Cold!

[Jay03]

I have a 20* wide slick bag, and IMO its more of a 35-40* bag for me. I use a BA insul Q-core SL pad and a bora bivy big enough to fit both inside. This last Elk trip the temps got down to the mid-upper 30s and that was pushing it for comfort level. I slept with a beanie, wool socks, and a light merino base layer on. My girlfriend froze her buns off in a 10* BA bag over a insul BA air-core pad, she actually ended up in the slick bag with me but thats another story.... The wide came in handy. And Im not making a sexual reference.... it was actually serious for her and nearly ruined her trip and mine. Turns out having the right sleep system for you can be important...

I got the wide because of some advice I recieved about having room for a woobie(army blanket) inside when the temps got low. Well with the added weight of the blanket I think it would make more sense weight and comfort wise to get a lower temp rated bag that fit a little better without the dead space. Im 5'11" and 175 for reference. So in short if I had to do it over again I would get a 0* regular slick bag.... but whats really going to happen is I am going to replace the slick with a western mounaineering bag before next season.

 

[stephen b]

IMO- Can not go wrong with a Western Mountaineering bag. Or can also throw a Feathered Friends into the quality down bag discussion.

 

[sab]

If you're going to add a thin foam pad to your inflatable, put the foam pad on top of the inflatable. If you put the foam below the inflatable, ambient air will still cool the inflatable pad, making you cold.

Regards,
Scott

 

[Aron Snyder]

If you're going to add a thin foam pad to your inflatable, put the foam pad on top of the inflatable. If you put the foam below the inflatable, ambient air will still cool the inflatable pad, making you cold.

Regards,
Scott

True....just make sure you don't pop the air pad! Most put the foam pad under the air to protect it.

 

[Jdog]

Kifaru makes great stuff...I have seen Aron test their gear over the last couple years.

If it wasn't tough as nails and functional, he wouldn't use it.

The only other bag I might recommend is a Western Mtng...I have one and have never been cold in it. Mine is a 15 degree with overfill and gore exterior. Prolly really closer to a 5 degree bag. And I just love the feel of down.

 

[Justin Crossley]

Change your pad first and then get a better bag.

I would go with the Xtherm because it's the lightest and the warmest pad. That's what I'm using this year and I have not been cold once.

Friday night I was sleeping on snow with my Xtherm, Zpacks 30* quilt and Tigoat bivy. The temps got below 30* and I was warm all night.

I wore my very wet Smartwool socks so they would dry out and boxers and my Kryptek merino top and Kryptek beanie.

I was sleeping in my Golite SL5 with just the fly.

 

[greyghostnw]

i use a therma rest neoair all season, regular = 1lb 2oz r rating is 4.9, inflates to 2 1/2 thick and deflates to the size of a nalgene bottle. shape is rectangular the one i believe justin mentioned is mummy shaped with a fuzz higher r rating, 5.7. i like the rectangular better and it has never let me down. twentys is the coldest for me with the pad and was great. bag used is the big agnes bellyache mountain sl 17* water repellent down, 2lb 7oz, diggin this for fall winter. if it gets too bad i bring heat with me, 18 hour body warmers, never used them but nice to know i have them, light and packable. the 8 hr hand pads are nice if glassin or still hunting in the rain.

 

[sab]

True....just make sure you don't pop the air pad! Most put the foam pad under the air to protect it.

That's what Tyvek is for!

Scott

 

[Aron Snyder]

That's what Tyvek is for!

Scott

Yep, hence the statement "make sure and don't pop the air pad".

Guys that are reading this, but haven't done this before, may think an air pad on the ground is OK.

 

[greyghostnw]

Yep, hence the statement "make sure and don't pop the air pad".

Guys that are reading this, but haven't done this before, may think an air pad on the ground is OK.

personally i never have placed an air pad on the ground without some barrier between the two, if anything to keep care of my matt., never had a problem. for me a barrier would be minimum a tent footprint if without a tent or bivy, light and packable. having the ground cleared as much as possible is the norm to just lay proper. seeing any possible materials that could cause a hole in your air matt. no science behind it just common sense. aron is right i have been with people that just put it on the ground and think nothing of it, i say my 2 cents and guess some learn the hard way.....

 

[Justin Crossley]

i use a therma rest neoair all season, regular = 1lb 2oz r rating is 4.9, inflates to 2 1/2 thick and deflates to the size of a nalgene bottle. shape is rectangular the one i believe justin mentioned is mummy shaped with a fuzz higher r rating, 5.7. i like the rectangular better and it has never let me down. twentys is the coldest for me with the pad and was great. bag used is the big agnes bellyache mountain sl 17* water repellent down, 2lb 7oz, diggin this for fall winter. if it gets too bad i bring heat with me, 18 hour body warmers, never used them but nice to know i have them, light and packable. the 8 hr hand pads are nice if glassin or still hunting in the rain.

Yes, the one I use is mummy shaped with an R value of 5.7

It weighs 15.7 oz. on a shipping scale.

 

[Madnik]

Another comment to the effect that it isn't shelter related, and that from there I'd recommending changing your pad/pad-combo and then your bag. And to explore the clothing and water bottle options.

(edited: kant spel, parently.)

 

[Ants]

I am also a cold sleeper and I finally found a bag and pad that worked amazing for me, including an Alaska bear hunt and DIY moose hunt. I went with the Stephenson Warmlite bag and pad. On my latest hunt, my hunting partner was cold (and he had a Cabela's guide series bag inside a B/A down bag), and I was so warm I had to take off the thin layer of the Stephenson bag. The vapor barrier that they build into the bag, really worked for me. I also found some things I really like about the bag compared to my prior mummy bags. First, it has a box foot design and wide shoulders. This gave more room and is wider throughout the whole bag than traditional mummy bags. Before I purchased it I was afraid this would mean I would be cold each time I moved. This turned out not to be the case, I stayed warm and I slept much more soundly by having enough room to toss-and-turn like in a normal bed. I also found the integrated pad (it is in a sleeve on the bottom of the bag) to be great for keeping me warm and on top of the pad, no matter how much I moved. While Stephenson is not the only bag that has this feature, it is something I underestimated the value of until I used it. The final features that I also have learned to really like are the zippers on both sides and the way the hood operates (it allows it to cover the top of your head without bunching up over your face. The two negatives of this bag are its price and the system to blow up the pad. The stuff sack is also a billows and takes alot of time. There is an ultralite fan you can buy and, if you buy the bag, I highly recommend the extra $20-30 for the fan.

 

[Spike_Sniper]

I bring 1 hot hands pack per nite. Shake it up and toss it in the bag. Adds weight but I like it. I try to keep it near the small of my back. I hate packing my winter bag due to the bulk.

 

[Scoot]

Thanks for all of the great info fellas! I have plenty to chew on and apparently a fair bit of money to save up...

 

[boom]

I bring 1 hot hands pack per nite. Shake it up and toss it in the bag. Adds weight but I like it. I try to keep it near the small of my back. I hate packing my winter bag due to the bulk.

nice idea!! but i would hate packing those in and out.

i just got a new bag. i opted for the Western Mountaineering Alpinlite. it is the wider bag. it is a 20 degree bag. my thinking is that with the wider bag, i could (if i wanted) climb in with all my gear on. i bet i could get my booted feet in easy. i was visiting Portland OR and i found a store that carried that bag. they rolled it out, and i crawled in. it is comfy..hope i dont have too much free air. it lofts up HUGE. i bet it is 5" thick puffed out. i crammed it into my wife's marmot stuff sack which is tiny. took moderate effort, but it got down small. the OEM stuff sack is bigger.

i am 5'10.5" tall, and i got the tall bag. at 6.5', i can fit water bottle in nicely ( filled with hot water)

 

[theedz]

I will also recommend to others the Thermarest NeoAir All Season. It is lightweight (Regular - 19oz) and has an R value of 4.9 which I think is pretty good. I slept on it a few weeks ago with temps into the upper 20s with a Big Agnes Pomer Hoit 0* and was not cold at all, actually a little warm. So much so I ended up in just boxers and a beanie by the end of the night. The pad was super comfortable and I tend to be a light sleeper and a side sleeper. The ground was getting cold from moisture but I never once felt cold in the setup. The tent setup was a floorless Oware Pyramid with Tyvek.

 

[ftballman125]

I'd recommend the Xtherm over the All Season. Very warm, very light. You can look at comparison reviews between the two.

Rather than buying a new shelter setup, I'd look into purchasing a bivy from Borah gear. ~7oz, but will do a lot to block extra wind and keep your warmth in. Condensation is really not an issue in the temps you're dealing with. Then, you have a bivy for lightweight summer scouting trips.

The last thing I would do would be to buy a new sleeping bag.

Try these two things first and if you're still cold, upgrade your bag. Very good bags are expensive.

 

[chindits]

I have not been disapointed with WM and the x-therm. I use that one pad year round and all my other pads are collecting dust. It seems the ultralight community tries to plan on being comfortable with all their down camp clothes on in the bag for a given temperature, otherwise it is just excess weight. The only time I needed that was in sub zero Gunni.

Back when I had a crappy bag and old thermarests, I also did the hot water thing in a G.I. 2 qt canteen and would have a chocolate stash nearby for right around 3:00 a.m. I would also wake up cold and do crunches in the bag. Spindly fellars with no insulation got to fuel and fire up the furnace right about the coldest time of the night.

 

[Backpack Hunter]

The stuff sack is also a billows and takes alot of time.

If you seam seal the stuff sack it will be a lot easier to pump the pad up....still a pain, but less of one.