Sleeping Bag Thoughts

[AggieOutlaw]

Sleeping bag is THE most important piece of kit. I'd take a good bag before I'd take a good tent, pack, or even a good rifle. A good one can make your trip a lot more comfortable, perhaps even save your life. Unless you really can't afford $300, I'd save up and get an heirloom bag like a Marmot.

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

Sleeping bag is THE most important piece of kit. I'd take a good bag before I'd take a good tent, pack, or even a good rifle. A good one can make your trip a lot more comfortable, perhaps even save your life. Unless you really can't afford $300, I'd save up and get an heirloom bag like a Marmot.

Totally agree, at some point when I decide I just hate money I’m going to get a Western Mountaineering bag.

 

[dwatling]

Look at "hyke and byke" bags. It's a smaller company but they make a quality bag. I bought my bag a couple years ago off Amazon and have no reason to get a new one. Lightweight and durable. When i bought the prices were a little bit cheaper but the company is growing in popularity so prices have gone up but they still remain competitive on the lower cost side.

 

[SD_Prairie_Goat]

Look at "hyke and byke" bags. It's a smaller company but they make a quality bag. I bought my bag a couple years ago off Amazon and have no reason to get a new one. Lightweight and durable. When i bought the prices were a little bit cheaper but the company is growing in popularity so prices have gone up but they still remain competitive on the lower cost side.

That was another company I was looking into. They seem like they make a good product, but I really can't tell how to compare them to say mountain hardware or REI brands.

I would think fill power and fill weight would be the two values to compares?

 

[Deleted member 16014]

Some things you could compare: fill power, fill weight, baffle design, draft tube or not, exterior DWR or not, foot/shoulder dimensions, exterior fabric thickness (denier) and technology. If looking in person you could look at true loft (literally how tall does it sit when fluffed and laying flat), stitch count and precision, fit of mummy hood, etc. It's really hard without looking at them in person. Maybe Hyke/Byke is a good compromise for you.

 

[Deleted member 20812]

Some things you could compare: fill power, fill weight, baffle design, draft tube or not, exterior DWR or not, foot/shoulder dimensions, exterior fabric thickness (denier) and technology. If looking in person you could look at true loft (literally how tall does it sit when fluffed and laying flat), stitch count and precision, fit of mummy hood, etc. It's really hard without looking at them in person. Maybe Hyke/Byke is a good compromise for you.

I did a little research on them, as I’m in the market for a bag. They seem to follow the same business model as My Trail, who make some pretty decent gear. Not many reviews, which concerns me, save a couple of threads on Rokslide by newer posters.

 

[Bambistew]

I hate these type of threads... My closet is already full of sleeping bags and I don't have room for the next best one. Lots off good info. I really like Marmot bags, I have an REI bag that I use for most early season backpack hunts, its 2lbs and rated to 20ish degrees, but really anything below about 30 I get cold spots. I'm not sold on needing a synthetic bag for any reason other than the apocalypse, and rarely use one. They just don't seem to be as warm for me.

Of all the nights I've spent in the woods, I've only had one issue with a wet down bag, and it was my own dumb fault for getting in my bag with damp pants, the bag sucked it up and lost a lot of loft. I was also sleeping in a floorless tent, on ground that had maybe 2-4 inches of the top thawed, and was totally saturated... it rained and snowed for 2 days straight, so much that I was able to filter about 4 liters of water from a pond that formed inside my tent collecting the runoff as it flowed downhill. Bonus that I didn't have to go out in the rain to get water... I'm not sold on floorless tents, but they work pretty well most of the time...

 

[Deleted member 16014]

I did a little research on them, as I’m in the market for a bag. They seem to follow the same business model as My Trail, who make some pretty decent gear. Not many reviews, which concerns me, save a couple of threads on Rokslide by newer posters.

I told the OP this via pm, and I'm not a big fan of taking whatever "pros" say as gospel by any means, but Ryan Jordan from BPL is pretty bullish on the REI Magma as a super value in down these days. In my experience he is pretty good at being brand independent and just putting a lot of stuff through the paces. He has a few write-ups and youtube videos where he talks about it. Anyway, FWIW. I'm sure the build quality is not equivalent, but the specs aren't far off from the WM Versalite and it's about half the price with a 20% coupon.

 

[SD_Prairie_Goat]

Thanks everyone for your comments. Following everyone's advice, and Snowymoutaineer in particular, I found a used REI Magma sleeping bag for a good deal. I will let everyone know in the future how it holds up, I hope to test it while the spring still has some chilly nights just as a sanity check!

Here's the one I got if anyone is curious: https://www.rei.com/used/p/rei-co-op-magma-10-sleeping-bag/110922?color=Dark Obsidian/Redhot

Here is a little review on it as well: https://backpackinglight.com/holida...ght-backpacking-gear-recommendations-of-2017/

 

[Bambistew]

Good choice SD. My wife has a Magma, its an older version and a bit heavier than the new one, but she's had it for 8 years and still going strong.

 

[Deleted member 16014]

Before the newer Magma's came out their line of 800 fill bags was the Kilo and Kilo Plus if I recall; the Kilo Plus was my first really good bag and it was great to me. They changed a bit over the years, but the original had a Pertex outer and was legit 0*. I think I paid $275 on sale for it at the time which seemed like a fortune.

 

[cahunter805]

Now that you have purchased a good bag look for a really good sleeping pad with a high r value. That will be another game changer and money well spent.

 

[SD_Prairie_Goat]

Now that you have purchased a good bag look for a really good sleeping pad with a high r value. That will be another game changer and money well spent.

Quantify what is a high r value for me... No idea if that means R1 or R10...

 

[cahunter805]

Personally I like the thermarest xtherm and xlite. Good R value to me is in the 5 range.

 

[Treeshark]

I don’t like the idea of down bags for backpacking (afraid of getting one wet).

I have a Northface Cats Meow, insulated Big Agnes Q Core pad and a Sea-to-Summit bag liner that is effective down to the low teens.

 

[Cheesehead]

I have less experience than many on these threads but I think the OP made a pretty good choice. I was in a similar position last year and got a Big Agnes Mystic 15 at a good deal. No regrets yet.
+1 for a good pad (thermarest for me) and I think that a small blow up pillow is totally worth its weight/cost. I got a horrible crick in the neck on my first hunt using the balled up puffy-in-a-pocket (FL uncompaghre).
When I think about allocating a limited budget for good backpacking hunting gear, I think the tendency is to underspend on sleeping bags and boots (probably packs too). A few days of sore feet or nights of shite sleep will ruin a hunt quicker than a less than premium rifle, most of the time.

 

[SG25]

If you can wait look at REI’s garage sale (if you have one close to you) and you can find bags and all kinds of stuff for extremely cheap. They have a garage sale quarterly and it’s all the gear that was returned. Just have to get to the store early and you can find the schedule on REI’s website for the store near you.

 

[cahunter805]

Definitely the 2oz sea to summit pillow is a must. Well worth the “extra” weight.

 

[EOregonian]

This is going to sound weird but I have a Big Agnes Long-as I am 6'4" that I stuff an old down mummy bag from the 70's of a brand I have no idea. They fit in the Agnes stuff sack with the down sack zipped inside the Big Agnes. It's underneath me or if really cold zip up in it kind of like having a pair of core pajamas cause they aren't my long enough for fit nice up to chest or if too hot just use the down bag as a blanket on top of my synthetic. But I would not really want to rely on a down bag alone as it soaks up water-and after time pills up however is really warm as you can feel the difference when you are really cold. I even have a second down mummy bag of the same brand that I can have one below me and if I am off the road but it doesn't fit to pack.

 

[hank4elk]

That looks like I deal, but Normally I need the long/large versions being 6'2" and broad shouldered... I'll have to look into if I think I'd fit.

I found a Marmot Never Summer on sale a few years back @ REI. I'm 6'2" & broad shoulders. Plenty of room in a large long. Paid maybe $160?
Found a Kelty Always Summer synthetic at a local pack shop on sale,large long 15 deg bag for $65...new.
I have 4 sleeping bags these days for different uses. Thinned out from 6.
It is real easy to unzip a warm bag to cool down. Hard to warm up a cold bag.....