Let's talk sleeping bags

[Orion]

I bought a 0 degree down bag from Beans more than 25 years go.  That bag has been with me on every western hunt I've done as well as a few Alaskan hunts and tons of pack-in hunts in northern Wisconsin in November. Getting a little thin/compressed now, but has never failed me.

[Roadkill]

I helped design the two bag, goretexbivy bag system used by Marines. It is a great bag system for the weight.  A great ground pad makes it work

I am amazed to watch people use bags to only partial potential.  Take your bag a shake it vigorously to get air between indulators.  Of course all of us roll our bags twice- once forward snd once backwards- to get the air out to compress it better, right?  That compression stays-shake that bag. All my bags have stocking caps in them.  I have a small towel to wrap around my face.  Never breathe in the bag,  towel prewarms the air.  Bring chocolate candy your bedside.  If you shiver, eat that tootsie roll to give your body the sugar to burn .  take today's sox off and put on tomorrow's.  Winters in Norway and Korea teach conservation of warmth and energy.  Insulation from the cold ground is a key for long term winter camping/ hunting.  All of know a good night 's sleep and balanced meals make the hunt enjoyable

[tenbrook]

I like my Wiggy's bag for a base camp.  All the Alaska Guides swear by em.

[Paul Shirek]

Love my Wiggy's bag too. Simply don't think you can beat it for all around...

[DarkTimber]

There are lots of good bags to choose from. For the most part, you get what you pay for.  As far as temp ratings.  If you want to cover the entire month of Sept I'd go somewhere around 15deg.  It's gonna be a little warm in early Sept but will get you through the end of the month.  I hunted the last week of season and used a 15 deg Marmot Helium on a Thermarest Neo Air. It was 19 deg one morning and I slept fine....but I sure as hell didn't want to get out of the bag in the morning.    

[JimB]

I've got a Western Mountaineering Kodiak MF.Their temperature ratings are fairly conservative and the Kodiak is rated 0 and I find it a little too warm for September and earlier,even in the mountains.What it does have going for it that I really like,is,that it's a very full cut mummy.I find the fuller cut much more comfortable than the slimmer bags I used when I was younger.

The one I want to get is the WM Alpinlite which is rated at 20 degrees and weighs only 2 lbs.It is also a fuller cut mummy,almost as full as the Kodiak.I think this will be the perfect bag for me for that September mountain weather.

I use a Big Agnes insulated core pad and have really liked it as well.

[Bear Heart]

Whomever rates the temp on bags needs a swift kick.  Zero degrees is really only comfy down to thirty on most bags.

[widow sax]

X2 Swift kick for temp rating people The first year I had a 0deg bag and almost froze to death. That is why I did some homework and found Mountbell has close to true ratings and I can say they experience they are good. But the pad you sleep on means a lot I carry a 1/2 inch pad and put it on top of my thermarest ultra light pad I get not cold whatsoever threw my pad nothing sucks your heat away like sleeping on cold air.     Widow

[screamin]

I'm generally a cold sleeper so a BA Poimer Hoit with the Two Track pad works good for me.

Base camp, I have a 6lb synthetic bag on top of a coleman twin air mattress. If it gets below 30 then it is best to put a piece of foam or some sort of foam pad between the bag and air mattress.

[cuboodle]

Do yerself a favor go to the big auction site and search for us army sleep system Nuff said. Best here is for bang for the buck get all 4 pieces two bags carrier and gore text cover you'll be covered from 60 to minus 10

[Dan Adair]

I'll put it this way....


They're calling for 22 degrees in the hills tomorrow for a low.

I'm taking my WM Badger in Microfiber, and Exped Downmat.

My previous real world experience tells me that I'll have to zip it up halfway

[Tim in Wa.]

+ 1 on the western Mountaineering Badger

[Jeff Cooper]

One very important lesson myself and a friend learned hunting in Alaska about 8 years ago...

Both of our bags are rated at -15. The first night it probably got to single digits above zero and we both froze our backsides off.

We were both a bit taken back that we were so cold given the bag rating-versus-the actual temperature.

The second night was even colder than the first, but we were both very toasty all night.

The difference? The first night we went to bed about 5 hours after we had eaten our Mountain House. The second night we went to bed about 1 hour after dinner.

I have remembered that ever since, and have spent many nights camping in the cold (Zero and well below) in a nylon tent, and the same bag. I am always nice and warm all night if I eat a good meal (usually Mountain House) shortly before I go to bed.

Just something to consider.

[tracker12]

Want a quality bag look at "Western Mountaineering" .  Some of the best down bags out there and made in the good old USA.