[at-l] Re: Sleeping bag for a thruhike for... $40

[platyhiker at yahoo.com (Platy Hiker)]

Kelly,

I it could be a neat learning experience to compare that $40 bag
to other more expensive bags and see what differences you can
find.  (If the sporting goods store only carries low-end family
camping bags, you might need to stop into a different store to
check out other sleeping bags for comparisons.)

Here are some things that might be different:

1) Stitching through the all the layers, rather than baffles
keeping the outer and inner layers separate.  A sleeping bag is
all about insulating you, and it's the air pockets in the bag
that do the insulating.  (The material in the bag, whether down
or synthetic exists to create those air pockets - and then
squish down to a manageable size when you want to transport the
bag.)  The cheapest way to construct a bag is to make a sandwich
of the layers (inner, insulation, outer) and then stitch through
all the layers, but along the seam the sandwich is squeezed down
to a fraction of an inch, allowing heat to leak out along the
seam.  More expensive bags use internal baffles, so there are no
thin spots; you can hold the seams on the inner and outer layers
and tell that there are 3-4 inches between the layers at the
seams.  There's also different types of baffles (e.g. shingled)
that manufactures claim have various advantages.  I don't know
how valuable or not different baffle types are.

2) Filling material - synthetic insulations have been steadily
improving to provide better compressibility.  Does the tag say
what the filling material is?  Then you could do a bit of
web-surfing to find out if the more expensive bags use that
material, and if not, how it compares to other materials.  Also,
see how compressible the bag is by stuffing it into its stuff
sack.  Compare the size to a high-end bag.

3) Construction details - does the bag have a draft tube to
prevent heat from leaking out along the zipper?  Does the bag
have a draft collar to tighten over your shoulders.  (Note - not
everyone likes these; you can get high-end bags with or without
one, according to your preference.  I am a cold sleeper, so I
really like having one.)  Does the bag have a way to tighten the
face hole down really small so that a minimum of skin is exposed
on a really cold night.  Does that tightening mechanism work
well?  (Try it out by getting in the bag, lying down on the
floor and tightening and loosening the cords several times.) 
Does the zipper look cheap and likely to break?  How easily does
the zipper snag?  (Make sure to zip and and unzip as you would
actually use it - e.g. lying down.)

Depending on what you find, you may discover that the $40 bag is
a decent quality bag at a bargain price, or you may decide that
it is a bag that is unlikely to meet your thru-hiking needs. 
Either way, comparing the $40 bag to other bags will help you
understand a bit more about about sleeping bags and what you
want from one.

Another clue for figuring out the quality level of the bag is
what its original price was.  There are decent quality synthetic
bags available in the 90-100 dollar range.

I hope this helps,
Platypus

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