What is everyone's thoughts?

I am tired of lugging my normal bag around, strapped to the outside of my pack. It is somewhat heavy, but what I am really tired of is the bulky size and the fact that I have to strap it to the back of my pack, which creates leverage on my back making it feel much heavier.

What is the best sleeping bag (say, down to 20 degrees or less), but but is also light and especially packable. I'd like something that compresses down to easily fit inside the main pocket of my pack, but not be one of those cheap wally world special warm weather bags. I'm not too worried about money, within reason.

TIA.

Go ultra light. Share a sleeping bag with your hunting partner. One guy carries the sleeping bag, other carries the spotting scope.

Go down. My 10 degree bag from z packs weighs around a pound and half and compresses to nothing. I used to use the synthetics because I was worried about getting my bag wet. But really the cost in bulkiness was just far too much. I went for down and am never going back!

I also live and hunt on Kodiak where it is very wet and I have never had problems keeping the bag dry (except once - see below) - I use a lightweight bevy from TiGoat to protect the bag and help keep it dry. Also the down bags can get wet and still work far far better than what you read on the internet. On an Afognak elk hunt I did soak my down bag and was super worried but I was still able to dry it with body heat and this with temps in the 30s. So they can take some water. And oh so warm and oh so light and packable. My bag fits into a liter sized Nalgene bottle. Patrick

I've been happy with a Marmot Helium for the temps you describe. I know that lots of guys swear by their Western Mountaineering bags. They're a little more expensive.

T_Inman:

I use a Western Mountaineering "Alpinlite" for summer backpacking. It weighs 2# and is rated at 20°F.
I use a Western Mountaineering "Antelope" for winter backpacking. It's rated at 5°F and weighs about 2 1/2#.

Both compress into a package small enough to fit inside a medium size stuff sack, which you can easily go into the bottom pouch of your backpack.

Both are pricey. You get what you pay for.

KC

As you know, I'm fat. So I have a hard time with true mummy designs. I've had very good luck with a semi-mummy from Big Agnes (Lost Ranger). I stuff it and a small pillow into the stuff sack, which easily fits sideways in the very bottom of my pack. If I wasn't so broke I'd get another as the one I have has lost a bit of loft over the years.

Ditto on WM. Save money for a good pad in your budget - an appropriate R-Value pad for your bag will go a long ways in realizing the full potential of the bag's temp rating.

I'm sorry everybody; but, these two posts posted back to back made me choke on my coffee.



Anyway, to T_Inman, down insulation is the way to go. I'm sorry if it complicates your quest; but, seriously consider going the quilt route too. I'm glad I did.

There isn't a single best sleeping bag, but I agree with the general consensus of the others that down is the way to go for light weight and compressibility and long life. I've got a Feathered Friends down bag and a Marmot as well. I think just about any of the good name-brand down bags will serve you well if you choose carefully for proper temperature range and size. I favor mummy bags for cold temps but as TheBigSky mentioned the modern quilts, with their foot box, are liked by many who want more room.

I use a trash compactor bag inside my pack to keep my bag dry.

Thanks all.

I'll look into all those options, especially the sharing suggestion. Man love Thursday can't......come......soon enough.

It's too wet most of the year where I live to run a down bag so I mostly use synthetic bags (although I still have some down bags), I'm looking into getting the kifaru slick bag, it's not the lightest it most compact but it's long enough, wide enough and I like the center zip design.

Tag I want to hear all opinions and opinions as well.

Western Mountaineering in our house. We have three currently.

Which 20* bag you chose will in large part be dictated by your size.

If you are slim enough to fit into the Western Mountaineering bags, the Antelope is a great one. At 6-1 and 200lbs I no longer fit in my Antelope and sold it. Last fall I bought a Kifaru 0 degree bag and used it winter camping once (19 degrees in the morning) and tested it in my yard one night ( 21 degrees in the morning). Inside a 4 season tent of course! I'm liking it, it has room and is one light bag--even a tad lighter than my Antelope. We shall see about the longevity of my Kifaru bag.

I bought the Kifaru on sale in the fall at a price I couldn't touch for one of the WM bags.


Casey

I can't fit in a true mummy bag. At one time I had a Western Mountaineering "highlite", 35 degree 16 ounce bag. Too tight across the shoulders. I gave it to my daughter, works well for her.

I've switched to WM semi-rectangular bags, 40 degree (mitylite), 25 degree (sycamore MF), and 5 degree (sequoia MF). Unlike some of the cheap bags, their temp ratings are solid. I use the 40 degree bag for most of my summer backpacking, the 25 degree bag for most of hunting season, and the 5 degree bag for winter coyote calling trips.

Tom

Go Down , some really good bags out there. It is hard to go wrong with WM or FF . Marmot bags have a better price and work but IMO can be more frustrating with things like a snaggy zipper or not as good as draft collar. Quilts are a good way to go as well.

Currently I use;
- A down Nunatak quilt (20 rating)
- A FF flicker (20 rating)
- A custom Nunatak bag that is somewhere between a quilt and big bag (20 rating) probably sleeps like 10 and is super comfy
- A synthetic Nunatak over quilt for extra warmth or not very cold at all (45 rating) ..adds about 15 -20 degrees used as an over bag

Get a down bag wet and it's worthless, can't say the same for synthetic. I like my Wiggy bag and haven't had any issues in over 10 years worth of use. It's all personal preference.

Wife and I are very happy with our WM Antelope bags. I also has a WM Summerlite that I find physically too small and I'm not very big. Never have gotten my down bags wet. I've never slept in any of the bags without a liner. We have numerous liners for the various conditions. Ground insulation is critical for a good night's sleep.

Where will you be using the bag? FWIW you gotta keep down dry. Us wet side wanderers always chime in with this but it is a BIG DEAL if you are backpacking where it rains non-stop most of the Fall. If really backpack hunt hard in such conditions, it is a matter of when your bag gets wet, not if.

If inside a heated cabin or wall tent, anywhere is OK for down. In wet climates moisture accumulates in down day after day if there is no heat to dry the slow build of moisture from a human body released into the bag. Depends on humidity of course. My rule of thumb for backpacking with down is to use it under a tarp or tent anywhere pine or sage will grow.

I have slept in wet sleeping bags several times, in spite of my best attempts to keep dry yet pack light gear. I accidentally dropped my sleeping bag in a lake on a Vancouver Island backpack in October. My worst was a North Cascade multi-day backpack hunt when it rained and blew rain sideways constantly for days except when it turned to snow and slush for awhile before going back to rain and bombing us with gobs of wet snow falling from trees. A synthetic bag may feel like a sauna when wet but it retains loft and they have kept me comfortably warm even when wet through.

As an added note, one reason I bought the Kifaru bag was for the water repellent treated down. Talked to a number of folks who says it appears to be the real deal. Otherwise I would not have bought a down bag. We shall see how the bag fares over time, because the treated down is a still relatively new thing.........

Casey

They make down bags now? I have a synthetic and like it.

Thanks everyone.

I'm 6'1" and 180 pounds, so need a relatively long bag. I have never been real comfortable in mummy bags...I guess I roll around a lot.

I will use this bag in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho mainly, but do wander up to Alaska for hunts every few years.

Mont Bell makes an EXP Long, super stretch, ultra light down Bag that has gotten me through a few cold Montana nights.

I'm 6'-4" and 235 lbs... it's snug, warm and the stretch feature made it comfortable.

I bought a Northface Furnace 20 'long bag' a couple of years ago from Cabela's. I've been happy with it so far. I'm about your size and can sleep comfortably on my side in it. Only downfall is the snaggy zipper. Can't zip up super fast.

The trick is to not roll inside the bag like you are home under your covers.

*Wear* the bag and have it move with you. Works for me.

Become one with the bag?

I'd check out a kifaru synthetic fill bag if wet weather is on the menu. They are vastly improved over the earlier versions.

Yeah, more or less like a garment.

yanno wut I mean Vern?

A mere garment? Not very zen-like, I'm disappointed.

I move around when I sleep. A good quilt took back-country sleeping from "tolerable" to "enjoyable" for me.

Thanks everyone. I ordered a Kifaru slick +20 and a compression sack. I didn't see any down sleeping bags on their website, and they really only have one bag...the slick...so I am not sure where folks are finding their down bag. I decided to go synthetic because of my Alaskan hunts I do every few years (including this year).

I came really close to ordering a WM alpenlite but just haven't had luck with mummys...I still may order one though for ultralight elk hunts and golden trout trips.

I don't see the need for the 0 degree and less bags...even snowcock hunting in 3 feet of snow my old, cheaper 20+ bag was fine when kept dry and I had a good pair of socks on.

You will really like the slick bag. I have had several. Good call on the compression sack too. They are, in my opinion, quite ingenious and they are very effective at compressing those bags.

I took my family of four to the Armijo Springs gathering outside Quemado, NM last week. We had intermittent rain all three days, which turned out great, because it kept the dust down and moistened the splendid forest enough that the shooting events could proceed without fear of brush fires.

Being a former Boy Scout, I brought a 12x12 Cabelas Extreme Weather Tent with both the pitch kit extra floor and yet another big Harbor Freight tarp (11x19) below that. We were completely dry in there.

Armijo Springs is at roughly 7500 feet altitude. I did not take that into account, as it was cooler than expected. My wife, who had never camped or spent the night in a tent, noted that she was cold in our summer sleeping bags, and I was too. Extra clothing would have helped.

With that heavy tent, I simply figure that some extra blankets or even better, light quilts, would provide the extra warmth needed for camping around here.

Lots of folks into camping are praising the Costco $20 "Double Black Diamond Packable Down Throw" which sells in packs of two. In fact, there are several videos on You Tube reviewing them and showing how to sew them up for various purposes. Now, they are cheap, with thin battens, cheap sewing and duck down, made in China, but each comes with a stuff sack and 400 gauge fabric.

I bought four from Costco.com online, since I could not find them in the Albuquerque stores. For less than 100 bucks including the shipping, I figure this is a cheap way to serve my purpose. Other cheap people evidently feel the same way.

Cheap is great for car camping in summertime.

Check the Norsens Camping Backpacking https://goo.gl/bjLMzS what I love is 100%cotton inside and outside 100% water-proof, very light to carry

After using Enlightened Equipments quilts, I don't think I'll be going back to a traditional sleeping bag anytime soon. My son and I use the convert which can be zipped up into a bag if you want. With an insulated pad of R5 or so it is almost better than sleeping at home.

Because I'm an idjit and wrote Kifaru when I meant Kuiu.............sorry to confuse......


Casey

Marmot Helium 15 down. I own two of them, both around 8 to 10 years old. Not sure it's the "best" bag, but they've sure worked great for me. Light weight, pack down really small and are accurate to the temp rating, at least on a good inflatable insulated pad. The shells have lasted really well over the years, but I don't abuse them and they are usually inside a bivy sack as well. The down has kept its loft, I hang them in the closet in the off season and do not wash them unless I have to, the. I use some sort of tech wash used for down in a large front lid washer, and throw a couple tennis balls in my large dryer. I've probably only washed them a couple of times. They are holding up well. I think I payed $350+ for hem back when I bought them.

+1 on the Montbell bags.... the stretch is fantastic, especially if your a big guy who likes to turn/move ..... and they're light. (watch out for wet down).

I have an older UL SS Downhugger #1 (Long.... I'm 6'1 and 230#) and use it with a thermarest NeoAir Xtherm pad.... Been down to the single digit temps in a tent and didn't get cold.

The stretch was the main reason I bought it... and I have no regrets. I woudn't say the montbells are the most durable bags, but I've always had a tipi or waterproof bivvy to sleep in, so mine has held up.

I would love to try a quilt sometime, just to see.

Cheers,
A