Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Sleeping bag advice

Opinions , thoughts, brand suggestions please.

1. Mummy or semi rectangle sleeping bag only

2. Semi cold deer camp bunk house ( 15 to 25 degrees sometimes)

3. Truck camping in the same bunk house conditions

I know the negatives of down with regards to it getting wet but what are the pluses over synthetic?

Light weight and compressability. Which aren't at the top of the list for your needs. Personally, for sleeping in a bunk or car camp I like a big roomy rectangular bag. Just make sure to get one that has a good draft collar you can cinch up.

If your not carrying it then synthetic bag for sure in my opinion. Get whatever size and shape you prefer for comfort. It will be a lot cheaper than getting down.

I use down bags and quilts for backpacking but I’m concerned about weight to warmth ratio and compressibility. In any other situation where I don’t have to carry it, I use a synthetic. My expensive down bag or quilt don’t get used for that stuff.

Boxerdog:

There are a wide range of suitable options for sleeping in a bunk house or for truck camping. In those situations, the weight of the sleeping bag is not very important. The most important benefit of goose down is that it is lightweight. So you don't need to spend the extra $$$ to get goose down insulation. You only need down when you want to keep your backpack lightweight. Also in that situation, you don't need to use a mummy bag either. A semi-rectangular bag can be more comfortable and again since you're not trying to keep things lightweight, you might as well have the extra comfort of the slightly bigger bag.

Manufacturers temperature ratings on sleeping bags vary widely and for most of the less expensive synthetic sleeping bags the mfg temp rating is unreliable. So, for use in situations where temps may get down to 15°, I suggest that you get a bag with a 0° temp rating. You can always unzip the bag if it's a little warm but you can't add more bag if it's not warm enough.

Avoid cotton anywhere in the bag.

BTW, the best manufacturers of goose down sleeping bags now include a waterproofing agent to keep the goose down from compacting when it gets wet.

Suitable bags include;

Big Agnes Echo Park 0°
Coleman Big Basin 0°
Kelty Mistral 0°
Alps Mountaineering Blaze 0°
Browning Vortex 0°

Remember that your mattress is as important as your sleeping bag. This is true when sleeping on a cot also.

One more thing, remember to wear a knitted hat to bed as a night cap.

lLots of options:

https://www.wiggys.com/sleeping-bags/

KC...knows what he's talking about.

The degree rating on the bag is a suggested survival rating. Not a comfort temp.
Check out WIGGY'S He's been in Colorado for years.

Yep, he's a guy with years of experience.

For the lowest possible weight, a quilt comes on top of the list. You want the widest you can find to prevent leaks. UGQ has an extra wide version that's the widest I know of.

^^^ this, and you can machine wash them after every trip w/o degradaton. Get an xlwb 0* and you will be happy.


mike r

Mummy bags aren't the most comfortable, to me at least. If you're camping from a vehicle or in a bunkhouse, then I'd forget about the weight savings and get a regular sized bag of your choice. It'd likely be much more comfortable, if you're like me.

I don't have much advice as to the brand, but thought I'd throw that out there.

Thank you for everyone help and guidance.. I ended up getting a Nemo tempo semi rectangular bag that was on sale at rei and it came in the other day. Great all around bag for the money.

You don't want to cover your face. Your breath will put water inside the bag. A mummy will keep your head warm and your face outside the bag. A rectangular makes it hard to keep the top of your head warm so just wear a warm stocking cap. It helps a lot when it's cold.

How do you know it is a great all around bag for the money? You just got it! Great in comparison to what? When you use gear hard and your life depends on it you don't buy gear that is "great for the money".

MCH:
You're right of course. But give the guy a break. He's just getting started. He deserves the right to learn from his mistakes just like we have. When he's sleeping in a bag rated at 20°, and temps actually get down to 20°, he'll discover why he should have bought a bag rated at 0°. However, in a bunk house or truck camping he should have other things to help keep warm. So he'll be OK and he will buy a 0° bag.

How many bags do you have? Lots I bet, because you bought a cheap bag first, were dissatisfied and bought a better bag later. I did it. He'll do it and hopefully learn from the process.

All the better bags use the European rating system. With that, the bag rating doesn't keep you comfortable at that temp., it keeps you alive at that temp. Add 10 to 15 degrees to find the comfort zone.

Just honest questions.

I do have several bags, all quality bags. I never took the road of buying average gear. I took the time to ask questions from guys doing what I wanted to do. I opted to listen to the advice from experienced guys. I worked extra jobs and saved up to afford it.

Boxerdog,
Don't forget what KC said about using a sleeping pad on a cot. Or a wool blanket doubled over if you don't have a pad. But a closed cell foam pad is pretty cheap.

A cot without good insulation can be brutal. I have an insulated air mattress and put a piece of ensolite on top of that. I've slept warm down to 5 with it so far.

MCH:

Your buying strategy is the best way to buy expensive outdoor gear, maybe the best for buying anything. Maybe I am a slow learner, because I have repeated the same mistake many times with many different types of gear. I have multiples of all the most popular kinds of outdoor gear. I use only the best gear now because I have learned first hand why it's the best. But if you borrow gear from me, you will get the gear that I bought initially.

I guess that old adage is true; The cheaper your gear is, the tougher you have to be.