[at-l] Sleeping bags

[bennettk at wfu.edu (ken bennett)]

> 
>> I just don't get it.  So down is light.  How much more
>> weight are you really lugging when you choose synthetic?  A pound?
>> Isn't that extra weight kind of like wet insurance?  Never mind the
>> cruelty thing.


It's not just the weight, it's the cost. Yes, a good down bag is expensive,
but most synthetic bags only last a couple of years before the insulation is
squashed flat (stuffing your synthetic bag is what kills it). A well-made
down bag can last at least ten years. So a $150 synthetic has to be replaced
every few years, while a $300 down bag lasts ten -- you do the math.

(I know I will get letters from people claiming that their 1987 Polarguard
bag is still the cat's meow, as it were, but the general truth of the matter
is that synthetic bags have a limited life at full loft. They may still be
usable after 5 years, but they won't be anywhere near as warm.)

Down isn't just lighter, and more durable. Down is comfortable over a wider
range of temperatures, it drapes better over your body, and it just feels
better overall. There's nothing like taking your down bag out of it's tiny
stuffsack and watching it puff up on a cold night. Oh, and that's another
thing -- a down bag stuffs smaller than an equally warm synthetic bag, so it
takes up less room in your pack.

Finally, the whole 'wet down bag' thing is highly overrated, in my humble
opinion. First, you'd be surprised how difficult it is to get the down in a
down sleeping bag totally soaked. (It can happen, but you have to work at
it.) Down is naturally water-repellant. Second, you'd be surprised at just
how miserable it can be to sleep in a wet synthetic bag. It may dry faster
than down, but nothing is really 'warm when wet.'

The closest I've come to getting my bag wet was last March, on a section
hike in the Roan Mountain area. My Platypus bladder opened up inside my
pack, and the water somehow got in the plastic trash bag that lines the
inside of the pack. There was 6 inches of standing water  and ice in the
bottom of my pack, held there by the d*** trash bag. Sitting in the middle
of this puddle was my TNF Super Kazoo in its regular stuff sack (no plastic
liner). The sleeping bag stuff sack was soaked, and there were large patches
of soaking wet fabric on the outside of the bag, but the down lofted up just
fine, and the bag dried out fine overnight.

I'm not telling anyone to run out and buy a down bag. Synthetics work well,
and if you are concerned about keeping the bag dry, they are probably the
best choice. But in my experience, a down bag has too many advantages to
ignore.

Cheers,

Ken