Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Weight/Compressability of Synthetic Bags

I basically know next to nothing about synthetic bags. I know of some of the various fills but, that's basically it. I've got a fairly decent down bag, so I'm not in the market for one currently. I was curious, how does the weight and compressability of synthetic bags compare to that of down ones? It seems the synthetic bags, on average, are a bit heavier? Also, are they a little less compressible than down bags? Thanks for any information guys.

Scorpion, don't know whether there's any hard and fast rules, but I'd say as a REALLY generally, based on my observation/experience, expect and equally sized/temp rated synthetic to be about 8-12 oz's heavier than a down bag and take up, maybe 25% more space. The Space issue can be overcome with a compression bag, although that then turns the bag into something as solid as a cinder block and that makes stowing it in an internal frame pack a bit more challenging.

Synthetics won't last as long as down but they certainly have their place.

If you are going synthetic, then look for a bag with the new Climashield insulation. It compresses really well for it's warmth/weight ratio. There are several versions of Climashield but the Combat version seems to have the higher performance.

Kifaru just came out with their new Slick bags which use Combat Climashield. These are pretty nice bags but are priced like the rest of the Kifaru line - high!

MtnHtr

Scorpion, I'd agree with Stacey about Climashield. I just started using it and, so far, it genuinely seems to compress smaller and is lighter than most other comparable synthetic insulations. I have no idea about its long-term durability but it genuinely seems like a break-through product.

My summer bag has PrimaloftOne fill; it compresses better than a lot of the original synthetics (like polyguard 3D) in my opinion, but this climashield business looks quite nice. I look forward to hearing continued reviews from those here who are using it!

Thanks guys, I'm going to definitely take a look at Climashield bags here soon.

I can tell you about a side by side comparison of Climashield Prizm used in the North Face Snowshoe and Polarguard 3D used in a BA Farwell. The Climashield bag weighing two ounces more compacted at least 25% more than the Polarguard if not more. The difference is significant. I don't have a 0 rated down bag to compare it to but would say Ken's estimates are pretty close.

Climashield is not a new insulation, it's been around for a number of years and is THE best synthetic insulator, how it's put into the bag is a whole nother story. For getting the bag down in size use a compression bag instead of a stuff sack, it really does make a big difference. If you want to read about Climashield here's a link for you. http://www.climashield.com/sitemap.php

Just got a Kifaru 0F Slick Bag. By far the lightest and smallest synthetic bag I have ever owned. This bag compares to down in size and weight. Does it live up to it's 0F temp rating? I dont know yet.