Chilkoot bags and moisture management

[optimusprime]

Does anyone here have experience with the Chilkoot bags and using them in wet conditions? Anyone use them while soaking wet?


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[ljalberta]

No experience personally with using them wet. Might be worth watching the SG rewarming drill if you haven’t.

 

[Quicksilver]

Watch the rewarding drill video, gives good advice of some bad stuff happens out in the wild. Also have read multiple accounts on here if guys having wet bags on the outside from condensation, even a guy sleeping in the back of his truck and got rained on. Warm and dry inside the bag. Designed to constantly push moisture to the outside of the bag and it seems to do that well.

 

[MountainTracker]

So I forgot my sleeping mat last year when scouting in AK. The bag was pretty soaked on the bottom in the morning. I wasn’t cold and it dried out quickly. When hunting I ran into a decent amount of rain over a few days, I had some moisture on top of the bag every morning. Again the bag dried out well and wasn’t an issue. This was with a 32 degree bag.


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[MountainTracker]

So I forgot my sleeping mat last year when scouting in AK. The bag was pretty soaked on the bottom in the morning. I wasn’t cold and it dried out quickly. When hunting I ran into a decent amount of rain over a few days, I had some moisture on top of the bag every morning. Again the bag dried out well and wasn’t an issue. This was with a 15 degree bag.


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[uncastan]

I've really wanted to try one of these chilkoot bags for hunting AK, but I'm afraid to go away from a trusty synthetic. Would love to hear from someone that was able to put the bag to the test like OP says soaking wet and know how it performs.

 

[Brightside]

I've really wanted to try one of these chilkoot bags for hunting AK, but I'm afraid to go away from a trusty synthetic. Would love to hear from someone that was able to put the bag to the test like OP says soaking wet and know how it performs.

Maybe this will help. I live on the Cal/Or coast. My experience last fall with the Chilkoot 15 was that it did NOT do well when wet. I was in a floorless and one night of condensation contact with the footbox soaked it and killed the loft. It certainly didn't act like the magic bag its cracked up to be. Nights were in the high 30s. My feet were really cold since the loft was killed so I shoved my Kifaru Parka in the footbox and put my feet in that, which helped. The weather that trip was non stop rain but I had the wood stove to help keep me warm and boil water without robbing my canister. The wood stove saved the trip really but putting boiling water in a nalgene and leaving it in the footbox of the bag did a lot more to dry it. It took many boils (and time) to do this though.

I often read of people saying that a wood stove removes the risk of a wetted out down bag. I completely disagree after trying to dry it. The stove will keep you warm but it wont just dry out a down bag without a ton of time and work. I lost rest, hunting time and by day 5, I was done with down. Ill add a pound and some bulk and go synthetic.

The bag was well made. It was roomy too. Too long, they need to offer regular length. This bag ran cold on several previous multiday trips during dry weather. If I ever go down again, It probably wont be a Chilkoot.

 

[uncastan]

Thanks for your feedback. I think the bag would do great in dry climates and perhaps even snow, but it's sounding like it'd be just like any other down bag in wet environments. I talked to a guide in AK who had a similar experience with the chilkoot -- miserable, wet & cold. I think i'll be checking out the slick bag.