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[at-l] Sleeping Bag Comparisons



I'm looking to buy an investment-quality sleeping bag, and was leaning
towards the Marmot Hydrogen 30+ Regular, at 1 lb. 5 oz and ~300 USD.
However, I ran onto the  Mountainsmith Wisp, same weight and degree rating,
but on sale for 175 USD.

The biggest difference that I can see--except the price--is that the Marmot
uses 900 loft down and the Mountainsmith uses 750+. Would this tend to mean
that the Marmot is a more honest 30 degree bag, or just that the
Mountainsmith uses a heavier cover?

I've also looked at  The North Face Hightail 900 15+ bag, but it's a bit
more expensive. It's also little heavier, at 1 lb. 15 oz. The North Face
also has a reputation for being a bit liberal with their temp ratings. I
have The North Face Blaze 20+, which weighs 2 lbs. 14 oz. It doesn't feel
very warm at 20 degrees, though I can sleep at that temp.

If the Marmot is a true 30 degree bag, I'll--probably--have no issues with
it. If it's very cold, I can wear my rain jacket and pants, my polypro
long-john pants and my fleece pullover and wool shirt. My tent--a Sierra
Designs Light Year CD--keeps the temp up a number of degrees over ambient as
well.

I'm trying, obviously, to reduce weight and size of what I carry on a hike.
I'm also ordering material to make a modified G4 pack. I'm going to add some
padding and a hip-belt, and do a few other changes, but it'll still end up
weighing only ~2 pounds. I've also been dehydrating food lately, and really
loving that.

I know that with these stupid headaches It'll be difficult to *ever* do a
thru-hike. I do, however, want to have an easier time hiking the amount that
I can. I plan on taking off from Springer again this year, but I have no
distance goals. I'll just hike until I don't feel like hiking anymore.

I really loved being with the other hikers last year. I usually end up
seeing very few people on a 3-7 day hike up in the mountains of NC/SC/GA.

:-)
Frank