Choosing any gear comes down to a balance between the ideal choice and what you can spend. I have spent a number of decades collecting gear, so I am now in a place where most of my gear is able to be the ideal choices, but that wasn't always the case. Even if you can't afford it, however, it helps to figure out the ideal choice because that will allow you to be clear on what you are looking for in your secondary-but-much-more-affordable options. (See the bottom of this page for ideas on getting reduced price gear.)
backpacking gear - sleeping bag
I have recently been reading about an option for serious backpackers which replaces the sleeping bag with a down or synthetic blanket good to the temperatures you need. The idea is that this is half the weight of a bag, since it has no zippers and you don't lay on it and more versatile (you can use it in addition to a sleeping bag if you are out in extremely cold weather and need to double your protection). The argument is that the part of the sleeping bag you lay on gets flattened, thus loosing its insulating properties, so the weight and bulk of that much material is a waste. I am looking into this idea and may try it out.
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In the mean time, my choice of sleeping bag depends a lot on what I can afford.
MY CRITERIA:
- Temperature Rating: The biggest question about the sleeping bag is what temperatures you need to be covered for. Bags good for lower temperatures are larger and heavier to carry. But you don't want to skimp on that if you are going to be in the mountains where it can sometimes snow in July. If you are camping in winter or fall, even in the southern-most parts of the trail, temperatures could easily get down well bellow freezing. Because I camp in both high summer and late fall, I own two bags - one good down to 40 and one good down to 15. I end up taking the 15 most of the time, because late or early summer out here can easily get bellow freezing. And there are some nights in the fall that hit 0 or lower (this year it hit -19 in October. I didn't sleep out that night.).
- Weight and Size: As usual, these two issues are key in choosing a sleeping bag. I want it to weight as little as possible and be as easy as possible to pack up as small as possible.
- Ease: How easy is it to stuff the sleeping bag into its stuffsac and get it packed up?
- Comfort: The comfort of the bag depends mostly on personal preference. Do you like a tight fit or do you want more room? Do you particularly want room for the shoulders or the feet, does the bag open to let the feet out without unzipping the whole thing, and how easy is it to zip and unzip the sleeping bag in the dark.
- Material: Do you get a synthetic bag or a down bag? Synthetic is usually cheaper but often heavier and bulkier. Real down bags usually pack down to small size more easily.
- Temperature Rating: Choose this first. It sets the bounds for everything else. I have two bags, one which I carry in high summer when the temperatures probably won't get bellow freezing and one which I carry at other times. I am also considering the option of having a lightweight bag and an additional sleeping blanket such as I mentioned above which can be used alone or with the sleeping bag to double my protection in colder situations.
- Weight and Size: This obviously comes down somewhat to price and what Temperature Rating you need. The more lightweight options are much more expensive and the lightest weight options are usually only good down to 40 degrees. Again, I am leaning towards getting a 40 degree bag and a 30 degree blanket and using them together or alone as the trip dictates.
- Ease: My two biggest criteria are Temperature Rating and price, so I usually have to be flexible on everything else. However, next time I have the money to choose any sleeping bag I want, I will pay attention to one that packs up easily. This is not a very big issue with sleeping bags, but every little thing helps. To make storing it easier, I sometimes use compression bags or side opening bags to store my sleeping bag instead of the traditional stuffsac.
- Comfort: Again, this looses out to Temperature Rating and price because there aren't big enough differences in comfort when it comes to sleeping bags for me to pay much attention to this. However, I have found that I love being able to stick my feet out without unzipping the whole bag and I like a little more room in the bag, especially at the shoulders. (I often look at men's bags instead of women's.)
- Material: As far as what material to get, I lean towards synthetic bags, though I quite like the feel of down bags. Right now, one of my bags is down and one is synthetic. I think the synthetic stands up to washing better. (Though I don't regularly wash my bags after 10 years sometimes you just have to.) I feel like down bags are slightly lighter weight, but they also tend to be more expensive.
RESULT:
I presently have two sleeping bags - one good down to 40 degrees F and one down to 15 degrees F. I end up needing the 15F bag most often, since it gets bellow freezing even in high summer in Montana. The lighter bag is significantly smaller and lighter and easier to manage. I am thinking of getting or making a blanket good down to 30 degrees and seeing how pairing those two on colder trips works for me.
How other chairs i've used Stack Up
Tips on Purchasing Gear:
Gear doesn't have to be purchased new. There are lots of ways to reduce the cost of your gear and still get something close to the ideal.
Got any other recommendations for people on where to find deals on gear? Tell us and we will add them to this page! |
Click here to see my YouTube page of videos on how this trip is going every step of the way, including my preparations at home and my days on the trail.
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Want to know more about who is on this trip? Me, my dog, my horses and any friends who happen to join me along the way...
Click here to see my YouTube page of videos on how this trip is going every step of the way, including my preparations at home and my days on the trail. |