Sleeping Bag Opinions

Went to REI at lunch today. Thought for sure I was coming home with The North Face Snow Shoe Long.

Bag was nice, looked and felt to be a quality bag. Thought about Smalls' compression comments so I decided to grab a compression bag off the shelf and see how small I could get it. First tried a 16L bag....could not even get it in. Then I tried a 22L bag and it fit. Compressed it as small as I could without sitting on it. Stepped back and thought "Holy crap, that's gonna take up a third to half my pack"! It was easily the size of an oblong basketball, probably more.

So I grabbed a Marmot Sawtooth Long and stuffed it in the 16L sack. It compressed to the size of a rugby ball...easily half the size of the Snow Shoe.

I didn't have time to try any others. By the way REI is awesome....they encouraged me to try out everything. I had bags strown out everywhere.

Wish I had time to see if I could have gotten one of the +25 synthetic bags in that 16L compression sack.

I think the SnowShoe is a good bag but I just can't see hauling that thing 3miles+ back.

I have heard but can't confirm yet, that the Lamalite Wiggy's uses compresses close to the size of down. At this point I am more concerned about volume than weight.

Looks like I'll be plugging out the scratch for a Down bag.
 
your not going to get a 15 bag to compress to the same size as a 0 bag given both made the same era. did you kneel on the bag and use the stuff sack straps to get it smaller?? I can get mune pretty small by doing so.
 
I'm new here, but this discussion caught my attention since I'm considering a new bag also.
here is a link to a great resource for any camping gear with user reviews also.

http://www.trailspace.com/gear/sleeping-bags/3-season/

I have been looking a a Eureka Casper 15 it is lightweight, stuffs small, a buddy has one and used it on a recent elk hunt in CO. Coolest temp was around 28

I have an older campmor bag that is rated for 20 and like it, but it stuffs down about as small as a large watermelon.

Jim
 
I Wussed out on getting the Down Bag.

I ended up getting a Marmot 15 degree Synthetic and a Big Agnes Insulated Air Core pad.

I looked at the Eureka Bags and have never seen one but after all the research I did, I find it hard to believe a sub 3# synthetic sub $100 bag will keep you warm down to 15 degrees.
 
drthornton said:
I Wussed out on getting the Down Bag.
Click to expand...

That may have been a wise choice. The last 2 weekends I have been out looking for elk. In a small one man tent my down bag has been soaked both trips. One trip was foggy and snowy, the other night was just frosty. My bag was aweful both mornings. I was glad I was only staying 1 night.
 
Put my new sleeping system through a semi-test last night. I took my girls camping in a park. Temps were around 40 degrees and clear. I used my new Marmot Sorcerer +15 Synthetic Lg bag and a Big Agnes insulated core Long Mummy pad. Remember I am a large frame guy 6'4" and 240#.

The bag is not bad at all, especially since I got it for around $40. Good quality, warm and had no issues with the zippers. As I said I'm a side sleeper and did not realize until last night how much I turn. The biggest problem is the girth of the bag. 64" (which is kind of a standard)at shoulders is not enough for me. I fought the tightness at the shoulders most of the night. Other than that the bag did really good.

The other issue was the car camping 3 man tent I was in. It is some store brand that I picked up many years ago for a deer/turkey lease. It is a tent that has served me well. It's tub floor has kept me dry when others have been wet during some pretty wet Turkey seasons. This is the 1st time I have been in it with temps low and more than just me. The outside of my bag's feet were touching the door all night. Very early this morning I noticed my feet chilly. Upon further inspection the bag's feet were damp from the condensation. The conclusions I drew were 1. When I take my girls camping we need to sleep oriented the other direction which will allow room for me to not touch the walls. 2. My next purchase is a backcountry tent and I need to pay special attention to the length...this also made me realize how easy it is to get stuff wet and though not tragic could certainly have effected the amount of rest I would have gotten had I been in a down bag.

I am now gonna get a wider synthetic bag for my hunt next year. To save a little weight/bulk I am considering a BA bag with the pad insertion although I am very impressed with the Marmot quality.

In addition I am looking at longer tents like the SD Vapor Light 2 XL instead of the SD Clip Flashlight and the BA Seedhouse 2.

Also note the BA insulted core pad performed great and was as comfortable as I had hoped!
 
I like my Wiggys also, but I'm always looking to get lighter in that dept, but I've had mine for a long, long time and it never lets me down, so it's hard to give up....chris
 
Yeah I called Wiggy and talked to him. Interesting guy. I know they are good bags but at 5 pounds and unknown compressibility I don't know.
 
If you're looking for a little more girth, you might check out the Montbell Super Spiral Burrow bag. It's just about the same weight and packed size as the Marmot you bought, but stretches when you move in it. The advertized shoulder girth is 57"-81". You should be able to get it for about $200.

I have no experience with this bag, I've just spent a lot of time looking at bags on-line lately...

http://www.montbell.us/products/disp.php?cat_id=798&p_id=2321118
 
I don't think it was brought up if back packing, horse packing, or car/4 wheeler packing. I have two bags, one for back pack hunting trips (REI, 2lb, 0 degree down bag) and a large syn 0 degree bag for general cold season camping/hunting with pack animals/auto/river rafting. I love both bags, but they each have there place. I have never had a problem with using down.

I would rather open a zipper and cool off then be cold, so I love my 0 degree bags. When guiding in the Frank Church (central Idaho) there were times I stuffed one inside the other during November week long pack trips.
 
What do you guys think about the wiggys ultra light hunter bag 20 degree for a backpacking into the wilderness outside of Durango end of September - think the bag will be warm enough - assuming there is not a blizzard? the 0 rating is almost 6lbs that is my hesitation - I am 6'1 and 220 and sleep warm anyway - never had a mummy bag so not sure if I would feel cramped. Thoughts

Ron
 
Yes I think it'd be warm enough, assuming you sleep 'normal' or 'warm'. You can always add clothes on to bump the rating of a bag. That said, there's warmer for less weight out there...
 
JWP58 said:
Im looking for a good backpacking bag with a small stuff size. It would be used for mountain bow hunting in September.

Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

If you have an unlimited budget I'd look at Western Mountaineering and Feathered Friends. You can find a decent down bag probably starting at $200 all the way too over a grand. If I were shopping now I'd definitely get one treated with the polymer hydrophobic stuff and in September you should be able to get by with a 30 degree bag but 15 would probably be the best all-around.
 
CabinFever said:
If you have an unlimited budget I'd look at Western Mountaineering and Feathered Friends.
Click to expand...

I'm a huge Feathered Friends fan. My 20° bag lasted 11 years, and still sold it for $100. Replaced it this year with their 30° Merlin. I've always had good luck with down, but I tarp it so condensation is a non issue. That said, I'm taking my synthetic Cats Meow to south east Alaska. ;)

3887C340-BE6C-4A06-8B9F-A67F833D75D5-2626-0000026694A7D8E7.jpg
 
https://www.bigagnes.com/Products/Detail/Bag/blackburnSL I been taking this with me where down is not a worry with wet weather. The larger footbed is real nice, and the slip in pocket for the pad makes it impossible to roll off your pad, and that is great for when I use the hammock system. The Big agnes bags are light because they really do not have a bottom, just the pad pocket.
 
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