Which 20 deg bag to go with???

[garminator]

Mountain Hardwear Lamina Z Flame Sleeping Bag vs Kelty Cosmic 20???? both bags are rated at about 20 degrees but the MH is about an extra $40...does anyone have any experience with either? Thanks

[soumodeler]

I had a Cosmic Down 20 and it was nowhere near as warm as I expected. 32 would have been a more accurate temp rating for mine.

[garminator]

Thank you soumodeler, looks like i'm leaning towards the MH.

[Yiddo]

The cosmic down's temperature rating, as previously stated, is very optimistic. I move a lot when i sleep so i opted with the 20 degree enlightened equipment quilt

[theoilman]

I have a 20* Z-Packs down bag (1# carry weight), that for me is good to around 30*, but I sleep cold and like a lot of covers all the time. How you sleep is going to make a big difference too. I don't like a mummy bag so the Z-Packs is also good - I can roll around inside the bag and waking up in the back of a mummy top is terribly disorienting for me. I did go with an extra long though I am 6' tall.

[Turk6177]

http://www.westernmountaineering.com...ies/alpinlite/ When purchasing, if you get a mummy bad, don't forget to decide which side you want the zipper on. If you are right handed you may want a left zipper so you can reach across your body to unzip in the middle of the night. Also, if your tent is head end specific, you obviously want the zipper towards the door. Lastly, while I love this bag and have yet to be cold, I often wonder if I should have gone with a quilt. I find myself getting a better nights sleep when i have it unzipped just laying on top of me. I guess if you do that you can use the bag in one of a couple ways. Happy Hiking.

[garminator]

Thanks for the advice folks!

[Puddlefish]

I bought the Lamina Spark 32 bag. The only thing I'd warn you about is to check the girth compared to your body size, which you'll want to do for any bag you're considering.

[Venchka]

You can't judge a bag's temperature rating without also including what you put between the bag and the ground. The EN numbers that everyone seems to revere and the manufacturers round down to suit their marketing scheme is based on R-5 insulation between bag and ground.
Skinny, short, old me finds the WM Alpinlite Long spacious in the extreme. My previous bag was cut along the lines of the WM Ulralite. It only took about a minute in the Ultrlite to move up to the Alpinlite.
I have only used the Alpinlite on an Xtherm Large one night at 25 F. The down was evenly distributed top & bottom. The bag was half unzipped and the collar and hood were open. Not knowing what to expect, I was wearing merino top, bottom & socks. No hat. No gloves. No "puffy thingie". I'm not sure that I needed the long underwear and socks.
I expect the Alpinlite will be comfortable for me somewhere in the teens with all my clothes on and the down shifted to winter mode. That coincides with the Alpinlite's EN rating of 16 F.

Wayne

[Cotton Terry]

Big Agnes Zirkel 20UL with the Q-Core insulated pad.

[Harrison Bergeron]

My first hiking bag was a Kelty Lightyear 20 that cost $170. If was helpful for learning why good bags cost about $100 more.

The worst part was how tiny it was. That's how they make a 650 fill 20 degree bag weigh 2 pounds. I'm not a big guy, but I could barely sleep in it. I felt like I'd been tied up and held for ransom. And it wasn't even all that warm.

I replaced it with a Montbell 800 fill bag rated for 30 degrees. It's almost a pound lighter and has enough room to sleep on my side. And it even seems warmer than the Kelty was. It was $90 more.

Whatever you buy, make sure you can stand to sleep in it, or you might wind up buying it twice, like I did. If you have to go cheap, I'd rather carry a three pound bag I can sleep in than a two pound torture device.

[garminator]

All excellent points, thanks

[q-tip]

+++ WM Alpinlite, my go to bag, just love it, and the best quality, a bag for life......

[Cotton Terry]

I looked at the Alpinlite and almost went with it. I found the Big Agnes has a little more room and I really like the BA sleep system.


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