Is this sleeping bag as good as it seems?

[jberretta7]

For $80 this bag would be great for car camping, but all the comments are extremely positive and someone even says its only 23.5oz. If this is true (Can anyone verify?) then would you rather carry this bag, or a Mountain Hardware Pinole?
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Ozark-Trai...#ProductDetail
I also don't necessarily want to support walmart but 23.5oz isn't something to shy away from at that price.

[AngelEyez]

this i dont know. what is it you like is it the price or the down your more interested in. http://www.geartrade.com has new and used bag and at some what reasonable prices. llbean might have some sales amazon ebay

[bfayer]

For $80 this bag would be great for car camping, but all the comments are extremely positive and someone even says its only 23.5oz. If this is true (Can anyone verify?) then would you rather carry this bag, or a Mountain Hardware Pinole?
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Ozark-Trai...#ProductDetail
I also don't necessarily want to support walmart but 23.5oz isn't something to shy away from at that price.

I am a scout leader and we have scouts that have/had this bag.

Two issues:

1. There is no DWR coating and the shell sucks up water like a sponge.
2. The rating is not accurate, even 40F is pushing it. If it was EU rated it would probably be a 55F. For comparison a Montbell 650 #5 is EU rated at 46F and weighs 26oz.

You can find a Kelty on sale at Campmor for not much more and get 100% better bag, and if you are going to use this car camping then the weight is not an issue.

[slbirdnerd]

My son (a scout) uses a MH Pinole and loves it. You can always find something lighter but I think it's a decent synthetic bag.

[Monkeywrench]

As good as it seems? It doesn't seem very good, so yes.

[jberretta7]

I have the MH Pinole, but when I bought it, I wasn't being weight conscientious and I need a lighter bag.
@Bfayer- Almost all of the reviews say the temp rating is off so I agree with that also, but that 20 degree pinole had me sweating up a storm so I figured lighter wouldn't be so bad. Also, thank you very much for the input about the coating. THAT is enough to turn me off of this bag.
@AngelEyez- Thank you for that link! Another one to add to the bookmark folder.

So I'm assuming that when ya'll mention a Kelty bag, you're talking about the cosmic?

[Kraken Skullz]

Walmart also has a 40 degree bag that I picked up yesterday and weighs 22ozs on my scale. I am going to give it a try now that spring weather is here in sc and figured I could use a fleece liner if it gets colder. Spent $40 bucks.

[Kraken Skullz]

It is also a mummy bag.

[w00dchuck]

Just my two cents based on my AT hiking experience in Georgia North Carolina and Maine last year. Any bag rated over 20 degrees will be inadequate until the cold weather is permanently gone. Many feel the need for a 10 degree or even a zero. I originally purchased a marmot 15 degree synthetic but quickly replaced it with a 20 degree mountain hardware 800 fill down bag with DWR. Best move I ever made. Saved big weight and the down bag works for me way down to single digits. Don't underestimate the importance of your bag. When you are up on some wicked cold ridgeline stuck in your bag for ten or maybe fourteen hours you'll be as miserable as you have ever been in your life or inconvenienced. Depending on how important you thought your sleeping bag was. Save money on clothes or food even shoes. Get the best bag you can afford.

[mudsocks]

I bought one of these because I saw it on sale for $33 and couldn't resist. The 32 degree rating is definitely a survival rating, not a comfort rating. It's also a bit heavy for a summer season bag. In my opinion it's not worth $79.

[Wolf - 23000]

Keep in mind a sleeping bag works by how high the loaf expands along with several other factors. You also have to look at how long the loaf is able to expand. Sure some of these bags may look like a cheap way to save a couple of bucks but you also have to look at how long it will last.

Wolf

[daddytwosticks]

Just my two cents based on my AT hiking experience in Georgia North Carolina and Maine last year. Any bag rated over 20 degrees will be inadequate until the cold weather is permanently gone. Many feel the need for a 10 degree or even a zero. I originally purchased a marmot 15 degree synthetic but quickly replaced it with a 20 degree mountain hardware 800 fill down bag with DWR. Best move I ever made. Saved big weight and the down bag works for me way down to single digits. Don't underestimate the importance of your bag. When you are up on some wicked cold ridgeline stuck in your bag for ten or maybe fourteen hours you'll be as miserable as you have ever been in your life or inconvenienced. Depending on how important you thought your sleeping bag was. Save money on clothes or food even shoes. Get the best bag you can afford.

Agree 100%. In my opinion, a sleeping bag should be the best you can afford for the conditions you may encounter.

[Sailing_Faith]

Just one long, cold miserable night will forever change your opinion of "cheap". I am still looking, but moving in the direction of spending more money....

l... Wish there was a trade in value for all the bags I have tried.

[daddytwosticks]

Get a bag from Western Mountaineering and it will be the last bag you buy. Of course, it took me three WM bags before I found the one best for me!

[twindaddy]

I bought this for my son for the monthy BSA camp outs. (In late Oct, in the KCMO area), it was a wet, windly 48 degree night. He was in a old coleman tent on a blue walmart tarp in a grassy field with one other boy in the tent. My son tends to sleep a bit hot. He was using an older z-lite pad ( R Factor 2.5 ish) He started the night in the bag with an UnderArmor Heat Gear Long Sleeve and some Champion C9 lightweight longies. He took off the longies allmost immediately and slept in his underwear and long sleeve for the rest of the night. He said he was still a bit hot. He is 5' 5'', 115 lbs.

I suspect for most people this is a 40 degree bag presuming, tent, non insulating pad and some decent sleep gear. The bag does compact to about the size of a 2 liter soda bottle with ease.