sleeping bags

[Strider]

I have 3 bags I can compare on;
I love my WM Versalite, I fit into the 5'6bag and it weighs 850g and is extremely warm and cosy.
My OP Bushlite Super is also a great warm bag but is about 1.6kg. Way too heavy when compared with the WM bag.
Also have a Macpac latitude 700 that weighs in at 1.35kg. It is a comfortable bag but no where near as warm as the WM or OP bags.

I would suggest the WM bag shell has the least water resistency with the OP bag having the greatest.
Both the Macpac and the OP bags can be fully opened, a benefit if it is warm, where as the foot on the WM bag cannot be opened.

Many thanks for that - some great information there. I was originally looking at the Macpac Latitude 700XP but the WM bags are significantly lighter and there is potential to get a warmer WM bag like the Versalite that is still lighter than the Latitude - but I do like the idea of the footzip in the Latitude - would be nice to have that open on slightly warmer nights.

I sleep on my side but I dont tend to draw the hood tight. I would rather sleep with a beannie on.
Hope you find the bag thats right for you. Vicki

Cheers for that - I think the beanie might be better for me too rather than turning on my side and suffocating inside the hood.

Turn the whole bag with your body.

[Miyata610]

Turn the whole bag with your body.

I turn inside my bag, leaving the warm lofty down on top. I use the hood and I haven't suffocated yet.

I have always wondered how side sleepers manage in a hammock.

[nq111]

I use the hood and I haven't suffocated yet.

I have always wondered how side sleepers manage in a hammock.

The better hoods are fitted more like a down jacket hood - you get a better sense here http://www.testedoutdoors.com/blog/82/.

Side sleeping in a modern camping hammock works great -the hammocks lay close to flat - though on tummy not quite.

[RSD]

I'm looking at two versions of the same bag at the moment - the main difference is the outer shell. One is 100% Nylon Ripstop DWR 1.2 oz/yd, the other is MemBrain®2L 100% Nylon Ripstop 2.0 oz/yd which adds 75 grams to the total weight of the bag - not enough to worry about IMO. Which would you choose for use in Tassie - use would normally be in tents - summer and winter.

I don't know how well the MemBrain®2L 100% Nylon Ripstop 2.0 oz/yd breathes - does anyone have any information?

[nq111]

I had a waterproof type shell sleeping bag for many years. The bag was good but i did not care for the shell. I my opinion it results in the worst outcome - waterproof enough to slow breathibility and make hard to wash but not waterproof enough to bivy. If you are dealing with tent condensation much better to maintain the DWR on a standard shell with spray-on Grangers etc.

[RSD]

Does using the spray-on Grangers affect the breathability of a shell?

Does anyone have any information on the breathability of Membrain 2L?

[wayno]

Does using the spray-on Grangers affect the breathability of a shell?

Does anyone have any information on the breathability of Membrain 2L?

http://marmot.com/membrain_strata
20,000

[nq111]

Does using the spray-on Grangers affect the breathability of a shell?

May do a bit - but a softshell with DWR is significantly more breathable than even the best WB hardshells.

[icemancometh]

some bags I've been lookin at lately for NZ conditions in winter...but I wear my clothes to bed incl my belay jacket if needed.

Marmot Plasma 15 on sale at BCG now 398+PS (total about 450) 906g 550g fill 900+ LONG (62" shoulders)
WM Alpinlite 595g fill 935g 850+ fill (520 from PP?...64" shoulders)
FF Winter Wren a little heavier and less fill but can wear it like a jacket around camp...still not sold on the idea of a drawcord at the bottom of the bag

for comfort


if I were to push it for one night or even two night affairs was thinking really light...and I've gotten over the idea of quilts for cold weather...drafts are too much for real sleep
then I would look at
WM summerlite 290/560g $360 60" shoulders
but leaning towards
MHW Speed 292/498g $399 from Campsaver incl shipping (well once you put the total over $400 it's free shipping to oz), it would be the bag I;d use the most and the lightest....its the down version of the old MHW UL32 I currently use which is like 980g or so on my scales with the speed being warmer on en ratings. why I'm leaning towards this in the pricey end of sleeping bags:1 weight (lightest), and 62" shoulders! I need it esp with clothes on)

re rolling in yiour bag, rol in the bag if its roomy or roll with the bag iff not

[nq111]

icemancometh - if you want to push the boundaries of warmth/ safety maybe experiment with vapour barriers for those lighter set-ups. Can adapt a cheap bivy to play with e.g. http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/270970510386 ... 1423.l2649. Get a WM Hotsac if it works out. Got to be the lightest way to add a little warmth in cold conditions.

[Phil S]

Regarding DWR treatment on conventional nylon/polyester fabric shells - is it really enough to overcome the condensation issue over a period of say a week living from a tent and without a day of sunshine to dry things out? Do you just use the spray product straight onto the shell?

Incidentally, I'm a side sleeper and quite like to cinch my hood up relatively firmly and have never had a problem with suffocation. I'm in the habit of turning inside my bag (which seems really natural and prevents the bag getting all tied up around me).

[nq111]

Regarding DWR treatment on conventional nylon/polyester fabric shells - is it really enough to overcome the condensation issue over a period of say a week living from a tent and without a day of sunshine to dry things out? Do you just use the spray product straight onto the shell?

Not enough to overcome but enough to manage. I have been managed over many nights and week long trips in Tassie with constantly wet tents.

Most of the moisture building up in your sleeping bag over that week will be condensation from your body condensing as it passes through the down, not water seeping in from damp tent walls touching the sleeping bag. Whatever your water problem may be with condensation dripping on the bag or seeping into the bag when touching the wall, you are experiencing multiples of water buildup from internal condensation in the bag.

So the theory is focus on number one problem - letting the vapour get out of the bag most easily so that not too much precipitates in the down. Hence the most breathable shell you can manage (and WPB fabrics are all significantly less breathable than normal fabrics). Or use a vapour barrier to stop the moisture in the first place (underutilised IMO - though it seems individuals respond differently to the 'plastic bag' effect).

If you have a tent with lots of condensation put your rain shell around the foot of the bag only to keep off where the sleeping bag touches the tent. I think other than that if the condensation issue is worse than a DWR will keep off there are other issues (tent not vented properly or poorly designed) or leaking.

Remember WPB fabrics perform pretty poorly and wet out without the DWR treatment as well. They remain waterproof but fail to breath anymore.

I guess if you always used a vapour barrier liner in your sleeping bag the WPB shell could make sense. And bivying - something i have little experience with - is a different matter.

[stepbystep]

I've recently pulled the trigger on a Rab Endurance Neutrino 400 for 3 season use in Tasmania. I'll be sure to give a revue.....

[andrewa]

I start by saying that I haven't read this entire thread, just the start, but I ope I have something useful to add.

As a student in the 80's I worked in MDs, and involved my brain v much in sleeping bag design etc, and made several "ultimate" bags - goretex shell, amazing baffle design etc.

I then read Roger Caffin's FAQ about lightweight camping, and sleeping bag designs, and this changed everything.

I've given up on sleeping bags, and now sleep under a down filled quilt, even in the snow. I now wear all my clothing to bed to add to my warmth. In the snow I even wear my telemark inner boots to bed for warmth. Bonus is that i can get up for a P at night easily, and just get straight back not bed.

I've ended up with a lot less stuff to cart . My (home made) quilts are 500-1000g dependent on use, and I've bolstered them with light insulating clothing such as Montbell ex-light down jkt, Bozeman Mtn Works Cocoon synthetic jkt, Montbell thermal rap pants - all miles lighter than anything from fiber pile.

If interested in buying quilts, check out RAB, Bozeman MW, Nunatack.

A


Just bought Exped down mat to hopefully add to my comfort/insulation