Which temperature sleeping bag for a July 15th start in Denver?

[bpowell1014]

For a CT thru starting July 15th from Denver, should I bring my 20 degree 3lb sleeping bag or my 40 degree bag which weighs much less? For those past thru hikers out there, how cold does it really get in mid-summer? I also have a liner I could bring if necessary. And I really don't want to spend money on a new bag. Thanks!

[Coffee]

I had my Marmot Helium 15 on my thru hike starting July 27 from Denver. I was happy to have it. Temps never got super cold but I think that I would have been very cold in a 40 degree bag several nights at higher elevation camps

[Chaps]

I'm taking a 30 degree bag, sleeping in thermals and thick socks, taking a very light down jacket to layer on in the bag if needed, and hoping that's enough.

[Daniel Fisher]

Bpowell, I took an 18 degree bag on my 2013 thruhike, and I got cold a couple nights when sleeping at high elevations. It depends a lot on if you are a warm sleeper or not.... I'm taking the same bag for my 2015 hike given it wasnt a problem for me to get cold every once in a while. I'm a pretty warm guy in general. If you always camped as low as possible every night, and didnt mind being chilly, a 40 degree bag could work, but I advise you take your 20 degree bag instead. If you get tired near a summit, its nice to be able to just set up camp.

[Hole-In-The-Hat]

I would recommend the 20 degree bag, even though it weighs more. It's not uncommon to have frosty nights in July and even August. I got by fine with a 32 degree bag on my thru, however most people seem to favor a bag that's a bit warmer...

[Sprout78]

I'd take the 20 degree bag. I believe the coldest nights I experienced in July were between 12 and 20 degrees. There is still snow on the ground in late June some years. Have a great time!

[bearcreek]

Another vote here for a 20 degree bag. I've done the CT multiple times including twice with a Marmot 32 degree bag. On both of those hikes I had some uncomfortably cold nights, so I switched to a Marmot 15 degree bag which was plenty warm but took a lot of room in the pack and was heavier than I like. My current setup is a 20 degree Zpacks bag and it seems perfect. It weighs 19 ounces and packs just as small as the Marmot 32.

[colorado_rob]

I carry a 30-degree bag personally, I use this all summer from July through early September all over Colorado, including fairly high camps. A few nights over the years the 30 degree bag has been marginal, but adequate.

But: that's apparently not an option, your choices being 20 or 40 I'd definitely go with the 20 in this case, sorry. Certainly, the 40 would be good for about the first 8 days or so (lower and much warmer) if you want to do a mail drop/swap out to the 20 after that perhaps? If you're mailing food or some other stuff anyway, might be a thought.

[bpowell1014]

Another vote here for a 20 degree bag. I've done the CT multiple times including twice with a Marmot 32 degree bag. On both of those hikes I had some uncomfortably cold nights, so I switched to a Marmot 15 degree bag which was plenty warm but took a lot of room in the pack and was heavier than I like. My current setup is a 20 degree Zpacks bag and it seems perfect. It weighs 19 ounces and packs just as small as the Marmot 32.

I just looked up this Zpack bag and might sell both of mine and then splurge. This things looks awesome.

[colorado_rob]

I just looked up this Zpack bag and might sell both of mine and then splurge. This things looks awesome.

Good call. A fine sleeping bag is your most important piece of gear, hands down, IMHO. While shopping on zpacks... check out the stats on the Hexamid Solo-plus??? A very spacious 16 ounce (including a polycro ground sheet and guy lines), full-screen tent....

[Mags]

Indeed. While there are decent budget bags (Kelty Cosmic down comes to mind), a good sleeping bag or quilt is the one area where it does pay to truly splurge if you plan on doing any regular backpacking.

[Nooga]

20 degree bag. I had frost a couple of nights last year.

[bpowell1014]

Thanks Mags, and thanks for writing such a great guide on the CT. I truly appreciate it.

[bpowell1014]

Good call. A fine sleeping bag is your most important piece of gear, hands down, IMHO. While shopping on zpacks... check out the stats on the Hexamid Solo-plus??? A very spacious 16 ounce (including a polycro ground sheet and guy lines), full-screen tent....

That tent is crazy expensive. I had a conversation with Henry Shires via email the other day and he sent me a link to his new Tarptent coming out in February...more affordable and still lightweight. I think I'm buying this too: http://www.tarptent.com/whatsnew.html

[colorado_rob]

That tent is crazy expensive. I had a conversation with Henry Shires via email the other day and he sent me a link to his new Tarptent coming out in February...more affordable and still lightweight. I think I'm buying this too: http://www.tarptent.com/whatsnew.html

10 more ounces, 180 cheaper, I hear ya. Doesn't look quite as roomy, but looks like a fine tent. I sure love my Zpacks though.....

[ChefATLTCT]

I carried a 20 degree down bag and a polartec liner. Also i had a four season tent.

[Drybones]

You see a lot of questions on what sleeping bag rating, but I've never seen anyone ask about the sleeping pad, the only times I've been cold were due to the sleeping pad, not the bag. I hiked this past week end and the weather wasn't that cold but I slept badly because I took the wrong sleeping pad...never got warm on the bottom.

[bearcreek]

10 more ounces, 180 cheaper, I hear ya. Doesn't look quite as roomy, but looks like a fine tent. I sure love my Zpacks though.....

Yeah. It's like an addiction. The problem with getting a ZPacks bag is that you might start looking at some of their other stuff, and then we're talking some serious cash. I love my Zpacks tent as well, and my ZPacks backpack, and ......

[bpowell1014]

You see a lot of questions on what sleeping bag rating, but I've never seen anyone ask about the sleeping pad, the only times I've been cold were due to the sleeping pad, not the bag. I hiked this past week end and the weather wasn't that cold but I slept badly because I took the wrong sleeping pad...never got warm on the bottom.

My sleeping pad is heavy but I consider it a luxury item. I have the REI extra wide pad with the air rails. My arms fall asleep at night if they are lower than my torso and this is the ONLY pad I've found that solves that problem, so from a weight perspective I'm screwed. I just look for other ways to trim the fat.

[StubbleJumper]

I started from Denver on July 21 last summer and had four mornings when I woke up with frost on my tent over the course of my thru. The coldest night I estimate would have been around 28 degrees as the water in my bottle was slushy in the morning, and I keep the water bottle with me in my tent. I also thru-hiked the CT in July/August 2011 and had frost on 3 or 4 mornings.

Cold doesn't bother me very much, so I took an older 32-degree bag with me (which is probably more like 40-degrees now). I sleep in my Capilene-3 long underwear, with socks and a toque. On the coldest nights I also wore my primaloft jacket to bed.

I prefer my layering approach rather than carrying a warmer bag because a 20-degree bag would really be over-kill for the first two weeks on the trail as temperatures were much warmer at the lower elevations of the first couple weeks. The cold nights really seem to kick in south of Salida.