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nastynate
10-23-2013, 19:51
I'm wanting to do some backpacking this winter and I nene a sleeping bag or quilt. I just do 2-3 day trips right now, so I don't HAVE to go out if it looks like temps will drop into the single digits. I spend most of my trips in Tennessee and North Carolina. I'm 5'8" and 160 lbs. I have a homemade 5.0 apex quilt for 3 season use and I'm comfortable using a quilt down to 32. Not sure about below that. I made a cost
/weight chart with all of the most popular 10-15* bags. If I go with one in the $250 range I could get a down hoody, but not if I get a $400+ bag.
EE RevX 10* 29oz $225
EE Enigma 10* 19oz $415 (water resistant down)
Underground quilt Flight Jacket 20* with 3oz overfill 24oz $275 (water resistant down)
Zpacks solo 10* 20oz $410
Wilderness Logics Kingsize 10* 26oz $245
WM Versalite 10* 32oz $500
Montbell SS 1 15* 37oz $400
Marmot Helium 15* 35 oz $400

I'm fairly new to backpacking, and to going lightweight. But I know that a winter bag is a investment and I only want to do this once.

Weather-man
10-23-2013, 20:18
My .02....I just bought an EE Rev X in 10* during a sale that Tim was running on BPL. I'm 5'9" and about 185. I chose the wide version and a bit longer so I can crawl in it a bit deeper if I need to. I also had it over stuffed by 2 oz. IIRC, the total weight is now about 32oz and it was around $200 delivered to the house.

I personally love quilts and prefer them over bags even in the winter. For years, before quilts were commercially marketed, I used to open up my bag and use it quilt-like. Critical, as I'm sure you know, is an appropriately rated pad for the conditions as the pad is a component of the "system", especially when using a quilt in the winter. This is an important aspect and if you decide to quilt in the winter you should ponder your pad system carefully.

kayak karl
10-23-2013, 20:22
the Golite Adrenaline 0° is a good bag. got mine on sale for $260, but i don't know if it is till made.

Venchka
10-23-2013, 22:47
You should search for TipiWalter (a WhiteBlaze mwmbwr) trip reports. He knows winter along the NC-TN border. He sleeps in a WM Puma bag over an Exped DownMat 9 air mattress inside a Hilleberg Kiron 3 tent.
From personal experience, I can confirm that the collar and hood of a WM bag are worth the extra cost. They work. I own a WM Antelope rated at Zero degrees. I would not consider anything less for winter use in TN and NC. A lower rated bag may be needed.
In my opinion, when it gets cold, No collar and No hood = No Good.
One more personal observation: a high quality down vest and windproof shell is very versatile in changing cold weather conditions. Don't leave home without them.
YMMV.

Wayne

aficion
10-23-2013, 22:51
Recommend an MLD quilt to use over your 3 season setup. Very reasonable price, bombproof, and helps with moisture dispersion in cold temps.

LIhikers
10-23-2013, 23:41
Consider using your existing quilt over a 20 degree bag of good quality.
And just as important is to have a good pad to insulate you from the cold ground.

bobtomaskovic
10-24-2013, 00:02
I've seen quite a few good deals on down bags at Sierra Trading Post. Got a 15* long 800 fill Sierra Designs bag for $230 a while back. You have to use the special sales (35% off and free shipping) they run every week or two after you sign up as a customer.

nastynate
10-24-2013, 05:42
I have a NeoAir xlite and a ridgerest solite that I plan to stack for bottom insulation. I can see where having a 20* bag and laying my quilt over it would be versatile, but that's getting to be a lot of volume. I've ready some of Tipi's reports. He certainly has winter backpacking down to an art. More reading and research is in order.

Venchka
10-24-2013, 10:42
Winter camping requires a total system approach. Clothes. Shelter. Bag. Pad (R-6 minimum, IMHO). Stove-white gas has a hundred+ year history of working in snow & cold. Food-lots of staying power calories. You may need a bigger pack. Good luck! Have fun!
A few nights at/near Roan High Nob sometime between New Years Day & Mardi Gras is high on my bucket list.

Wayne

bigcranky
10-24-2013, 11:55
My winter bag is a 5-F Western Mountaineering, and it keeps me warm in anything the winter around here can throw at me. While I do like a quilt, and use my 3-season bag open as a quilt much of the time, I like a sleeping bag for deep winter. Also, the sleeping pad becomes much more important in winter, *especially* if you are using a quilt. Full length, high R value, and no chance of losing insulation to a puncture. If that Ridgerest is full length, then you're fine adding your Neoair above it, though you might also want a piece of Reflectix or similar to add a little more insulation under your torso. I also put my CCF sit pad under my feet inside my bag for more insulation.

As Venchka says, winter requires a total system approach. In September it's possible to forget something, or bring the wrong gear, or have a stove or pad failure, and walk out the next day none the worse for wear. That's harder to do in January.

One option that you might try is camping near your vehicle the first couple of times, just to test all the gear in really cold conditions. This is better than trying it out in the yard, since most folks just do that for a couple of hours, and miss the big temperature drop at 4am, just when your internal furnace is at its lowest ebb.

Winter hiking is wonderful: peaceful, quiet, great views, etc. Good luck and have fun.

Dogwood
10-24-2013, 13:09
WM Versalite 10* 32oz $500

Saw them in good used condition here on WB and another two on Ebay recently for about $300. IMO, it's the best overall of all the conventional sleeping bags on your list and I've owned all of them on your list at one time or another.

As a general rule I reprioritize for winter hikes. Start getting down into the temps you may be hiking in(10*) during winter and a quilt takes on additional considerations IMO that go beyond simply wt and price of one. And YES I too agree "winter requires a total system approach" particularly if using a quilt.

Don't forget that another option is to combine the quilt you already own with another conventional sleeping bag/quilt OR that you can tweak the temp rating lower with the quilt you already own by mixing in: a liner, sleeping insulation(including down booties, gloves, hat(baclava is great for winter), etc), UL WR highly breathable bivy, sleeping inside an enclosed tent, added insulation under you in the form of a higher R value pad or by throwing in a CCF, and however else you might add warmth to the sleep system. Personally, I take the kit integration(whole system approach with all my gear) all the time and not just in winter.

Venchka
10-25-2013, 14:08
PS: The Western Mountaineering Vistalite & Antelope are the same bag with the exception of the outer shell. The Vistalite has a very lightweight fabic shell while the Antelope's shell is micro-fiber. The Antelope weighs a bit more. In case you are shopping the used/sale/clearance/seconds market and find a screaming deal on an Antelope.

Wayne

Bags4266
10-25-2013, 17:21
I saw the helium yesterday at dicks sg for 299. Never knew they carried marmot.

Venchka
10-25-2013, 17:28
PS: The Western Mountaineering Vistalite & Antelope are the same bag with the exception of the outer shell. The Vistalite has a very lightweight fabic shell while the Antelope's shell is micro-fiber. The Antelope weighs a bit more. In case you are shopping the used/sale/clearance/seconds market and find a screaming deal on an Antelope.

Wayne

OOPS! Dogwood got it ritht. I got it wrong. I should have said that the WM Versalite & Antelop are the same except for the outer shell. Sorry.

Wayne

nastynate
10-25-2013, 17:59
Thanks for all the advice. Still trying to decide if a WM bag or a RevX quilt+down jacket+down balaclava would be the best me. I sleep a little cold, but I sure of love the roominess of my apex quilt.

Duramax22
10-25-2013, 20:00
In my opinion nc/tn winters are very mild over all. I climb mt leconte frequently and every so often you get a night below 10 but most are in the 20s. I use a WM versalite and a thermarest neoair all season and have stayed warm well below the 10 degree rating.

bigcranky
10-25-2013, 21:39
In case you are shopping the used/sale/clearance/seconds market and find a screaming deal on an Antelope.



I got my Antelope when my local outfitter stopped carrying that model -- they marked it down to $250 for the long. Yeah, screaming deal, even several years ago.

q-tip
10-26-2013, 09:28
WM Kodiak-0 D-never fails.....but a bit heavy at 54 oz.

Rasty
10-26-2013, 10:48
Thanks for all the advice. Still trying to decide if a WM bag or a RevX quilt+down jacket+down balaclava would be the best me. I sleep a little cold, but I sure of love the roominess of my apex quilt.

Add a pair of down pants and socks to the revolution quilt and have what I'm using. I like that I don't have to retreat to my sleeping bag to stay warm.