Sleeping Bags
#3
Join Date: May 2004
Location:
Posts: 1,148
RE: Sleeping Bags
Patchboy,
You may want to look at a Wiggy's bag. You can get one bag for -20 for just a hair over $200.
Are you coming up North for a hunt? A -20 bag is a serious bag and may not be necessary unless you are hunting above the Arctic Circle in late Sept.
You may want to look at a Wiggy's bag. You can get one bag for -20 for just a hair over $200.
Are you coming up North for a hunt? A -20 bag is a serious bag and may not be necessary unless you are hunting above the Arctic Circle in late Sept.
#6
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location:
Posts: 88
RE: Sleeping Bags
Unless you are doing some serious winter camping in extreme conditions a -20 bag is most likly over kill. When buying a good sleeping bag here are a few things to consider. What style, do you want a mummy or a rektangulr, a lot of people can't sleep in a muumy, they find it to confining, but they are the warmenst. What environment will you be in, that's important when looking at differnt insulation options. Down is by far the warmest, the lighest and packs the smallest. I only use down bags, but you need to keep yourself dry. Go look at some sites like Feathered Friends in Seattle, they make a top of the line bag and have lots of good information available to educate yourself. The North Face and Marmot are also good sources. Buy right and you will only have to buy it one time. Spend a few extra bucks, it will be worth it.
#7
Fork Horn
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Waialua HI USA
Posts: 102
RE: Sleeping Bags
I second Eider's note on considering either the mummy or rectangular bag. I started out with a mummy then switched to the rectangular model. I'm in a camp so the rectangular is fine in that environment. It would be way too big if I had to stuff it into a backpack. The rectangular is a lot more comfortable for me - can turn over without having to simultaneously rotate the bag to keep my face and the "blow hole" (in the mummy) aligned.
#8
Join Date: May 2004
Location:
Posts: 1,148
RE: Sleeping Bags
Sometimes down bags are NOT a good choice. Like here in Alaska on a ton of hunts. Constant rain or a float hunt are no place for a down bag. If down gets wet, you cannot dry it out in the field, and you may freeze. Synthetics are a far better choice in wet conditions.
As for -20 bags, I have a -40 bag that I use for moose and caribou. Usually it does not get much below -10 or so where I hunt, but I hunt late in the season when its pretty possible to have a realy weather event. The -40 bag gives me some confidence in staying out long and in adverse conditions, and sometimes that makes the difference between a moose or no moose.
As for -20 bags, I have a -40 bag that I use for moose and caribou. Usually it does not get much below -10 or so where I hunt, but I hunt late in the season when its pretty possible to have a realy weather event. The -40 bag gives me some confidence in staying out long and in adverse conditions, and sometimes that makes the difference between a moose or no moose.
#9
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location:
Posts: 88
RE: Sleeping Bags
A simple solution for using a down bag in a wet environment is to carry a good gor-tex bivy sack, they pack small and light and offer all the protection you need for a down bag, they also add 5 to 10 degrees of warmth to your bag. Any good camping store that sell climbing gear will have them.