drthornton
Member
I am in the process of buying a sleeping bag/pad for my first back country Elk adventure in the 2011 season. Will be backpacking in and the shelter will be a 2 man tent. Will likely be hunting mid-late Sept in CO or WY unless AZ, UT or NM for some reason, smile upon me. I am also considering a 1st season CO rifle hunt. So avg. low temps will be in 40s and 30s...extremes aside.
I did archery Elk hunt this year but because it was our first western hunt and I was given an offer I couldn't refuse I went guided. Please do chastise me too much as I don't see this happening again and OYOA will be my future.
So I've been doing research on gear for about a year. I am set on most gear but sleeping bags have my head swimming. I want to start camping with my girls over the course of the next year to test my gear/systems out and to spend time with them so I want to buy my sleeping bag now and start camping ASAP. Budget.... would like to spend less than $200.
Opinions:
1. Down or Synthetic? I know that down is lighter and compresses better and synthetic is cheaper and performs better in wet conditions. So which is more suitable and what do you guys use? My hunt this year involved hiking 10 miles a day and with only a daypack I can really see the advantage of saving every ounce weight. It also rained. Considering the decreased warmth from a damp down bag(don't really know how bad it is) I can see the advantage of synthetic.
2. Temp rating? I originally thought I would get a +15 to +20 bag but that is pretty low for the avg conditions I am looking at. Course the lower you go the heavier it gets. I was hoping to get 1 bag to cover me for all year but that may not be the case. I am now thinking a +30 to +40 bag and consider a different bag all together for more extreme conditions if I ever plan to encounter them.
3. Sleeping pad? First thought was a simple Therm-a-rest pad just for the insulation value and I would just tough out being uncomfortable. Unfortunately I am a side sleeper and in a late spring backyard with my girls we slept on the floor of the tent....that sucked! I now am leaning toward a Big Agnes inflatable but of course those can loose air.
I am currently looking at a Eureka +30 Silver City Synthetic Bag and a Big Agnes Air Core Pad.
Thanks
I did archery Elk hunt this year but because it was our first western hunt and I was given an offer I couldn't refuse I went guided. Please do chastise me too much as I don't see this happening again and OYOA will be my future.
So I've been doing research on gear for about a year. I am set on most gear but sleeping bags have my head swimming. I want to start camping with my girls over the course of the next year to test my gear/systems out and to spend time with them so I want to buy my sleeping bag now and start camping ASAP. Budget.... would like to spend less than $200.
Opinions:
1. Down or Synthetic? I know that down is lighter and compresses better and synthetic is cheaper and performs better in wet conditions. So which is more suitable and what do you guys use? My hunt this year involved hiking 10 miles a day and with only a daypack I can really see the advantage of saving every ounce weight. It also rained. Considering the decreased warmth from a damp down bag(don't really know how bad it is) I can see the advantage of synthetic.
2. Temp rating? I originally thought I would get a +15 to +20 bag but that is pretty low for the avg conditions I am looking at. Course the lower you go the heavier it gets. I was hoping to get 1 bag to cover me for all year but that may not be the case. I am now thinking a +30 to +40 bag and consider a different bag all together for more extreme conditions if I ever plan to encounter them.
3. Sleeping pad? First thought was a simple Therm-a-rest pad just for the insulation value and I would just tough out being uncomfortable. Unfortunately I am a side sleeper and in a late spring backyard with my girls we slept on the floor of the tent....that sucked! I now am leaning toward a Big Agnes inflatable but of course those can loose air.
I am currently looking at a Eureka +30 Silver City Synthetic Bag and a Big Agnes Air Core Pad.
Thanks