Sleeping bags
 

I'm looking for a compact sleeping bag for a up coming where the highest temp will be 30°C (85°F) and the lowest temp will be 0°C (30°F). I have been told the the sleeping bag ratings that are advertised mean next to nothing. So I was woundering if anyone knows of any bags that are compact and are rated for my temp range, I'm male and a little bit of a hot sleeper (atleast I think so), I will be using a foam sleeping mat, and sleeping in a small tent, I should also add I like to sleeping in just a pair of boxer shorts.

That is a big temperature range.

A couple of years ago I decided to upgrade my 30+ yr old sleeping bag. Just went to the local sporting goods store and picked on a "compact" one that seemed about right. It is a Field and Stream, but I don't see the model. Only had it out a couple of times, but it seemed fine, with a lot less weight and bulk to pack around.

One thing you can do to extend the temperature range of your bag is to wear your clothes on the really cold nights.

Get something rated for the cold end of your range, and yes, if you want to be comfortable at 0C, go for one rated to about -10C.
When it is hot, simply sleep on top of it with a sarong over you. When it is cold, you'll appreciate the warmth of the sleeping bag.

Mine is down and if I recall correctly, I got it in Canada at MEC.

Have you considered a quilt?
Sierra Designs 2-Season 800-DriDown Backpacking Backcountry Quilt

Ratings are pretty unreliable unless they list the EN rating. EN ratings should be consistent, but not necessarily correct for each individual.

You need to see what works for you. I must put out heat like a furnace because I have done fine with a bag rated for much warmer conditions than I use it for. I used a Mountain Hardwear Phantom 45 in a wider range of conditions than you list in your post. I have slept in it many nights below freezing and have even slept in it (in a bivy) with a layer of clothing and two pairs of socks at 18 F. I was just fine. On the other hand lots of folks are apparently cold in the same bag at 45 F.

Regardless of the bag choice that works for you, warmth can be tailored to the conditions. At the warm end of the range I sleep on the mat with no bag. As things cool down I use the zipped open bag as a quilt exposing a leg or my torso if necessary to stay cool enough. Next I climb into the bag. As it gets cooler yet, I zip the bag, then put on the hood, and then cinch the hood to a small opening to breath through. If necessary you can loosely lay extra clothing on top of you for additional warmth. You can also use a down jacket or sweater for extra warmth.

+1. I use a 1lbs 2 oz Western Mountaineering SummerLite rated at 32 degrees with a thin down sweater and never needed anything else. It's warmer than rated because you can shift all the down to the top.

Ditto the quilt, and ditto checking for an EN rating.

A high quality down quilt will be less expensive, lighter, and more compact than a bag. The one I got, made by enLightened Equipment, is long enough to be pulled over my head as a hood and has snaps and draw strings to hold it together if needed. It's not as convenient as a zipped bag, but every design is a compromise. If you figure you can live without a zipper, there are savings there. The quilt is a favorite addition to my three-season bike touring kit.

The theory of a quilt is fine, but I found the actual experience to be frustrating as draughts made sleeping uncomfortable and my arms were unsupported and fell out off my sleeping mat and onto the cold ground. If you have a quilt that is large enough to close up with ties or velcro you essentially have a sleeping bag......so why not get a well made sleeping bag with a zip.

So rant now over I'll recommend the Montbell ultralight super-spiral down hugger.

Down Hugger 800 #3 | Montbell America

You can always extend the lower temperature limit of a sleeping bag by wearing extra clothes and your upper limit is meaningless because you just open the zip or sleep on top of the bag.

if you don't have enough info yet - or you'd like to get more confused - what about a bag liner and a regular bag? you've got a wide temp range.
You could go with a 45F down bag, which will pack really small, then add a liner when it get's colder - something like this: ALPS Mountaineering Fleece Sleeping Bag - Special Buy - REI.com (i've got a nylon shell thing with a fleece lining i put my regular sleeping back into. kind of a pain with two bags, but it's another option)

I'll do that backpacking, as i've got to share gear with my son. i'll use the 45F down and the liner, he'll take the 40F synthitic, or i'll use the 40F synth. with a liner, he'll take the 0F Polar Pod.

The liner packs super small, the 45F down is small. you get a nice air barrier in between.

note - if you don't already know - down is not warm when wet, synthetic is (supposedly) - best bet is keeping everything dry.

A bag rated at 0 C is a good all around bag. We have used ours in temperatures ranging from 43 C to a little lower than 0 C., all on the same tour. As Machka suggested, just sleep on top during warm weather. Add a little more clothing if the temperature really drops.

I also think synthetic bags are the way to go. The newer insulating materials compress as well, and are as light as down, they are easy to clean, dry quickly, and they are do provide some warmth when wet. I can tell you from experience a wet down bag is next useless.

We were in a campground, and I had my synthetic was draped over a picnic table to air out. A dog came by and urinated on it; I guess just because he could. The campground had laundry facilities, and in a little more than an hour my bag was clean and dry.

I don't believe anyone is getting into a sleeping bag at 43 C unless they were trying to imitate being in a sweat lodge.

But yeah, Doug64 is on the money in that you sleep on top of your bag in warmer weather or to the side of it so when it cools in the wee hours you don't even have to wake up properly to grab your bag and pull it over you.

For those types of temps, I'd happily recommend a bag similar to what I currently use.
Down rated at 800+ and about 450grams of it. Goose down mixture of 90/10 with the ten being feather to increase loft.
Lower temp rating being:
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[TD="class: data"]Comfort 2ºC / Limit -4ºC / Extreme -21ºC

Total weight approx 820 grams.

My bag is:
Endurance Sleeping Bag Express 400 XL | Down | Sleeping Bags | Equipment | Macpac Australia

They have regular sales where I think from memory I paid $350.00 Au which is around 50% off normal retail.

I'm not saying you have to buy the same brand bag.
What I'm trying to suggest is that a quality brand with the same or very similar fill will cater to what you've suggested your needs/temps are.
Saying that Macpac is a NZ brand that have an international reputation for quality and durability for their outdoor gear including tents, packs and sleeping bags.
Top Notch.

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Sleeping Bags | Montbell America I have some Montbell camping products which are of excellent quality. They are a Japanese company. Their website shows a good range of sleeping bags which will give you an idea of what can be available. Machka's advice I think is right - get a bag for the lowest or slightly lower temperature than you expect.

Well - lots of mixed advice. Here's mine.
I don't bike camp but I guided in the mountains for years (Seattle Mountaineers) and after several seasons worked out my favorite sleeping deal: a down, mummy-style, sleeping bag plus a bivi sack - that did well in over 20 years of guiding.
1) down is the warmest and most efficient. My bag goes in a compression sack that packs to just 8x6 inches so it takes little room in my ruck. Avoid at all costs synthetic fill of any kind mostly because they are huge, take up half your ruck, and are heavy. The disadvantage of down is that it loses its warmth if it gets wet whereas synthetic dosen't.
2) I use a bivy bag because it is much warmer than a tent, lighter than a tent, and also takes up little room in your ruck - less than my sleeping bag. The bivy adds to the overall warmth much more than a tent because of the smaller space. And it keeps the down bag dry. Lastly, if it is a warm night, forget the sleeping bag and just slide into the bivy. The only advantage of a tent is if you are using it for more than one person - and you get the other guy to carry it.
3) Ratings: I pay attention to the ratings that the manufacturer puts on the bag. Unlike the other posters I have never done field trials of bags and have only purchased two. The first one was rated 0F. It did well - too well (hot) so I sold it. My second bag was rated 30F and it has keep me toasty to below zero in the mountains - inside my bivy bag.

I should also also say that I always carried a blue foam mat. Any mat is bulky but I creased-cut mine and used a heat *** so the thing could be folded mostly flat instead of rolled. I then carried it inside my ruck next to my back. They only lasted about two seasons at most but they are cheap.

I have done little bike camping, but have backpacked a lot. This is not a difficult choice. I would go with a 20 degree F bag, which is very common and therefore there are a lot of choices. This is also what is recommended... buy a bag that is 10 degrees F colder that the temps that you expect to encounter. Also keep in mind that the temp ratings are based on having a good quality ground pad for insulation (and comfort).

The main decision is down or synthetic. down is lighter and more compressible, but you can't get it wet. And down is much more expensive. Synthetic is cheaper and bulkier/heavier, but keeps you warm when wet.

Warm er .. the Polyester just wont matt down and take putting in a tumble drier to regain the Loft..


Only Hot tubs are Warm when Wet.

Actually, I don't either! You are right; the daytime temperatures were 43C. It did cool down a little once the sun went down., but was still very warm.

I have a PrimaLoft synthetic bag, rated at 25F, that weighs less than 2 lbs: Marmot "Pounder Plus". Mine is a long, and it pack pretty small.

My sleeping bag is in the green compression sack, which packs down smaller than the blue sack containing my tent.
http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/y...erbottle-2.jpg

I also come from a mountaineering background, and have gone exclusively to synthetics. Even my insulated jacket and pants are PrimaLoft. My down bag has not been used in years:)

+1 on that!

definitely overshoot on the lowest cold rating of your bag!
keep in mind that some bags maybe "rated" for 0 when in reality when it hits 0 you're already cold!
-10 is a good idea but id say depending on your budget etc look for something rated to even colder temps... Say -15 and so forth...!
Also...
hit up craigalist in area where hiking and camping is very popular.... I scored an amazingly warm bag (-15rating or better if I recall right off the top of my head?)....while I was looking at Craigslist Colorado...and I'm in PA! I think maybe it was used twice if that! Got a steal on it! It's a Big Agnes bag....Big Agnes gear is American Made and QUALITY STUFF, they have a great warranty too.

There are reasons why one might use synthetic insulation including some of the reasons you mentioned, but any synthetic insulation I have seen used in sleeping bags is neither as light nor as compressible as down. In fact no synthetic sleeping bag that I have seen even comes close to down for packed size or light weight.

Get a light sleeping bag for three season sleeping and get a winter sleeping bag for the cold season.

If you need more warmth, get an overbag or just slide in the bag with your clothes on to stay warm.

Another vote for quilt use here. I just switched to one for my last tour. We saw night temps of ~40 and up to the 70s. One really nice thing about the quilt is the versatility of it for different temperatures. I would highly recommend putting in a few hours of research on some backpacking forums. And I, too, am a boxer sleeper. If you do go on a backpacking forum, get ready for most people to tell you that you're supposed to be sleeping like a bound up mummy wearing all of your clothes at once and a sleeping bag that barely fits around you, like some sort of bike touring sausage. Another thing to consider is material. Some of those non-breathable materials are going to get clammy on bare skin. I was in nylon on my last tour and some of the warmer nights were a little clammy on the skin. I've read that some use silk on the inside of their DIY quilts.
Maybe 20yrs ago, but this isn't so true these days. There are plenty of ultra-light backpackers using synthetics for their quilts and bags. Also, you should look into inflatable sleep pads. Those don't have to be bulky anymore. Now they roll up quite small and the cold weather pads have insulation filling to keep you warm, even if you're sleeping on a frozen lake.
For weight, synthetic is there now. They're making really nice, light weight hollow tube synthetic insulations. They don't compress as much as down, but they compress small enough. They certainly at least "come close" to down.

Many bivies are heavier than the single walled ultralight tents that you can get today, but the bid issue I have with a bivy is condensation. At least in a single walled tent the condensations is kept well away from the sleeping bag. The few times that I've slept in a bivy my bag as ended up damp.

Pete,

You are probably correct. What I should have said is "synthetic bags are close to......... of down."

However, I have bags that are close to the size and weight of my down bag for the same temp range.

Azza, if you're a hot sleeper consider a thin sleeping bag liner and light bag or quilt. Sweating onto thin nylon gets dirty fast and for the warmer temps the liner is plenty.

Thermolite® Reactor Liner | Sea to Summit

I think this is the one, it feels like a thin fuzzy sheet. I'd rather sweat a pint into it than the bag.

I have never seen a synthetic bag that comes close to the likes of the Mountain Hardwear Phantom line, or the Marmot Atom, Hydrogen, or Helium.

My daughter is very allergic to down and when sleeping in the same tent as her I use a synthetic bag. I bought a North Face Cat's Meow and it the best performer that I could find in a synthetic at the time, but it is still a good bit heavier than the Marmot Helium and the Mountain Hardwear Phantom 15 both of which are EN rated about 5 F lower. Is there actually something substantially lighter that a Cats Meow in a mummy bag EN rated at 20 F or less?

Ditto on MontBell, I thought the stopped making bags but there they are, good bag, I have one.