lighter sleeping bag/quilt comfortable (semi comfortable) for woman at 15 degrees?
Any recommendations???
lighter sleeping bag/quilt comfortable (semi comfortable) for woman at 15 degrees?
Any recommendations???
Depends. Everyone doesn't sleep the same. Some run much warmer or colder than others, and that can have a big impact on how much insulation they require. Women do tend to sleep colder than men, though.
All quilts and bags aren't created equal, either. For bags, I would only look at ones that either have an EN rating, or are from a premium manufacturer like Feathered Friends or Western Mountaineering(those tend to be conservatively rated, and some are EN tested, though their results aren't published).
It really helps to know how your own comfort relates to those EN ratings. Otherwise, there's no way to know how much bag you really need, or for another person to give good advice. One person may need a 0F bag, while the next may get away with a 30F at the same temps. It'd be like recommending a shoe or pack without having any idea how they'd fit. Gotta have a lot more to go on than "for woman".
All else being equal, a quilt may or may not be as warm as a comparable bag. It's not going to be warmer, though, while the opposite can easily be true.
Frankly, if you have to ask, I'd stick with a sleeping bag. Quilts can work fine at very low temps, but that's with a list of caveats. I don't think anyone's first quilt should be a winter one.
For comfort at 15F, an insulated pad with an r value of at least a 4-5 should be a given, IMO, but I'll say it anyway. It's the only advice I'd be willing to put my name to without more detail.
You need to think in terms of a Sleep System.
Starting with ground insulation, R-5 would be appropriate for 15 degrees F. Sleeping clothes kept scrupulously dry. Coverage from head to toe should be available. Then the bag/quilt. The shelter around the sleeper should also be taken into account.
Put all of the pieces together correctly and you can sleep comfortably through the last hours of the morning when its coldest.
And. If youre anticipating 15 degrees, plan your sleep system down to 10 degrees.
In that temperature range, only down will keep you warm and not be heavy as a brick and will pack small.
Wayne
As a woman (and neither of those above are) I'd go for a 0* bag if you are actually planning to go down to 15*.
I am also a very cold-blooded woman and have a 10* to go to mid 20s. I won't use a quilt below about 35-40*...I want something that zips up. So either a hoodless quilt (like Englightened Equipment's Convert) or a sleeping bag.
If I was to choose something to get me down to 15* comfortably and stay snuggly warm I'd go with EE's Convert with 2-3oz extra down. I'm 5'5 and 110# and have the short length/regular width with 2 oz extra down and it's perfect (although I wish I'd gone with 3oz extra). I'd also get a down hood from either EE or ZPacks. I love my beanie but it wouldn't get me to 15*
To address the "lighter" part of the op's request...
First, I am a cold sleeper. I am comfortable in 15 degree nights in my 0 degree down bag. My 0 degree down bag weighs close to 4 lbs because I only wanted to spend a little bit of money - so what I got was a 650 fill down bag. It's great. It's warm. It's a Marmot, so it has a lifetime warranty. But it's not "light".
To get a "lighter" bag or quilt, the OP would need to get a bag / quilt that has higher fill power. Some say that anything over 850 fill power is a waste of money because there is no "true" 900 or 950 fill power ... I don't have enough knowledge about the subject to speak on it. But I will say that a 0 degree 850 fill bag is going to be considerably lighter than a 0 degree 650 fill bag.
Also, many of the companies that make ultra light bags or quilts will use a thinner denier fabric, like a 10d or a 7d nylon for their ultralight bags or quilts.
Between the 850 fill power and the lighter (thinner) fabrics, the end result will be a considerably lighter sleeping bag or quilt. Possibly less than half the weight of my 650 fill sleeping bag - under 2 pounds instead of almost 4 pounds.
The other benefit of 850 fill power over 650 fill power (beside being lighter) is that it compresses smaller... so you don't have to break out the 75 liter backpack just because it's cold out.
The price difference between a 650 fill bag and an 850 fill bag, however, is what makes people do what I did (and opt for the bulkier, heavier, cheaper one).
A 650 fill bag may be $250 and an 850 fill bag may be $500.
There's a saying I've seen around here that is very appropriate: Buy once, cry once.
When a person tries to save money on essential gear, they often regret it and end up spending the big bucks the second (or third) time around - which costs much more than buying the really good one the first time.
Oh, sure, bring sex into it. That's all you women think about😒Quote:
Originally Posted by DuneElliot
... ... ...Quote:
Originally Posted by DuneElliot
Can you get 4oz extra... would it help?
With comments above in mind....
Any 0 degree bag on the possible lighter side recommendations.... 5'10" height
Needs to be roomy in the legs and feet....
850 fill..
Does 900 fill make a difference?
Western Mountaineering Antelope 5* with overfill has enabled me to get down to 15*. I believe the Antelope is roomier than other WM models.Quote:
Originally Posted by petedelisio
I pair it with a TR Prolite Plus short and a closed cell pad.
<short, cold-sleeping female>
I wouldn't go with a quilt if you're a cold sleeper and actually will be out close to 15f. It's possible to do, but then you need to thing about other things, such as adding significant head warmth, using the straps properly, etc.
As for temp ratings, you do need to determine what the actual EN-comfort rating is for a bag. You don't need a 0 bag in certain makes, but some makes you would.
my wife has the REI joule (got it so cheap!) and it's been used close to the advertised comfort rating, and was warm. But it's a 21f bag
https://www.rei.com/product/111166/r...ing-bag-womens
My wife's is actually the previous version of the bag, a 23f (similar bag)
Here's the REI bag that is 17f, close to where you want to be:
https://www.rei.com/product/148331/r...ing-bag-womens
If you have more to spend, there are other great options
Western Mountaineering make some of the best bags out there that are generally true to rating but I would also get overstuff more to stop down shift than anything else.Quote:
Originally Posted by petedelisio
You can get anything you want but I think after 2-3oz you are at the point of diminishing returns as the baffles prevent that much down from lofting properly. While I got the extra 2oz to boost the temp rating slightly I was more interested in it to prevent down shift.Quote:
Originally Posted by petedelisio
From the Western Mountaineering Pricing Page:
Sleeping Bag Overfills MegaLite 2 oz 32.00 Apache/UltraLite 2 oz 32.00 Badger/AlpinLite 3 oz 48.00 Antelope/VersaLite 3 oz 48.00 Kodiak/Sequoia 4 oz 60.00 Lynx 4 oz 60.00 Puma 5 oz 78.00 Bison 5 oz 78.00 Foot Box Overfill 1.5 oz 27.00
I own a WM Antelope & Alpinlite with factory original down quantity. No overstuffing. I couldn't be more pleased. The Alpnlite has been comfortable for me to 15 F degrees. I don't know where the Antelope will go temperature wise. It's really WARM.
You can't know if a bag is right until the user has personally tested it.
Wayne