Down vs synthetic sleeping bag for thru hike

[Lyle]

One other advantage to down that I haven't seen mentioned yet is that it is more "breathable". It is much more comfortable to sleep in a down bag in warmer weather, not as clammy feeling as most synthetics.

I am not anti-synthetic, have used quite a few, still own several, but down is superior using most criteria.

[SassyWindsor]

Quite a few ways to get a sleeping bag soaked, usually accidental, sometimes carelessness. Worst case I've seen was during a bad rain/wind storm when a limb ripped through the tent. Had to stuff rain jacket into hole to slow down the deluge into the tent. Next day several layers of duct tape got stitched into the tear for a temporary fix. Down bag got pretty soaked and really didn't dry until a commercial dryer was found. Wet down bag = cold, sometimes unbearably cold.

[Mags]

Yeah..another link...but these questions do come up a lot.
http://www.pmags.com/sleeping-bags-a...dirty-overview

Or, to sum it up,

So which is best? It all depends! As my friend Garlic put it once : "Down is always better..except when synthetic is better".


If I had children outgrowing their gear, was a person who is not careful with their bag in wet weather, not sure if I wanted to get into backpacking or on a very small budget, I'd go with the synthetics.

However, if you are an avid backpacker or camper, I think you are better off with down. A down bag is an investment and is less expensive than a synthetic bag in the long term.

[Tenderheart]

Was just wondering if anyone had experience with the Kelty Cosmic 20 Deg down bag. Campmor has it for 90 bucks and weight is only 2.5 pounds. Hard to beat for the price.

I reckon not.

[kayaker4ever]

Waterproof stuff sacks are fine, but a plastic bag inside the standard one that comes with your sleeping bag is virtually as effective and a lot cheaper. Besides, I don't think I've ever seen or heard of a sleeping bag getting wet when it was packed away, at least not to the point of being a problem. They are vulnerable when they are unpacked and being used. The type stuff sack you use won't make a bit of difference then.

Just to clarify for the newbies.

When you put a plastic bag inside the stuff sack and then try to pack the sleeping bag you will possibly rip the plastic. At any rate it won't last long. Best way to do it is pack your bag in the stuff sack the use the plastic bag and then a second slightly larger stuff sack. I used that combination for many years and never had a problem. If the extra stuff sack is too much weight then buy a WP stuff sack.