What temp rating for start of thru hike in march?

[hawkeye]

Hi, I have a montbell 25 degree bag with 800 down now. Will this be good for the beginning of a thru hike starting in mid- March? Any suggestions on a bag to use? (I'm starting to plan now for maybe next year!)
Greg

[JAK]

It would be nice if it were, because being good quality it is probably light enough that you could use it right through without trading down. How roomy is it? On one hand if it is somewhat roomy on you that effectively makes it colder, but on the other hand if it is roomy that's a good thing because you could sneak a wool liner in there for the first couple of months and then ditch it when the warm weather comes, and the extra roominess will be cooler and more comfy midsummer.

[JAK]

How cold have you tested it to?

[hawkeye]

I have the Super Stretch Down Hugger model. It gives me room when I move but then wraps around me. pretty nice. I was figuring to used my PuffBall jacket it it got real cold. Hate to buy a 15 degree bag if I don't have to.
Greg

[Grinder]

I'm just back from a section hike in NC from GA line

I have a 24 degree bag. It was in the teens two nights. I didn't die, but shivered.

I vote for 0 degree rating

[hawkeye]

How cold have you tested it to?

T used it in the low 40's. This weekend my son's Scout troop is having a sleepover and I get to tent out, but the temps are going to be in the high 40's to mid 50's at night.

[JAK]

So it can get that cold, even in April.
So hawkeye, have you had a chance to test it into the teens?

[JAK]

I posted too soon.
You probably still have time to test it into the teens this Spring. If not then next Fall.

Consider a wool liner as a booster also, rather than a down vest.
Wool has certain qualities which I think work well inside of a down bag.

[hawkeye]

Have not tested it in the teens. Just got the bag a few weeks ago. Here on the Cape we might not see the teens until next winter. I guess I should be looking for a 10-15 degree bag??? Also do bag liners realy work? That was something I thought about getting. (also cost alot less than a ne bag!)

[JAK]

I think you should test it next fall before you get a 10-15 bag.
Is it roomy? Oh yeah you said it was the super stretch? That oughta work.

At least get a better feel for the tradeoffs in weight, cost, and logistics.
Its good to know for yourself how low you can push a bag rating with clothes and stuff.

[rainmakerat92]

I live in north Georgia, and it can (and does) get down into the mid/low teens in mid-March. This can also be combined with rain, sleet, snow and 40 - 50 mph winds. And in early/mid-April, temps in the single digits can occur in the higher elevations of the Smokies, along with more rain, sleet, snow and high winds.

In my experience, bag liners do work, and I'd suggest using one if you leave from Springer in mid-March with the bag you mentioned.

I'd also recommend a full-length sleeping pad to help with insulation, and to help keep the down dry.

[leeki pole]

I'm just back from a section hike in NC from GA line

I have a 24 degree bag. It was in the teens two nights. I didn't die, but shivered.

I vote for 0 degree rating

Second that, from a fellow Southerner, you can never have too much bag.

[Jim Adams]

Forget the liner. I tried one but kept fighting it all night. Didn't like it at all besides you won't find a liner that adds 25*.
I used a 20* on my first thru and was cold a few nights. Used a 0* on my second thru from Speinger to Pearisburg and it was great.

geek

[Blissful]

Liners work great in my Montbell bag. I'd take a silk liner, esp if you already have a bag. You're calling it close with 25 degree bag in March. My son had a 20 degree Cats Meow and took a liner (and had duofold undies). He made out okay in the teens.

[gravityman]

Start with a Western Mountaineering Versalite (10 deg rating, 2 lbs but WM is known for conservative ratings compared to other manufacturers) March 1 2005. Started with 0 deg EMS bag 2001 and closer to 3 1/2 lbs.

I needed it, and wouldn't have started with anything else. I would do 0 deg for Feathered Friends or just about any other manufacturer.

Gravity

[take-a-knee]

Start with a Western Mountaineering Versalite (10 deg rating, 2 lbs but WM is known for conservative ratings compared to other manufacturers) March 1 2005. Started with 0 deg EMS bag 2001 and closer to 3 1/2 lbs.

I needed it, and wouldn't have started with anything else. I would do 0 deg for Feathered Friends or just about any other manufacturer.

Gravity

Feathered Friends' bags have similarly conservative ratings to Western Mountaineering. I have two FF bags, I can sleep comfortably AT LEAST ten degrees colder than their stated ratings.

[JAK]

Lots of good opinions and many from actual experience on the trail down there. But if the extreme low is say 10F, wouldn't a 0F bag be overkill? Perhaps if the thru can't be done with 1 bag, then the starting bag may as well be 0F. I would get alot of use from a 0F bag in winter up here, so I don't have a problem with that really.

But the OP has a pretty nice 20F bag, and might not have much use for a 0F bag.

[JAK]

He also has the 20F bag now,
so he should be able to test it to 10F next Fall/Winter before buying a 0F bag.

[HeartWalker]

I'll be starting my thru with a 15 degree Mountainsmith bag with 775 fill then switching to a 30 degree WM bag later on. I live in the Northeast Georgia mountains and hike all along the trail and believe me unless you are an extremely warm sleeper you'll need at least a 15 degree bag.

[DavidNH]

Your bag, rated to 25, is not warm enough. You can expect nights at the start to have temps in the teens if not single numbers. yes you are in south but at high (over 4000 ft) elevations.

One suggestion: sleep in a tent, not under a tarp or in shelter. Tents are warmer.

Second suggestion, don't make the really dumb mistake that I did of pitching tent on the very summit of Springer Mountain! Man that was the windiest coldest night I can remember! I got through it though.

I started with a bag rated to 10 degrees and it wasn't too much. By the mid Atlantic states you will want a 40 degree bag (as it gets so warm) and then the cold weather back in NH and Maine when it gets cold again.

I would advise sticking with down over synthetics. Down is warmer for less weight. What ever the sleeping bag is made of, it MUST be kept dry at all costs.

David