Sleeping bag temperature rating
Can we get away with a 30-degree quilt for a southbound hike? We have a 0-degree now, considering getting a 20- or 30-degree alternative for lighter carry.
Depends on when you start. If you start in early June, 30 degrees might be okay, late June would be fine. 0 would be serious overkill.
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Finishing might require warmer bedding. Easily handled with a well timed mail drop.
Wayne
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Planned June 1 start, but would prefer to avoid mail drops...don't really have somebody to handle it. Will have wool base layer and light down jackets as well. Wondering if I should just go with a 20-degree instead of cutting it too close with a 30...
It's really a toss up. If you can wait a bit and see how this spring shapes up you can get a better idea. Despite having a few cold snaps, this has been a warm winter and it looks like it will be an early spring so it could be getting down right toasty by June.
The 0 degree quilt will be definite over kill. If there isn't much price or weight difference between a 20 or 30 quilt, you might as well go with the 20 so you will be good at the other end in the fall.
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Well I save a pound by switching from the 0 to a 20, and only 4oz more going to a 30, so I'm leaning toward the 20... Either way it's another expensive investment...
Jim Shattuck hiked SOBO in 1966-67. It was MINUS 27 degrees one night (March 1st) he spent up on a ridge in Virginia.
Page 593. Rodale's "Hiking the Appalachian Trail." Volume One.
[I]ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: ... Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit....[/I]. Numbers 35
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Go with the 30. If you are still on the trail as October turns to November, then you will need something warmer. A 20 will be awfully hot for the first 4 months of your hike.
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March 1 in VA on a SOBO hike? That sounds like an interesting story. I wonder what Dec/Jan/Feb were like further north?Originally Posted by Rain Man
I think a 30F quilt would be perfect to start. Your 0-F would be great once you get into late October or so in the South; if you can arrange one maildrop to swap quilts and maybe some winter clothing that would be when to do it. Of course with a June 1 start you might finish by then.
We are going to use 20 degree bags. Have camped in Maine, in the winter, surrounded by snow. They were fine as long as we stayed out of the wind.
30 degree bags might be a little cold for a June 1st start, as colder temperatures can still be a possibility in the northeast at night and at higher elevations that early in the season. With a liner or some extra layers, though, you'll probably be fine. I've had some chilly nights in a 35 degree bag in the northeast in late May in the past.
Once summer really sets in, you'll be more than fine with a 30 degree bag.
A June 1st start will likely have you finishing around mid to late November if you stick to an average pace. I agree with the others that you'll probably want to switch to warmer bags sometime before then. Definitely have warmer bags available to be shipped to you if and when needed. 0 degree bags are almost certainly overkill, but something in the 10-20 range is probably worth considering.
The first place there is really any chance you may want warmer bags is probably the Mt. Rogers area, so start paying attention to the season as you approach that area. The Roan Highlands and the Smokies are also areas where you may want a warmer bag (and possibly a few of the extra layers that you sent home earlier in the season). If you haven't switched before then, I would probably have a warmer bag (or at the least, a liner) waiting for you in Hot Springs to carry through the Smokies just in case.
I am doing a 30 degree quilt and simple just in case liner. Dont know if it will work in maine but i have had experience with a 30 degree quilt on springer mt. when it was about 26degrees
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