Non Down Bags - Recommendations

[mfsights257]

Doing my first back pack hunts next year and looking for a some advice on a sleeping bag. I am allergic to down, so need synthetic recommendations for a 15 degree bag. Also, I am 6 ' 1", is it worth it to get a Tall/Long bag?

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[back country]

I really like my 20* regular wide slick bag. I’m 5’11” and I went with a regular length bag, I’m pretty sure you could get by with a regular length too at your height but you’d want to verify.


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[deerkiller]

Wiggy's without hesitation AND they sell wide and tall versions

 

[verysimple]

Doing my first back pack hunts next year and looking for a some advice on a sleeping bag. I am allergic to down, so need synthetic recommendations for a 15 degree bag. Also, I am 6 ' 1", is it worth it to get a Tall/Long bag?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Enlightened equipment apex, viam outdoors

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[oenanthe]

Just go with one of the high-end brands like Marmot, North Face, Mountain Hardware, and the like. Be sure to check the ISO/EN rating - it gives a fair assessment of how warm the bag is.

For backpacking, I'd go with those brands rather than one of the hunting companies - their bags are usually heavier, less efficient, and not accurately rated for temperature (no ISO/EN rating).

I'm also 6'1" and I'd get a long. I've sometimes borrowed regular length bags from my wife and they work most of the time, but I can't straighten out fully. Much better to have a bit too much room than a bit too little!

 

[yeti14]

I just went through this process and ended up getting a mountain hardwear lamina 15. It's a new design this year, so not alot of reviews but it looks like a solid bag. I haven't used it yet, so not alot of help there. I'm 6 foot and got the regular. It's a little smaller width wise than I'm used to, but acceptable.

 

[wind gypsy]

Nunatak Custom is the best option IMO. Downside is cost and wait time. Get exactly the size, level of insulation, and fabric you want. Other possible downside is I'm not sure they offer a non center zip. I prefer side zip for venting flexibility.

I spec'd my apex center zip from them to fit like my WM alpinlite. I used light shell material and shortish zipper but it is only 4 ounces heavier than my WM bag and just as warm!

 

[westonadkins]

Was reading about synthetic bags the other day and here's what I wrote down:

Kifaru 20 degree 44.8 Oz $382
Nemo kyan 20 degree 37 Oz $240
Mountain hardware lamina 30 degree 35 oz $130
The North Face Guide 20, 36 Oz $190


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[Phaseolus]

The weight and large size of Wiggy’s take them out of the backpacking choices.

 

[Phaseolus]

The weight and packed size of Wiggy’s take them out of the backpackers choice. I have two Wiggy’s, they are relegated to car camping, one sits behind the seat of my truck at all times. A good cheap bag but not a great one. I don’t live in a wet area so that is not so important.

 

[GunsAreFun]

Marmot Trestles Elite has a real great value to weight ratio.

 

[Raidertx]

Just returned from CO for 6 days. I had the Nemo Forte 20deg. Not a mummy bag but not a conventional either. Good room but not oversized. I would definitely recommend a long bag as I am 6'0" and appreciated the extra length/room. Only got to the upper 30's but I was never cold. Was able to sleep in t-shirt, shorts, and a pair of socks more than comfortably.

 

[Where's Bruce?]

Define how you are using it...backpacking? Car camping? Bivy? Spike?

 

[Cng]

+1 for the Mountain Hardwear Lamina. I’ve got a couple year old 5deg. maybe. So far so good.

 

[verysimple]

Was reading about synthetic bags the other day and here's what I wrote down:

Kifaru 20 degree 44.8 Oz $382
Nemo kyan 20 degree 37 Oz $240
Mountain hardware lamina 30 degree 35 oz $130
The North Face Guide 20, 36 Oz $190


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Big Agnes make good apex bag
Enlightened equipment quilt
Viam outdoors quilt


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[Bigred]

Im also looking for my first back packing sleeping bag, ive been trying to use up some Cabela's gift cards to get a decent bag. I realisticly will only be using the bag maybe 10 nights per year. Between northern michigan and colorado. Im thinking a 20 degree bag will do but im wondering if anyone has any insite as far as weight-to-degree ratio. Is the extra weight worth the colder temperature? Also, any suggestions from Cabela's limited supply? Ill be spending a week in late october in norther michigan with only a tent and no heat source.......

 

[Desk Jockey]

Welcome.

As far as tall vs not, I am 6’3” and tend to go tall. If you are a back sleeper it is probably worth the extra length. If you are a side sleeper, you may not need it.

I tend to favor synthetic bags. My go to for a long time was a north face cats meow. Owned 3 of them in 25 years. They were the backpackers standard of comparison for years and are still a good, solid value. I recently branched out a bit looking for more shoulder room. Here are a few I tried.

- motnbell burrow bag - spiral baffles with stretch thread. Very comfortable and moves with you. True to its 30 degree rating.

- EE apex convert quilt - $$$ and bulkier than I expected. Dimensions filled were a bit on the short side (they measure the flat “blank” before filling which can vary 4-6 inches from posted length). I thought this was going to be my one bag to rule them all but I haven’t liked it as much as I hoped.

- Nemo forte - picked this one up on an REI sale earlier this year. Nemo has some great gear and their bags get rave reviews. I don’t have that many nights in it but it is pretty dang cool. For a side sleeper it is the bees knees. I have enough leg room to bring my knees all the way up.

Kifaru and some of the other bags mentioned are great but probably pricey for someone starting out. I would also echo the point about wiggys. Great touch gear but their sleeping bags are far too heavy for backpacking.

 

[JD619er]

This will be my second year with a marmot ultra elite 20. At 2 lbs it's pretty freaking light. The comfort rating is actually around 30 but I slept 5 nights in the mid 20s last year in base layer bottoms and a fleece top and was toasty. It is a bit narrow though

 

[[email protected]]

I really like my outdoor vitals bags great mix or weight packability comfort and price for me.

 

[Ag111]

Eddie Bauer makes a 15deg bag with Pertex Quantum shell and Apex insulation. I had never considered EB for bags until I stumbled upon them last week. I have never owned one, just found them online as another option for people. My main bag is a Brooks-Range Drift 15 down bag. I am in the same situation as you, would really like to supplement my gear with a 0-15deg synthetic bag for certain hunts like Alaska. In my research last year I found that the MH Hyperlamina 0 deg bag was the best warmth/weight ratio for a synthetic. They discontinued that model (I believe) and re-released a new version of the Lamina bags for this year.

With respect to the non-Euro standard rated bags made by a lot of hunting company's:

You can look at the materials used and reverse engineer the expected warmth ratings of the different bags using the clo values of each material and the loft of the insulation. I plotted these out on a chart so see how they would compare with properly rated bags from non-hunting companies. The results were as OENANTHE has described above. I had both down and synthetic bags in my analysis with some companies really rising to the top and some sinking to the bottom. There was one company (backpacking company) whose ratings must have been fabricated. They were claiming a 15 deg bag when the materials used were the same as all of their competitors' 30 deg bags. Other companies are very conservative with their ratings. Western Mountaineering, Kuiu, Brooks-Range all had ratings that were 100% justifiable based on their materials, and maybe even warmer than they were giving themselves credit for.

It is possible that a lot of these hunting bags are warmer than their materials alone would indicate. This could be a function of design, volume/geometry, coatings on the shell material, etc. Having never slept in most of these bags i do not have any first hand knowledge about how "warm" they sleep. But "in general," the hunting company bags are a little heavier and more durable and the ratings are more interpretive since there are no standard ratings.