Winter sleeping bag?

kimbur96

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Dec 30, 2015
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A year ago when I purchased my Feathered Friends Egret 20F bag I was living in Florida and could never have imagined spending the night out in below freezing temperatures. Well a lot has changed in a year, most importantly my location. Now I am looking to purchase a bag that will suit me to do some overnight stuff here in Colorado in the winter. I am not against another FF bag but have also been looking at the Western Mountaineering bags. I like the Puma MF which is a -25F bag. But there is also the Puma GWS -25F bag. The GWS is wind resistant. Again i can't imagine being in sub zero and wind, but history has shown me that the unexpected can happen.
Any one have experiences with these bags or can make recommendations for a bag? I am looking at some of the coldest rated bags because I seem to be a cold sleeper and don't want to make another mistake.
 
Disclaimer: I am prejudiced. I own 2 WM bags, an Antelope and an Alpinlite. WM makes the best outdoor gear.
Have you figured out just how cold you sleep? By that I mean at what temperature do you get cold in your 20 degree bag?
As I recall, WM also makes a -10 degree MF bag. The Lynx in either the MF or GWS shell. If you tend to get cold 10 degrees above your bags rating, and you don't plan on winter trips colder than 10 degrees, a very conservatively rated WM -10 bag like the Lynx might work.
The downside of a -25 degree bag is nights in the teens when you might be uncomfortable.
My Antelope has a Gore Dryloft shell, forerunner of the GWS shell. Do you need the GWS shell? It depends on the shelter you use. If you cowboy camp in the winter, sure you need it. If you have a modern all net double wall 3 season tent, you might need the GWS shell. If you have a solid body 3-4 season tent like the TarpTent Scarp 1, you probably won't need the GWS shell.
https://www.tarptent.com/scarp1.html

The good news is that you live close to WM dealers. Go shopping. Pick the staff's brains. Try them on.
A sleeping bag is only one piece of the sleep system puzzle. What you use between the ground and bag, what you wear inside the bag and your shelter all make or break a good nights sleep.
Good luck.
Wayne


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Last edited:
Go to Mt. Chalet on Tejon at Acacia Park and pick their brains like Venchka suggests.

There is also a gear forum that's usually pretty well answered at bpbasecamp.freeforums.net

I don't know bags terribly well but one suggestion: If this bag is for backpacking great; if it's gona be used for a lot of car camping too I suggest you look into a second bag out at Sportsman's Wearhouse out on Chelton just north of Platte. Roomy, thick, something tells me that dog is gonna find its way in there. Or Cabela's. Both of them had great deals after Christmas when I was down there. Is there a Bass Pro Shop now?
 
Theoretically, a 30 degree quilt opened up and layered over your 20 degree sleeping bag would be comfortable at -20 for some folks. As a cold sleeper, with adequate ground insulation and warm clothing, the combination might work somewhere between 0 and -20.
https://support.enlightenedequipment.com/hc/en-us/articles/218158868-Quilt-Layering
And you would get a nice summer quilt in the bargain.
Down booties might be a good idea for you in any bag you choose.
Wayne


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Go to Mt. Chalet on Tejon at Acacia Park and pick their brains like Venchka suggests.

There is also a gear forum that's usually pretty well answered at bpbasecamp.freeforums.net

I don't know bags terribly well but one suggestion: If this bag is for backpacking great; if it's gona be used for a lot of car camping too I suggest you look into a second bag out at Sportsman's Wearhouse out on Chelton just north of Platte. Roomy, thick, something tells me that dog is gonna find its way in there. Or Cabela's. Both of them had great deals after Christmas when I was down there. Is there a Bass Pro Shop now?
Mt Chalet...must leave credit card at home. I will go speak with them.
I haven't been to sportsman's warehouse I'll have to check it out. There is a Bass Pro at the far north end of town now.
And yes, the hope is the dog will find himself on some of these adventures. :)
 
What ground pad are you using? If it's a low R value pad then I would suggest looking at something that's 5+, it makes a huge difference. I use a thermorest Xtherm and it works well for me down to mid 20's. For winter camping I also bring a ridgerest to double up.
 
What ground pad are you using? If it's a low R value pad then I would suggest looking at something that's 5+, it makes a huge difference. I use a thermorest Xtherm and it works well for me down to mid 20's. For winter camping I also bring a ridgerest to double up.
I have a 3 a kylimt static v, a Neoair xlite and my pad of choice is Big Agnes insulated Double Z which is rated at R 4.5. I plan to pick up a ccf to go under which ever air pad I use.
 
I really like the idea of doubling up, cheaper and more flexibility for different temperatures. I reached out to FF to see if they have any recommendations. They have a wide quilt 30F that i think would be a good answer. We will see. Definitely plan to pick up a ccf pad to go under my air pad. My tent is a Tarptent Moment DW and i have both the mesh and the solid inner tent. So i think I am good there.

Oh how exciting. I see a small snowshoe to a campsite for my first overnight in winter.
 
If you have a Sportsmans Warehouse near you, checkout the bags by Teton Sports. They make some super warm bags. Not backpacking bags...they are behemoths! But are very very warm.
 
Theoretically, a 30 degree quilt opened up and layered over your 20 degree sleeping bag would be comfortable at -20 for some folks. As a cold sleeper, with adequate ground insulation and warm clothing, the combination might work somewhere between 0 and -20.
https://support.enlightenedequipment.com/hc/en-us/articles/218158868-Quilt-Layering
And you would get a nice summer quilt in the bargain.
Down booties might be a good idea for you in any bag you choose.
Wayne


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
This. I also own a FF 20F bag (whatever their trimmest cut is; don't remember what it's called), and I recently pulled the trigger on a Enlightened 40F synthetic quilt. My reasoning went as follows:

1) Cost/practicality: How many times a year am I really going to use a true winter sleeping bag? 3-4 times max. Given how much I'd likely use a winter bag, a thousand-dollar investment seems like overkill.
2) Combo of down and synthetic: If I'm gonna be sleeping in temperatures below 20F, condensation and humidity will become a major issue. I don't want to subject a down bag to those conditions, as getting it a little damp is inevitable. That in turn compromises your warmth, which is somewhere in between annoying and dangerous, depending on the degree of dampness. Synthetic is therefore a prerequisite for my top layer, while I can still use the fluffy wonderfulness of down for my inner layer
3) Flexibility: I can throw the quilt on over just my feet, or just my core area, or whatever to make sure my temp is dialed in perfectly. Can't do that with a winter bag, where it's either zip it all the way up and roast, or zip it halfway and brace for the chilly drafts
4) Options: on true warm-weather trips (think southern Utah over Memorial Day), I can choose to just bring the 40F quilt.

That said, the quilt is still being manufactured (their wait times are 6-7 weeks right now) and I've not tested it... I'll let you know how it goes once I try it out!
 
When I sleep out in the winter layering bags seems to work well. The limited number of times you will actually need a -20 or -40 degree bag is usually low. Therefore buying a bag just for that range may not be cost effective. I use WM bags as a reference for what I need for a combination. If there -25 degree bag has 36 oz of down and 850 fill = 30,600+ cubic inches of volume. Just pick a combination that adds up to the volume you need (as referenced by the WM bags). A good 0 degree bag and a 20-30 degree inner bag quilt should get you to to -20 or so. They are also very practical on there own. Just make sure the loft doesn't get reduced however you layer them or it will reduce effectiveness. If you have the $ go with FF or WM. When I did similar math on sleeping bags Marmot bags came out as one of the best, similar to FF and WM in relation to volume and claimed temp rating.
 
This. I also own a FF 20F bag (whatever their trimmest cut is; don't remember what it's called), and I recently pulled the trigger on a Enlightened 40F synthetic quilt. My reasoning went as follows:

1) Cost/practicality: How many times a year am I really going to use a true winter sleeping bag? 3-4 times max. Given how much I'd likely use a winter bag, a thousand-dollar investment seems like overkill.
2) Combo of down and synthetic: If I'm gonna be sleeping in temperatures below 20F, condensation and humidity will become a major issue. I don't want to subject a down bag to those conditions, as getting it a little damp is inevitable. That in turn compromises your warmth, which is somewhere in between annoying and dangerous, depending on the degree of dampness. Synthetic is therefore a prerequisite for my top layer, while I can still use the fluffy wonderfulness of down for my inner layer
3) Flexibility: I can throw the quilt on over just my feet, or just my core area, or whatever to make sure my temp is dialed in perfectly. Can't do that with a winter bag, where it's either zip it all the way up and roast, or zip it halfway and brace for the chilly drafts
4) Options: on true warm-weather trips (think southern Utah over Memorial Day), I can choose to just bring the 40F quilt.

That said, the quilt is still being manufactured (their wait times are 6-7 weeks right now) and I've not tested it... I'll let you know how it goes once I try it out!

Is that the Enlightend Equipment quilt? I was looking at the 40F synthetic and at $180 a steal compared to $900-1,000 for a winter bag. By far the most cost effective answer so far.
 
I have an old Feathered Friends bag (puffin?) that I asked for extra down around my feet as they get cold. When it is really cold I put my WM Mitylite inside. Toasty for me down to 5 below, the coldest temp I have slept in.
 
I've just recently bought a 40F synthetic Big Agnes quilt to "winterize" my 20F bag, but UPS has greatly messed up the shipping. I wish I could offer my experience. I agree with the others that layering is a better option, whether you buy a second bag or a quilt. I'm a relatively cold sleeper, too. It hasn't dropped below the twenties much here in New Mexico, but the two nights that it did, I found having a vapor barrier liner and wearing my rain gear/thermals inside of that kept me nice and warm.
 
So I pulled the trigger on an EE Prodigy quilt. I bought one of the garage sale quilts so I don't have to wait. Colors don't matter to me and the size was right. With any luck i will have it by the end of the week.
 
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