Sleeping bag advice

[Ed Theakston]

I'm planning on hiking about half of the AT Northbound (starting at Springer Mountain) at the start of May 2013. What sort of temperature ranges can I expect to encounter, and what should I look for in a sleeping bag to best suit these? I will be using a tent pretty much every night.

My main consideration has to be weight, so the lighter the better. However, I would like to be comfortable at least some of the time but appreciate that lower temperature comfort limits will add weight.

As well as this, I'm conscious that lightweight + warmth = high cost, and bearing in mind I will be on a fairly strict budget I'm reluctant to just drop £300+ on a bag, so are there any specific manufactures that offer the best value for money? One option I'm considering is a Mountain Hardwear Lamina 32 combined with a liner for it gets colder. I can get one of these for about £65, would it be any good? Or not warm enough?

I am from England and know nothing about camping / hiking in North America so any other advice, however general, would be greatly appreciated.

[bigcranky]

Beginning in May, you'll get a couple of nights down around freezing, so a bag rated to around 30 or 35-F would be useful. Nighttime temps into June in Virginia can still be in the 50s, so that same 30-F rated bag won't be too warm -- and if it has a full length zipper, you can open it up and use it as a quilt.

My personal preference is for a down bag. Not only is it lighter than a synthetic for the same warmth, it has a wider comfort range, and packs down much smaller. It'll also last through a lot more packing cycles without losing loft.

There are some decent down bags for not a lot of money. Something like the Kelty Cosmic. Try to keep it under 2 pounds total for the bag. Also, give some thought to the idea that you'll be sleeping in this every night for three months -- maybe it's worth spending a couple of hundred pounds on it?

[swjohnsey]

Kelty Light Year 40 (cheap) Western Mountaineering Highlite 35 (expensive).

[bigcranky]

Kelty Light Year 40 (cheap) Western Mountaineering Highlite 35 (expensive).


I owned the Kelty LY 40, and I own two WM bags, and the only thing I wil mention about this comparison is that the 5-degree difference in rating is not even close to the real-world difference in warmth. That Kelty did not keep me warm anywhere close to 40F.

[swjohnsey]

I own both bags and found they both did a decent job of keepin' me warm down to the teens with some extra clothing. If anything the Kelty was warmer and about twice as heavy as the WM.

[etboy]

Greetings Ed,
I'm not going to offer any suggestions on the bag for your trip, but as a fellow Brit I will tell you, don't buy anything what-so-ever in England, and bring it to America, except for tea bags of course. Great Britain is the greatest rip off country in the world. Buy whatever you need online and ship it to yourself to any post office in the U.S. c/o general delivery (poste restante in Euro talk), or if you're staying at the hiker hostel before your hike, e-mail them and ask them if they would hold it for you. The Yanks are nothing like us, they'll do anything to help you.
Best wishes on your hike. E.T. (English Tony)

[bigcranky]

Another option is to buy your sleeping bag at the Mountain Crossings outfitter at Neels Gap when you arrive, and before you start your hike. Or at the REI in Atlanta.

[Grampie]

One thing to consider before you buy a sleeping bag. A down bag is in most cases lighter and will pack smaller than a synthitic bag. That a +. cosisider that a down bad is useless if it get's wet and is very hard to dry. A synthitic bad will still keep you warm if it get's wet and will dry out just from your body heat. Keeping your stuff dry is hard to do when thru-hiking. Consider this fact before you purchase.

[futureatwalker]

Hi Ed,

Well, if you have a friend in the states that you can ship things to, you could order a decent bag cheap from Campmor.com and ship it to them.

If you want to buy a bag before then, I was able to get a good deal at Cotswold outdoors.

I would definitely go for a down bag. They are worth it. You can buy a waterproof bag to throw it in, and you are good.


I would also go with a 20 degree (F) bag. Some will say this is overkill, but it's what I have (North Face Blue Kazoo), and I use it the most.

I have the Kelty 40 degree bag, and it's a great summer bag. But it is not warm enough for the mountains on the AT. You can almost see through it.

Have a great hike!

[daddytwosticks]

When in May are you leaving from Springer? Early on, warmer bag. After or around Memorial Day, I'd take a lighter down bag and carry a warm jacket to supplement the lighter down bag. :)

[HooKooDooKu]

One thing to consider before you buy a sleeping bag. A down bag is in most cases lighter and will pack smaller than a synthitic bag. That a +. cosisider that a down bad is useless if it get's wet and is very hard to dry. A synthitic bad will still keep you warm if it get's wet and will dry out just from your body heat. Keeping your stuff dry is hard to do when thru-hiking. Consider this fact before you purchase.

I'm not familier with the weather conditions along the whole lengh of the AT, but I am very familer with hiking in the Smoky Moutains (which the AT passes through). Weather can be rediculously humid in this area. Don't know what manufacturers might be doing today, but I have an older brother that tried a down sleeping bag (decades ago) in the Smoky Moutains and only used it once. The bag simply gained weight during the trip just because of the high humidity.

I'd love to hear from anyone with experience with the Sierra Designs Zissou bags (http://www.rei.com/product/836215/sierra-designs-zissou-dridown-sleeping-bag). They are described as having a hydophobic finish placed on each plumb. Makes is SOUND like the idea down bag for the high humidity of the southern AT, but then advertising doesn't always live up to the claims.

[sublimety]

I'm not familier with the weather conditions along the whole lengh of the AT, but I am very familer with hiking in the Smoky Moutains (which the AT passes through). Weather can be rediculously humid in this area. Don't know what manufacturers might be doing today, but I have an older brother that tried a down sleeping bag (decades ago) in the Smoky Moutains and only used it once. The bag simply gained weight during the trip just because of the high humidity.

I'd love to hear from anyone with experience with the Sierra Designs Zissou bags (http://www.rei.com/product/836215/sierra-designs-zissou-dridown-sleeping-bag). They are described as having a hydophobic finish placed on each plumb. Makes is SOUND like the idea down bag for the high humidity of the southern AT, but then advertising doesn't always live up to the claims.


I would hold out on buying a down bag until the new spring 2013 lines come out. Almost every quality company is releasing bags that have the new Dridown or Downtek tech. It is down that is treated to be water resistant (not waterproof). You can either get one of these new bags or get a deal on the older models that will be marked down to make way for this new tech.

[colorado_rob]

So far, these dri-down bags are pretty heavy for their temperature rating, though who knows, this may change. They call the new bags "600 fill" (as opposed to 850-900 fill for the lightest conventional down bags). For example, the lightest weight one is rated at 37 degrees and weighs 2 lb 1 oz. the WM 35 deg weighs, what, 10 ounces less than that? The Sierra Design bags are on sale right now at REI, by the way. The bottom line for me personally is I'll just continue being careful to keep my ultralight bags dry, and if the "dru-down" bags get lighter in the future, I'll take a harder look then. In my 40+ years of hiking/backpacking, I've only had one down-bag soaking that I had to dry out before continuing (in a town's laundry-mat).

Right now I'm planning on starting the AT next year (late March?) with my WM 20 deg bag (1lb-9oz), then switch to my MHW Phantom 45 (1lb-2oz) when I get to warmer climes, then back to the WM 20 if and when I make it to New Hampshire and north of there. If I had to do this with just one single bag I'd bring my MHW 32 degree Phantom (1lb-9oz) (BTW: on sale right now at REI for $244).

[Ed Theakston]

Thanks for all the replies guys, given me some good food for thought.

colorado_Rob might have found the solution with the Phantom 32 on sale - I'd been minutes away from buying one of these for £180 before it sold out, reckon at close to £150 at current exchange rates we'll have a winner; the warmth to weight ratio seems ideal on this bag, and I've read nothing but good reviews about it, plus can save on international shipping by mailing it to a friend Stateside.

Presuming I do go for the Phantom, would a liner be a necessary? I had been considering a 35 degree synthetic bag with a Thermolite Reactor liner for colder nights - would this be overkill with the Phantom?

On a side note, I'm also planning on camping in Yellowstone and Yosemite National Parks around August time, would the Phantom still be good? Or too warm?

Thanks again for the advice so far and keep it coming!

[nickamante]

I managed to snag a Marmot Plasma 30 bag for half price and figured I could supplement it with the Thermolite Reactor Plus (+20 degree) liner and end up with something that'd be decent down to 15-20 degrees. After a few trips where the temperature dropped to mid-20's I've been pretty disappointed. I really don't think the liners are worth relying on... at most I'd say it added 5 degrees and kept my bag a bit cleaner; I'd spend the extra money and go with a warmer bag you can unzip a bit when it gets warm.

[swjohnsey]

Temps can get down to freezing in August in Yellowstone. Instead of usin' a liner take fleece tops, bottoms, mittens and balacava. These will stretch a bag way more than 20 degrees F. and has multiple uses.

[RWheeler]

I started in Amicalola on April 24 and the only nights I hit that were freezing or below were when I was going through the Smokies (5/8-5/10). I had a Western Mountaineering SummerLite (32F) and it suited me fine, although I do tend to be a bit of a warm sleeper.

If you go with that Phantom, you may not need a liner, depending what clothes you have to layer up with when you're sleeping. But it's a great price point for that bag, so I wouldn't let the "maybe liner, maybe not" stop you from buying it.

[lkn4air]

While we are on this subject. What are peoples thoughts or experiences with taking 40 degree bag and using Sea Summit Reator liner when needed?

[bfayer]

While we are on this subject. What are peoples thoughts or experiences with taking 40 degree bag and using Sea Summit Reator liner when needed?

Well my thoughts are a liner does not keep you any warmer than a set of mid weights, and you can use the mid weights for more than sleeping in.

Also, I have never found a liner that will add 20 degrees to a bag, not even 10, 5 maybe.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

[trapper]

wm alpin lite..2# and 20 degree rating..full zipper use as quilt when its hot...440$ but you won't regret it...my favorite piece of gear.

[swjohnsey]

WM Highlight, 35 F, 1/2 zipper and only 1#. Your back will love you.