View Full Version : Warmlite triple bag?
Timinator
11-30-2012, 09:33
So I've been trying to decide which winter sleeping bag I should get for my wintry CDT trip for what seems like ages now.. It's a very tough subject for me especially since I don't really have the time or cash to do any real life testing with different set ups I made a thread about it a few months back which narrowed down my selection by alot but my head is still spinning.
My main plan has been a western mountaineering lynx sleeping bag, but I'm pretty sure I'd have to get the gore wind stopper version for the extra water resistance since my trip will be long, and if I add in the sleeping pads and the vapor barrier it's going to cost me like 850 bucks.
I've been considering the warmlite triple bags for a while now but I need someone with experience to tell me how bulky and reliable they are. Technically they would be cheaper than my conventional set up and just about the same weight but bag space is a concern.
My conventional set up is
http://cascadedesigns.com/therm-a-rest/mattresses/trek-and-travel/neoair-all-season/product
http://cascadedesigns.com/therm-a-rest/mattresses/trek-and-travel/ridge-rest-solite/product
http://www.westernmountaineering.com/index.cfm?section=products&page=Sleeping%20Bags&cat=Gore%20Windstopper%20Series&ContentId=46
It's hard to imagine the triple bag being more bulky than that but they do look pretty darn bulky from the pictures.
I have to say I love my Western Mountaineering bags. You can't go wrong with them.
I had a Warmlite Triple bag from the 1980s through the 1990s. It was heavy and bulky, and the built in vapor barrier limited the comfort range of each top (knowledge I've since gained after owning several "typical" down bags).
My personal opinion on waterproof coatings (they call them breathable, and they are, just barely, and not enough to make much of a difference in letting your insensible perspiration [a term learned by reading Jack Stephenson's catalog, which is outstanding as far as understanding thermodynamic regulation and vapor transmission is concerned]) dissipate nightly. In short, a wp/b laminate on the outside of a bag will hold in moisture more than you would like to deal with, especially if the weather's dry. If you want water protection carry a lightweight bivy sack, which you don't have to use in dry weather, but can double as protection under your bag when rain or dew aren't anticipated.
The Stephenson bags are awesome for Arctic and Antarctic conditions, when weight is not as important as keeping your sweat out of your bag's down.
Another thing about vapor barriers: When you use one you will not be able to wear much clothing inside as the clothing will be very damp after a while and you will get quite a shock when you get out and it's -10 to -20 degrees outside and the wind hits you in your damp skivvies.
Vapor barrier clothing over long underwear will allow you to wear clothing inside your bag and minimize moisture transferred to the down by your insensible persperation.
I own Feathered Friends, Golite, and Montbell sleeping bags, all down and all well made. I use the Golite mostly because it works best as a "hammock sock" and is pictured as my avatar.
T.S.Kobzol
11-30-2012, 16:21
I have and use the triple bag. To answer some of your questions:
How bulky are they? - Very bulky. They could be probably rolled into a tighter stuff sack than the one provided by Warmlite but it would take two people rolling.
As is with the supplied stuff sack the bag is rolled somewhat loose - good idea if you want the down to last longer. But you have to realize that the mattress is included with the bag so that accounts for some of the bulk.
I have never had an experience waking up with my clothes soaked. If I need to regulate the temperature I just unzip a little bit from the top.
To clarify: very damp is not "soaked" in my vocabulary. It is possible to unzip and flap the upper part of the bag to dispel some humid air, but that also replaces the warm air with cold, so it's a catch 22.
If you want to travel fast and far, lighter is better. The Warmlite would be great for an unheated hunting cabin or stationary tent in the middle of Maine, among other places. If Stephenson made a removeable vapor barrier I would probably never have sold the bag, but their philosophy is that for cold weather a vapor barrier is best, so they build it in.
The most frustrating aspect of the built in vbl is that the thin top was only comfortable (for me) in temperatures between 30 and 45 degrees - above that I would sweat until I folded back the top, then I'd freeze, I even tried redistributing the down to the sides of the top by patting down the middle as recommended by Stephenson - did not make enough of a difference.
A thin top without the built in vbl might be something that John Stephenson would consider to make the bag marketable to a broader segment of the hiking public. I doubt that his dad would have considered it at all. Nice guy when you agreed with him or made an attempt to understand his philosophy. I met him at his shop and liked him immediately. Some of his customers, who expected miracles because of Jack's knowledge and application of aerospace materials and engineering, might disagree. Unreasonable, Jack would probably call them, and probably rightly. :)
T.S.Kobzol
11-30-2012, 16:48
I have also been to his shop twice. My opinion was that his idea of customer service was to be dictatorial. I made my decision to purchase several items from them over the past 21 years (3 tents, 2 bags, 5 garments, 1 fabric) based on how I liked the performance of the product but I also assumed that I will be on my own if the stuff broke or if as Jack would put it - I was abusive to the product :D
I have also been to his shop twice. My opinion was that his idea of customer service was to be dictatorial. I made my decision to purchase several items from them over the past 21 years (3 tents, 2 bags, 5 garments, 1 fabric) based on how I liked the performance of the product but I also assumed that I will be on my own if the stuff broke or if as Jack would put it - I was abusive to the product :D
I can see that you know Jack (and I mean that in a nice way!). :)