Sleeping bag question

H

Hycntryhtr

New member
May 30, 2013
139
Just went and tried my new north face 30 degree bag. Needless to say, I was cold. I'm wondering if I should sell and try another one, or just buy a liner for it? Does anyone have any experience with the bag liners? Thank you
 
the few bags i've had to purchase, i always bought something that was rated to -30 or so.  keeps me sufficiently geared for rifle hunts, and if it's too warm, i can always unzip it.
 
move on and by a Butler Bag the best you can buy hands down I've had mine for 5yrs and love it.
 
Never used a bag liner. Just wear clean socks and a stocking cap and stay warm in lots of cold. I also avoid air mattresses all that air is like ice. ThermArest pads keep me warmer. Also I tend to go with down fill in the winter and synthetic in the summer.
 
decoste77 said:
move on and by a Butler Bag the best you can buy hands down I've had mine for 5yrs and love it.
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The specs on the Butler Bag all season bag looks kind-of heavy for a backpack hunt at 22#
I have found the type of shelter I am in makes a huge difference on the comfort level of my bag. My 20 degree bag in a one man tent is comfortable to about its rating. but in my tarp shelter it is only good to about 35 degrees. I have considered a sleeping bag shell rather than a liner, If I do much more cold weather camping, I would probably get one of these to use with the tarp.
http://www.equinoxltd.com/the-gear/tarps-and-bivis-and-ground-cloths/sprawler-ultralite-bivi.cfm
 
I use a Cabelas Summit -0- deg bag even in bow season. It only weighs 6 lbs and its a Rectangle /long. I went through a couple bags my first years in the High Country but for the last 4 I used this one and love it. Other thing cotton lined feels so much better than polyester!
 
I bought the "elk" bag at sportsmans warehouse for around $100 that is rated to -35.  It is great for sleeping in the back of the suburban, but I wouldn't want to carry it anywhere.  I bought a 650 down fill REI brand 0 degree sleeping bag at and REI garage sale for $150.  I hope it does the job with a  liner and bivy sack at 10,000 feet in Colorado this October.  I would much rather carry a little more weight and have the possibility of being a little warm than to shiver my way through a night.
 
I have 4 bags,2 down and 2 synthetic. -20 and 0 down bags and 15 ,20 deg syn.
  The Never Summer Marmot 0 deg down bag is what I use most in cooler weather,as it has kept me warm down to -20 and I can open it up if I hit warm spell. The Kelty Tundra 15 deg syn is great most of the year.
Never paid over $150 for a bag, all bought on sale,except the -20 down which I made from a kit in 1972, my survival bag in the truck now. It has kept me warm to -40....
 
I use a BA storm king for all my backpack trips sometimes its unzipped sometimes I wear a base layer to bed but it seems to work all season.
 
Ok so this is the gear list I've come up with.. Kelty tarp 9x9, 0deg bag not brand name but it's kept me warm many times before, big agnes inflatable pad, and an outdoor research bivy. Total is about 7 pounds of gear. Thinking the heavier sleeping bag is worth the weight not to be miserable all night. Jax even though they are pretty lib, are running a sale on BA pads cuz the 2014 stuff is coming out. Thanks for all the input!! Best of luck to everyone!
 
Hycntryhtr said:
Ok so this is the gear list I've come up with.. Kelty tarp 9x9, 0deg bag not brand name but it's kept me warm many times before, big agnes inflatable pad, and an outdoor research bivy. Total is about 7 pounds of gear. Thinking the heavier sleeping bag is worth the weight not to be miserable all night. Jax even though they are pretty lib, are running a sale on BA pads cuz the 2014 stuff is coming out. Thanks for all the input!! Best of luck to everyone!
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Another option would be to go back to your 30 deg NF and add some Insulation Layers at night.  More than likely you will have them with you on a Backpack hunt anyways.
Personally I use a NF Cat's Meow.  If the temps are a bit cooler I just put on my Sitka Kelvin Jacket and if needed my Traverse pants.  Keeps me more than comfortable.
 
My suggestion would be to be ruthless with your ounces. No matter what bag you get make sure it is what you want in the weight range you are comfortable with. Ounces make pounds, and pounds make pain.
This route is more expensive up front, but in the end it ends up cheaper since you wont be buying "make do" gear multiple times.

Having said all that Kifaru Slick Bag, Western Mountaineering, and Montbell among others, have all worked well for me.
 
Having had hypothermia and having been found wandering in the middle of the night by campmates as a teenager, do not skimp on a  warm sleeping bag.  Waking up right before dawn, disoriented, shivering, and freezing cold is not good.  The weight difference between a lightweight 30 degree bag and a -20 is not that significant compared to the value of the safety it provides.  The biggest difference is in cost.  That said I take a -40 that is right at 4lbs.  Anything goes wrong and you can always get warm.  If you are freezing and still can't warm up fire up your stove and fill your water bottle with hot water and put into your bag.  Inhale from outside and exhale into your bag.  I'm a big guy that is always hot but once cold it is tough to regain that heat.  Other things to do to help stay warm is to pee before crawling in, stay hydrated (your body requires water to metabolize energy), and have a combination of starches and fatty foods prior to bed.  In the desert sleep on top of your bag until it cools off and in the mountains at tree lineyou will still be plenty warm if you have a cold rated bag vs a warm bag where you will not be able to stay warm enough.
 
I was thinking the same thing about breathing in your bag.  The last time I used my bivy sack I breathed in it too much and the outer cover of my sleeping bag was damp even though it didn't rain.
 
Backpack Hunter said:
Breathing into your bag is going to cause moisture/condensation inside the bag....not good for staying warm.
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Within a minute or two you will be  warm.  Good bags breathe.  My bivy sack breathes also, receipt when is a very hard freeze when it gets all crusted with ice...then I invert it and shake the ice out.
 
Heynekamp said:
Backpack Hunter said:
Breathing into your bag is going to cause moisture/condensation inside the bag....not good for staying warm.
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Within a minute or two you will be  warm.  Good bags breathe.  My bivy sack breathes also, receipt when is a very hard freeze when it gets all crusted with ice...then I invert it and shake the ice out.
Click to expand...


Intentionally introducing moisture into your sleeping equipment is not a good practice irregardless of how well the bag breathes.
Your bivy bag irregardless of brand or material will over time (how soon is dependant on weather) build up moisture/condensation inside of it. It happens to even the best breathable fabrics.
 
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