Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Down Bag Life

For side sleepers, a wider quilt is a big help. Most makers have them up to 55" wide, a few as wide as 60". UGQ has them as wide as 65" which is what mine is. There's lots of quilt to tuck around you.

If cared for properly, a quality down bag should last for decades. For most serious outdoorsmen, a quality down bag is one of the best investments in outdoor gear they can make.

I own a Marmot and a Feathered Friends and they are both great bags. I have walked and paddled over 15,000 miles with them. Western Mountaineering has a well-deserved reputation on par with the best manufacturers, and far better than low end bags. Good luck telling the typical WM owner there's a better option.

Store down bags uncompressed, dry them completely after every outing, clean them exactly as the manufacturer suggests [no more often than needed to maintain good loft] and a good down bag will serve you well.

big guy / side sleeper / tosser - check out the montbell downhugger bags. I love mine. My buddy has a feather friends and is awesome... more durable than my montbell, but wouldn't work for me as I need the space / stretch. I've always wondered about a quilt.

The Big Agnes bags, with the integrated pad sleeve, work well for this big guy/side sleeper. I like that I can stay on the pad this way.

Sounds pretty nice.
Thanks again.

I got advice years ago on lightweight backpacking bags . bought a WM mitylite 40* [summer] bag , an MLD Mountain Laurel Design [synthetic] bag that I use like a blanket ,a foreign made cabelas down coat and matching vest on sale both less than $200 .
Between those items I can sleep down to well below freezing .

Buying multi use items was a great tip I got here - wear the coat or vest when needed - sit glassing an area - both .

When your WM bag arrives and you slide inside to see how if feels you'll know you didn't pay too much - worth every penny and then some .
Buy American whenever possible there'll be less people needing your tax dollars .

Look for a bag that is differentially cut the inner is smaller than the outer. When you push against the liner it stops movement before it compresses the shell. Most of the better bags are made this way. Unfortunately not many semi rectangular ones are. Sometimes if you get an extra long bag your feet have as much room as a semi rectangular bag and the excess length does not add that much weight. Makes a good place to store your clothes.

I have an old bag from college that is going on a half century and still good. I ditched all my old synthetic bags or they got relegated to car quilt status. When weight is not critical I use a liner and outer cover. The cover is just some para chute sewn in a mummy shape. I like silk or pile liners. Dirt, sweat and moisture are what kills a bags loft and life expectancy.

Get a good one on sale and you won't regret it. The higher loft down is worth it too. When you get to 800 fill there are almost no feathers and these are what can end up poking through the shell or liner. The silicon or water prooffing is also worth it. You loose some loft but the down stays dryer and seems more resilient. If the shell has a DWR you can stand some light rain or heavy dew with no tent. Treating or re-treating with the Nik Wax products helps with water proofing.

REI has a sale going on now, become a member and get 20% discount plus a 10% dividend. A lot of other places will have memorial day sales too.

Good down is an excellent investment in outdoor gear, as far as it goes. As long as you don't burn it, lose it, or have it stolen, it holds value and function for a LONG time.

I’m a quilt convert, I’m not saying I’d never sleep in another sleeping bag, but I doubt it. Enlighten Equipment down quilts are amazing and I actually really like their synthetic versions as well for wet climates...winter along the southern coast. I used the same thermarest pad with a WM bag before going EE quilt, I also have no trouble keeping it on and I’m a rolly side sleeper, that’s without the straps. I’ve just bought wide models and tuck them in.