Thru Hike Sleeping Bag/ Quilt Question

[Shonryu]

I'm a cold sleeper and wanted to know what degree sleeping bag/ quilt would be best for a thru hike starting towards the end of March. I plan on carrying it for most of my hike.

I was thinking of going with a 20 degree quilt and supplementing it with a base layer, gloves, hat, balaclava, and puffy jacket if needed. Would this be warm enough or should I go 15 or even bite the bullet and go 0? I'm teying to be weight concious about my gear but not stupid lol.

[Damn Yankee]

I would assume that it would be personal preference. I myself sleep better in the cold so I can get by with a higher degree bag. I use the middle bag from a military sleep system with a gortex shell and I'm fine all year long but, for you it may be different. Try a bag out now like a 30 degree and see what the return policy is and if it's to cold, go with a lower degree bag. With the materials they have now, you can get a 0 degree bag under two pounds. But you need to be able to test the bag out first to see if it will be adequate.

[daddytwosticks]

On a cold night, I want and need the "cocooning" of a mummy bag. However, if you want to be a true ultralighter (according to a recent thread), you may want to look at quilts.

[Nooga]

I think that most would do fine with a 20 deg bag / quilt starting in late March. For me, I have ordered a 10 deg quilt, for an April start, but I sleep very cold. A good R value pad will also help.

[Shonryu]

Thanks so far for the recommendations. I did a section hike during the middle of Oct from Damascus through SNP and carried a 30 degree quilt. I think temps dropped to the low 20's to high teens and even with all my clothes on I froze every night. This winter has been very cold and so i'm anticipating that even starting in March its fair to say that conditions will still be colder than usual. Not having done a thru hike so I'm preparing for the kind of temps outside of the places I have hiked. From the looks of things it we like maybe a 15 degree quilt is going to be a safe bet.

[TAG]

I also sleep cold. I'm often carrying a 20 degree bag while my buddies are venting a 30 degree quilt. Two things that really helped me were upgrading to sleeping pad with a higher R value (like the xtherm) and using a bivy. At the end of the day though, what you need to stay warm is very individual. It has been said that you carry your fears on your back. For me, I dread sleeping cold, so I always have more sleeping insulation than I need.

[Okie Dokie]

I'm a cold sleeper, as well, in every day life...I prefer sleeping in a 50-degree room whenever possible, all other things being equal...I work indoors about a 1/4th of a typical day, outdoors about 3/4ths, managing a youth camp...

Having said that I'd encourage you to explore the possibility that you may value a "warmer sleep" (than you're ordinarily accustomed to) when you're backpacking, outside, all day...you can lose a couple of degrees of core body temperature in cool/cold weather...you may notice it, you may not...if you do you're probably going to prefer a somewhat warmer sleeping experience to get your core temp back up overnight...

I used a Marmot Nighthawk on my '91 thru-hike...2.5 pounds, goose down fill, Gore-Tex outer shell, rated to 20 degrees...it was perfect, and March of that year (and later September and October in New Hampshire and Maine) had some cold nights.

On cold nights I slept in a synchilla balaclava, expedition-weight capilene top and mid-weight capilene bottoms and was very comfortable...nights down to about 15 degrees...

On cool nights I slept in a midweight top and underwear...again, very comforatable...

On warmer nights I slept in underwear with the bag unzipped...

I carried my bag the whole way...in the hottest parts of summer there were still a few "cool" nights, usually following a rain, when I simply slept on my sleeping pad and pulled the unzipped bag over me during the wee hours of the morning...

[Dogwood]

With that set up(20* quilt or sleeping bag) inside a tent(you never mentioned your shelter, it can make a difference in how warm/cold you sleep!) you'll survive. It will be too warm in summer though. You/ll prolly adapt better with the 20* quilt in this regard compared to a 20* sleeping bag.

[Shonryu]

I've been going back and forth between shelters and debating on using my Darien UL hammock and Cuban fly set up with a 3/4 UQ or using my Borah Bivy with a Cuban tarp and Thermarest Xlite woman's version.

Personally I perfer to sleep in shelters and what I bring would serve as a back up incase they are full. Even though I love my hammock I'm leaning to my bivy more for the weight savings even though its only a few ounces which makes more sense if I'm staying in shelters most of the time. Both shelters have served me well for 3 season backpacking.

[Nooga]

I carried my tent from Springer to Damascus, hammock from Damascus to Mass, and tent from Mass to Katahdin. If I had a good cold weather, light weight hammock, that is what I would carry. I'm currently looking at a UL Darien myself.

[Slo-go'en]

I'm a cold sleeper too - if the gear I have isn't sufficent for the current conditions. Other wise I'm quite comfy.

The problem with the AT in the spring is the dampness. The air is damp, your clothes are likely damp, your sleeping bag is damp and all that makes it feel a lot colder then the actual air temp. It takes a lot more energy to keep warm when the humidity is high. The fact your tired and not eating quite enough just componds the problem.

But this poses a bit of a delema. Do you pack for the extrems or the average? A bag rated at 20 is going to be real marginal if it actually goes to down to 20. But how often will it go to 20? For an end of March start, maybe a handful of times. For those few nights, you can suffer through them. It builds character Just remember although you can get those cold nights, they don't last long. It will warm up the next day.

Don't plan on staying at shelters most of the time for the first month or so unless your willing to get up early, run to the next one and then stay there. You also have to hope everyone who was at that next shelter left. If it's raining there is a good chance many didn't. If you want to become part of the shelter dweller crowd, you'll figure out how to soon enough. Anyway, if it is a cold night, you'd be warmer in a tent.

[Shonryu]

Nooga as a hanger I would definitely recommend a Darien UL to anyone who is looking for an UL hammock set-up with some bonuses. I'm 6'2 and haven't been able to find a lighter set-up. I opted for camouflage for those days when I wanna stealth hang.