Friday, June 30th, 2006...2:40 am
Choosing a Backpacking sleeping bag: How much is enough?
Lucky you. If you’re just starting into backpacking, you will find a large number of lightweight bags (less than 3 pounds) that will keep you warm in some very cold conditions and pack down small, taking up little space in your pack. Not so, just a few years ago.
In 1997 I purchased a huge extra-wide down bag with a temperature rating of 10 degrees (3 pounds, 4 ounces). It was designed to keep you warm down to that temperature.
A local backpacking store recommended this jumbo bag based on desire to return to the Eastern Sierra where during car camps I experienced t-shirt weather during the day and temperatures of 20′s at night.
In reality, most of my backpacking have not been under such conditions and the Western Mountaineering Sequoia Super Microfiber bag at $480 was overkill.
Ultralight Relief
Today, I use a Western Mountaineering HighLite, a 1 pound bag rated for 35 degrees. When moving to this opposite extreme – an ultralight choice – an acquaintance with a lot of wilderness experience told me that by sleeping in a tent, wearing a jacket in my sleeping bag, along with socks and long underwear, even hiking pants, I could get the temperature rating down to 20.
My own experience has shown that to be mostly true. One or two nights my legs have been a bit cold. Otherwise, the HighLite and layering has kept me warm enough.
Voice of Experience
If you aren’t sure if you are a warm or cold sleeper (you get especially warm or especially cold under the covers), buy a sub-2 pound 20-25 degree bag that’s really compact and you’ll be the right temperature in all but the harshest weather.
Be warm. Be light. Be safe. Be one with the pack.
Other posts in this series:
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