike

[Spirit Walker]

No, you don't need to switch. On my long hikes I didn't want to have to deal with the hassle and expense of mailing sleeping bags back and forth across the country. I am not an ultralighter and convenience is more important to me sometimes than weight. On the AT I used a 20 deg. bag the whole way. Same for the PCT. When it was hot, I slept on top of the bag or with it largely open. On the CDT I used a 10 deg. bag the whole way on my SOBO hike and a 20 deg. bag on the NOBO hike, except the last three weeks when we switched to 10 deg. bags.

[wcgornto]

Go SOBO and you can use the one bag the whole way more comfortably.

[q-tip]

I switched to a summmer bag to save 2 lbs--more than worth the change....