Tell me what degree bag I need!!

[LarryBoy]

Please pardon my ignorance. I am absolutely losing my mind trying to pick a sleeping bag. The multitude of options boggles the mind.

What degree bag do I need for 10k feet in August and September? I sleep cold so I'm afraid a 20 degree bag won't be enough, especially when I look at EN ratings and half the bags are only comfortable to 25 degrees!

I was looking at zero degree bags but that extra pound is really making the decision difficult. Is it stupid to try and use a zero degree bag all year? I hate to spend $300 on a bag and it only work for a few months.


I know a sleeping pad is important. I have a Neo-air Xtherm and a closed cell foam pad. But do I get a 20 degree or 0 degree???

It all depends. First off, there's a HUGE difference between August and September in the mountains. September is a transition month in the high country - early September can be pretty nice but it's unusual not to get a cold snap/snow storm that can easily plunge the temperatures to single digits. Second, not all 10k is created equal. If you were at Cedar Breaks Natl Monument in southern Utah, you'd be a lot warmer than you would in the Absaroka Range in Wyoming/Montana.

I'd try to get a little more granular - look up the highest weather station in the area that provides historical data. Then find the record low that the the station has recorded (this is generally about 2.5 standard deviations below the mean). Then factor in the elevation, generally 3-4 degrees per thousand feet. If the record low for August 28 at Lick Creek, Wyoming is 30F, and Lick Creek's at 6000 feet, you can expect temperatures as low as 15F. You should be able to survive the record low in the bag that you choose, even if it's a not very comfortable survival (gambling of course that you're not actually going to experience record lows on your trip).

Other factors - some brands are more optimistic or conservative than others. Western Mountaineering bags, for example, are typically warmer than their competitors with the same degree rating.

Very personally speaking, I'd bring my 20F Feathered Friends Hummingbird if I were hiking above 10K in August in Utah or Colorado. Once mid-late September rolled around, I'd start thinking about my 0F. I sleep very cold, like to cowboy camp whenever possible, and don't mind using all the tricks in the book (wear everything, use trash compactor bag as a VBL around my feet, eat fatty foods, etc) rather than carrying an excessive sleeping bag.

 

[toejam]

Is moisture and a down bag a big concern? I want a do all bag. If im hunting Elk 15 miles off the road in Colorado a wet soggy bag could be an issue, or am I being too paranoid?

Being too paranoid. How's your bag going to get wet & soggy?

In Backpacker magazine I've heard that down insulation turns to mashed potatoes when it's wet, but I've never heard of that happening to anybody who had the slightest idea what they were doing. I've had my down bags get pretty wet from condensation and puddles on the floor of the tent, but they never lost loft and got cold.

 

[Chuck the Mauler]

Neither down or synthetic are any fun when they get soaked. If that happens you've got bigger issues. I never buy a bag with the thought of "what happens if it gets wet". I own at least 6 different bags. All for different occasions. Have fun shopping.

 

[steve]

good advice on here. You're not going to lose a significant amount of loft or insulation from condensation inside your tent. You're going to lose insulation when you dunk your entire sleeping bag in the river for a few minutes.