Originally Posted by NeilGunton

I tried out a Big Agnes Encampment bag briefly from REI. I only did a brief tryout, but quickly decided that it just didn't feel very warm, even inside the house. This may be related to the fact that it is synthetic - but then again none of the synthetic bags I have tried out recently "feel" warm when you get inside.

But another thing struck me as I lay in it: You can't really sit up like you can with a regular sleeping bag, since the bag is attached to the mat. Also, when you turn over, the bag stays where it is, which may not be what you want in relation to how the bag sits around your head.

On the plus side, you can never slide off the sleeping pad in the night - that's always annoying if you happen to be a restless sleeper, so it might be a big plus in the BA system's favor for some. If you like to move around without the bag moving with you, then this system might work for you.

Another thought: With a regular sleeping bag that has a full-length zipper, you can always just fully open it out and use it as a quilt on warm nights. But since the Big Agnes only has insulation on the top, not the bottom, and it needs to be used in conjunction with the pad, this isn't really so feasible (though of course you can still open up the zip to let in more air).

It's a nice system in theory, and it actually works in practice for many people. But it's good to be aware of these things, just in case they matter to you.

This is all from memory, by the way, so anybody who knows the BA better than I can feel free to correct me if I have any of this wrong.

Neil