Sleeping bag

[2Cor]

First question: I'm looking at the rei travel down 45. Is there any downside to carrying two such sleeping bags vs one 30 degree bag (I'm guessing that the two would be good down to 30 or so).

Second, are there any sites that show bags compressed to illustrate how compressible they are?

[SpclAgentD]

First question: I'm looking at the rei travel down 45. Is there any downside to carrying two such sleeping bags vs one 30 degree bag (I'm guessing that the two would be good down to 30 or so).

Second, are there any sites that show bags compressed to illustrate how compressible they are?

So if I hear (read) you correctly, you are planning to buy and use two +45 mummy bags for yourself - like one inside the other? Is there a reason why you plan on doing that? And if space is an issue, you'll obviously want to have only one bag.

You want to have a mummy/sleeping bag that will fit the climate you plan to be in. If you plan on being in sub-zero temperatures (snow camping), you want something like a 0 degree bag (not to mention a sleeping pad to keep your body off the snow). If it's just for summer camping in a place where it only drops down to 55 deg, the 45+ will be fine. Nevertheless, plan for the coldest and go from there.

I have a 15+ for general backpacking trips and it's super warm. Sometimes, I'll unzip the thing to air out because it gets so hot. If you get a 45+ and plan on going somewhere a little colder (I'm talking 10-20 deg difference), they do make liners that are compatible with certain bags that help with warmth (not to mention fleece liners to up the coziness factor).

As for compression size, click on the "specs" tab when you're on the REI Product Page and scroll down to "stuff sack size". That will be the size of the bag when it's compressed. If you need it a tad smaller, you can get a compression sack that could probably squeeze it down a bit more.

Good luck

[Obin Robinson]

I (and other military members here) can attest that this is the best damn sleeping bag for the money. It compresses down to small size and will work all the way down to sub-zero temps. I figure I'd save you the time and show you the best bang for the buck:

http://www.tennierindustries.com/mod...ep-system.html



It will compress down to one cubic foot. We used them in Iraq and Kuwait. Look around for like-new surplus ones.

obin

[2Cor]

I'm interested in two bags because I can get them into a smaller space/more packing options. I currently have the earlier version of that bivy Obin, and have checked out that system. It's still too big for my needs, and a bit overkill. I also have a 0 degree down bag, 20 degree bag, and a warm weather liner. I'm trying to find a versatile alternative to thirty degree that is also ultra light. This:
http://www.backcountry.com/western-m...20-degree-down

looks like a fantastic alternative but is expensive. I may just end up using a bigger pack. I was trying t keep pack weight under seven pounds or so...

[GreenandChrome]

First question: I'm looking at the rei travel down 45. Is there any downside to carrying two such sleeping bags vs one 30 degree bag (I'm guessing that the two would be good down to 30 or so).

Second, are there any sites that show bags compressed to illustrate how compressible they are?

REI's sleeping bag document breaks down degrees, size, weight, and compression in L. I'm not sure if they are available online or just in stores.

[leaftye]

If you really want to go ultralight (and small) get a backpacking quilt. They're less expensive than comparable sleeping bag as well.

If you want mainstream, there's Golite. Somewhat smaller companies are Feathered Friends and Katabatic. I prefer a custom solution, so I got mine from www.enlightenedequipment.com. To get temperature flexibility, get one with a footbox that can be opened flat. I have 20°F quilt with a sewn footbox, and it isn't as comfortable on warm nights as my 0°F quilt that has a footbox that can be opened.

One other advantage with a custom quilt is that you can size it to fit over your sleeping bags, which gives you another layer of flexibility.

For 30°F, a beanie should be enough to keep your head warm, especially if it's a down beanie. Black Rock makes the lightest beanies, and they might also be the warmest. If your head gets especially cold, then you really should get a down balaclava. I got mine from Down Works.

As far as compressibility, a down quilt and balaclava will compress smaller than that military bivy.

I don't know how much buying American made products means to you, but I know that everything I recommended, except maybe Golite, is made in America.

[2Cor]

Do you find the quilts as warm as a sleeping bag? It seems like a quilt with a bivy might be the way to go?

[leaftye]

Do you find the quilts as warm as a sleeping bag? It seems like a quilt with a bivy might be the way to go?

Yeah, they're absolutely as warm. It's not like the squashed part of a sleeping bag under you does anything. I've been using them for years. The only time I get chills is when I flop around when the temperatures drop into the low 20's, and that's fleeting. If I was going to spend a lot of time in single digits or less, I'd use a bag, but I'll use a quilt if I'm only expecting a few nights in those temperatures. Again, it's not because I'd be cold, but because those drafts when I move around at night disturb my sleep.

Also, if you ever decide to try a hammock, you'll already have a quilt...sleeping bags and hammocks don't work well together, unless you use the sleeping bag like a quilt.

I do normally use a Titanium Goat ultralight bivy when I cowboy camp, but that's really because I hate the idea of bugs joining me for the night. I use one with a sleeping bag, so there's really no difference. I do not use a bivy as a substitute for a shelter. My worst night on the trail was sleeping in the rain in a bivy because I couldn't get up to piss or hike without soaking everything.

[2Cor]

I have heard of that issue with the rain and bivys, but haven't experienced it myself. Do you carry a tarp and bivy or do you simply prefer a tent?

[2Cor]

You're using the enlightened epiphany? What size does it compress to?

[leaftye]

I have heard of that issue with the rain and bivys, but haven't experienced it myself. Do you carry a tarp and bivy or do you simply prefer a tent?

I've been using a poncho tarp lately, but haven't been out in the rain with it yet. I put it up to block the wind or so that dew of form on it instead of me. I prefer fully enclosed shelters though. I currently have a Zpacks Hexamid. I might have a new custom Hexamid, or I might have a custom Lightheart Gear tent made. Those tents are all made with cuben fiber, a very lightweight composite of mylar and dyneema.

You're using the enlightened epiphany? What size does it compress to?

Good guess. I have an Epiphany. I don't know that it had a name when it was made for me though. It's a 0°F quilt with 0.5oz/yd cuben fiber fabric and 800 fp down. I'll try to get some measurements later, or maybe a picture, but it's pretty small. I don't compress it tightly in the stuff sack though. Actually, I don't use a stuff sack with it when I hike. I just keep it in my bivy and put that in the bottom of my pack. My clothing stuff sack is oversized, so I put the quilt in with my clothes when it's raining, and then I put everything into a large garbage bag.

I also have a Golite Ultra 20. Back then Golite wasn't putting enough down in their quilts, so my quilt is really only good for 35°F. Now I'm hearing that they've added a lot of down to make it truly good for 20°F.

I might get another Enlightened Equipment quilt, but with 900 fp down. That's more to reduce pack size than to save weight. I really love a small pack.

If you want to try the Golite quilt, I'll wash it and mail it out to you. Just pay the shipping.

[2Cor]

What size is pack are you using? I'm trying to fit everything into an osprey manta 30, but I also have an older golite litespeed I may end up using.

[leaftye]

My two main packs are a bit bigger. I believe the smaller pack is still about 50% bigger than your hydration pack. The first one on this page is mine:
http://alteregobackpackinggear.blogs...ear-it-up.html

It's actually too big for me most of the year if I'm using a compact air mattress.

I have a hydration pack that's roughly the same size as yours. I'll load it up with my quilt, bivy, pad and poncho tarp to give you an idea of how much space it consumes. The only problem is that my hydration pack doesn't have a very good compression system, so the gear will expand to fill it.

[2Cor]

Thanks, I'd love to get an idea of the space needed. The pack you linked to is about the size of my older go lite, so I may end p using that. WHat ponchotarp do you use? Also, I pmd you about the gl quilt.

[leaftye]

I forget which poncho tarp I have. I think it's an Equinox with the longer flap in back. I linked to the one at Campmor that I think it is.

The pack is a Dakine Apex with a volume of 1600 cubic inches (26 liters). I assume that's utilizing every storage compartment, including the helmet pocket in front.

I double checked the specs of my Alter Ego pack, and it's 2000 cubic inches in the main compartment. It seems a lot bigger than the Dakine pack. Maybe better design, at least for hiking?

I attached some pictures. This contents of this pack are:
poncho tarp
Golite Ultra 20 quilt
stakes & guylines
tyvek rain pants and sleeves
Pacific Outdoor Equipment Elite AC air mattress

The pack wasn't very full, but the compression system doesn't work well. I could easily squeeze the pack to half the thickness, and it could've been less.

Size 11 shoe for scale





Thickness, but note that the compression system is already maxed out even though the contents were hardly compressed.




Quilt on mattress under poncho. The pitch sucks. I forgot to bring a pole, and couldn't find any sticks, so I was holding it up. Unfortunately it started raining right after I took this pic, but I stayed dry. I didn't give the quilt much time to loft.