Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Lite weight sleeping system.

I'd be looking at a Western Mountaineering bag that fits you... you can get something with a gore windstopper shell to handle external moisture if it's a concern, or just take along an over-bag.

While there are other good bags, I've been using WM bags for 25 years and wouldn't use anything else. We currently have three in the house...

Yep, they are the most easy to operate and correctly sized bags I have ever used and that is a LOT of good bags.

Also, it is a "plus" to me that they are made in CA, as any issues can be so swiftly dealt with and then they offer the bag extender and a zipper arrangement which allows use as a "quilt", so a bag can be adjusted for every season.

The Sequoia, is my idea of a PERFECT all-around bag for BC-AB and I hope to use mine often this winter.

for a very light, durable, bare bones sleep system, including shelter, eVENT bivy (Mountain Laurel Designs), small
sil tarp (the eVENT is waterproof, but in the event of rain/snow a small tarp is nice!), XTherm pad (if worried about punctures- a Z-Rest), an Apex quilt rated to 20-ish degrees- the bivy adds an easy 5 degrees of warmth

boom- done

I picked up a Sequoia from Backcountry at a ridiculously cheap price, about $450 new a few years ago-must've been a mistake in the catalog or something. Anyway, mine is the microfiber not wind stopper version . It is a very comfortable bag and though I've only had it down to 9°F - but with only a thin base layer and summer sleeping mat I had the a darn thing open down to my waist and was still pretty warm at that temp. I won't even mention the extra shoulder room or how nice it is for guys like me that are not built like marathoners or ultra-distance hikers. I only have Western mountaineering bags now, rated from +25 to -40 degrees F and I probably will never own anything else.

This ^ .

Get a coat too , once you put it on OMGoodness are down coats nice -light too & pack down like a cantalope . Multi -use item , wear when glassing , around camp , when sleeping and looks great around town .

If you wear a down coat around camp, for glassing or other activities, it will be too damp to wear all night to sleep in. This could dampen the down in your bag, a major issue and is NOT a weight-efficient means of sleeping warm in cold conditions.

You NEED to get a sleeping bag that works at the lowest temps. that you will encounter and two down bags rated from 25* to perhaps -10*F, will cover most situations. To carry the extra weight of a coat for additional warmth and also use this for daytime wear is not efficient and can cause problems you do not want.

The mountains of BC, AK and other truly wild areas are unforgiving and weight-efficiency-use issues are actually crucial.

I read once to get an extra long so that you can throw your boots in down at the bottom, that was some good advice, makes a big difference in the morning.

That's what I have found myself doing for years now. I'm about 5'9" but my bags for anything but well above freezing conditions are of the 6'6" variety.