My last section hike I took a down bag along for the first time. I bought a cheap one because I was not certain how much I would be using it. It was the Kelty Lightyear model, 45 degree. The temps likely got down into the low 50s, maybe the mid 40s - and I found the bag to be very cold at times. I know it is not the best quality bag to be had, but I had some issues and I wanted to know if this was a problem with all down bags.
I slept in a 2 man tent with another individual - a REI half dome. The tent did not breathe well and I was worried about condensation dripping on the bag since down does not insulate well when wet. Is this a problem with other down bags?
The other thing was that I suppose either I would sweat a bit or something, because the bag would feel damp and clammy in the middle of the night. I put a Cocoon coolmax liner in there, but had the temps dropped below 40 I do not think I would have been comfortable at all. The next day I'd have to hang the bag and hope there was some sun or wind to dry the bag, else I'd be cold the next night. Is there something I should have done to prevent this? The section hike was two weeks ago, and we hiked from Dennis Cove to Roan High Knob. It was windy at times, somewhat a damp feel in the air (it rained the first day of the hike and was humid thereafter).