[at-l] need sleeping bag advice

[rrubin@atconf.org (Robert Rubin)]

On my thru I used a 25-degree Mountain HardWear bag that was built to
accept a zip-in liner. It started getting too hot by mid-May, at which time
I switched and used the liner all summer until nighttime temps dropped
below 40 degrees. The liner was comforable except on the hottest nights
when temps were around 70 or 80. The combined bags were supposed to be good
to about 10 degrees, and the combo was indeed toasty warm when it turned
cold, but I found carrying two bags (for that's really what the liner is,
another sleeping bag) too heavy when I lugged it through the White
Mountains. The 25-degree bag alone was warm enough to get me from Gorham to
Katahdin in late September and mid October.

My bags were heavy because they're synthetic and semi-rectangular (I'm a
big guy who needed the room). Now I've got a good 770-loft down 20-degree
mummy bag, and am amazed how much weight and pack space it saves. It's
lighter even than the summer liner by itself. I'm told that down "breathes"
better than synthetic fill in warmer weather, and thus has a wider temp
range. You may be able to find a lighter down bag with a zip-in liner. The
liner is a little more substantial and windproof than fleece, but also
heavier.

I kept my tent strapped to the outside of the internal frame pack, so I
didn't worry about waterproofing its bag.

--Rhymin' Worm

 At 11:36 AM -0700 5/4/01, Datto wrote:
>> combo?  Please let me know
>> what you use for cold/warm months.
>
>I tried several setups during my Year 2000 northbound
>thru-hike.
>
>The first was a Feathered Friends Hummingbird Dryloft
>20* bag at about 2lbs in the stuff sack ($316 on
>special, delivered). It was great.
>
>The second setup was initially just a silk liner alone
>(Design Salt Silk Liner $60 - went through two of them
>on my thru-hike and Design Salt replaced as necessary)
>but wow did it get cold even in July during 2000! At
>Delaware water gap I switched from only a silk liner
>to a fleece bag at 2 lbs also ($20). That was fine
>right up until Salisbury CT when it got down into the
>upper 30's on the mountain tops during August. I froze
>for three nights (even wearing all the clothes I was
>carrying).
>
>In Salisbury CT I picked up my Feathered Friends
>Hummingbird at the Post Office (thanks again Karen)
>and I don't think I was ever so enamoured with a piece
>of gear in all my life.
>
>In Maine I had 18" of snow dumped on me in a blizzard
>and the temps remained between 20* and 24* most of the
>time for that 3 days in October. I used a Space Brand
>Mylar sleeping bag ($10) as a bag liner inside my
>Feather Friends Hummingbird during that cold spell and
>that combination was fantastic.
>
>If you have a tent that is silnylon and are thinking
>about getting a down sleeping bag, you might think
>about getting a sleeping bag that has a Dryloft type
>exterior on the bag to protect the down from getting
>condensation on it from being inside your tent.
>
>Also, don't forget about using a pack cover -- amazing
>how many people started a thru-hike last year without
>initially carrying any kind of a pack cover. Wow did
>their stuff get soaked. Big run on them at Neel's Gap
>and NOC. I used a garbage bag as a pack cover but
>changed to a silnylon at Mountain Moma's just north of
>the Smoky Mountains (thanks Cin).
>
>Also, inside your pack you may want to at least put a
>garbage bag inside your tent stuff sack (to keep the
>water from the previous nights rainstorm from seeping
>into the inside of your pack).
>
>The same holds true for your sleeping bag stuff sack
>-- a garbage bag liner inside your sleeping bag stuff
>sack. Or, you could just use an Outdoor Research
>Hydroseal stuff sack (heavier by a few ounces but is
>waterproof in a storm (not submersable). I used a
>trash bag liner inside my sleeping bag stuff sack on
>my thru-hike but have since switched to an OR
>Hydroseal stuff sack.
>
>Hope this helps.
>
>Datto
>
>
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