Which Temp Rating on a bag?

[VenaticOppidan]

So, I am in the gear accumulation phase of back pack hunting, which besides a few test runs, will probably be implemented for the first time this spring for a spot and stalk bear hunt.

I just picked up a Hilleberg Nallo 2 4 season tent, which after a bunch of research seemed to be a good all around tent. Now I need to buy a bag and pad. I have gotten conflicting info from different friends, but it seems the advice for an all around bag for spring and fall is about 15°.

My planned usage is to be able to use for spring and early fall hunts in the western states. I would like to only have one bag in the $300-500 range that will keep me comfortable in an unexpected could snap or snow, but that i can also use in warmer weather.

I was thinking something like this Kifaru Back Country Body bag https://store.kifaru.net/backcountry-body-bag-p259.aspx may be a good compromise on temps, but the temp rating is essentially 25°.

What do you pros think? Mummy bag or bust? kinda quilt style like above? 0°, 15°, oer 30° ofr most all around flexibility?

 

[InteriorAKPopsicle]

So I’m up in Alaska and newer to backpack Hunting myself so take everything with a grain of salt. I’d say go Down, find a nice down bag and then what I see a lot of guys do for waterproofing is a cheap $15-$30 bivy bag to cover it. It also increases your heat rating. For up here I see a lot of 30s and 15s. If you are going to a colder climate get a liner (fleece, wool, etc). The research I did said if you take a 30* bag and add a liner and a bivy you essentially have a 0*-10* bag.
I’m up here and my wife got me a 0* down bag. I like it a lot so far for my September Moose and this year it’s going on an October Dall Sheep.


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[Bubblehide]

With the venting sleeping bags on the market today, such as Nemo makes, I'd get something very warm. I f I recall correctly, Backpacker magazine reviewed one of the venting Nemo's a few years back and concluded it was comfortable from 0 to 40 degrees when vented properly.

 

[S.Clancy]

I have a Marmot Helium, 15 degree bag. I've used this bag from -5F to +50F and been comfortable. There are a few things I would consider....

1) Where are you going to be using it. Outside of coastal regions, I'm going down fill. Most high end bags use hydrophobic down now, so it has to be wet for a long period of time to affect loft.

2) Size the bag so there is little extra room. A sleeping bag insulates your body heat, so any extra space in there causes heat to be lost and you decrease the effectiveness of your bag. I size my bag so there is a little extra room for down layers in case it gets really cold. Also, go mummy bag, I very rarely use that functionality, but when the temps are 20F below the rating of my bag it's a life saver. I'm 6'1" and use a regular sized bag.

3) Brands. There are a ton of different good brands. In my view, there a 3 tiers of bag.

Tier 1: Western Mountaineering or Feathered Friends. These are the best and you can get then customized to whatever you want.

Tier 2: Marmot, Mountain, Hardwear, Rab, etc. Most backpacking brands fall in here. These are good, in some cases excellent, bags. Just not the quality, or customization of Tier 1.

Tier 3: Off brands. You generally will know what brands these are. Heavy for temp rating.

I have a high end Tier 2 bag. My next purchase will be a feathered friends.

4) Temp rating. I would go with a 10-15F bag personally. With ingenuity this will get you down to at least 0F and be just fine above freezing, while still being around 2lbs, which is very light.

Hopefully this helps. Good luck.

 

[Trimbandit]

I am new to the backpacking scene as well and have found the temperature ratings interesting as they vary widely. Some are a comfort rating where others are more of a survival rating.
I was out last weekend with an old slumberjack I bought years ago that is a 20 degree bag and got cold in 50 degree weather.
Needless to say that is one piece of gear I plan on upgrading.
A bivy over your sleeping bag makes a lot of sense.

 

[Maverick1]

Good advice above. Something else to consider: I bought a cocoon silk sleeping bag liner and it works great for my needs. If it is colder out, I put the silk liner inside of the sleeping bag and it seems to add a few degrees. If it is warmer out, I climbing into the silk liner, unzip the sleeping bag, and drape sleeping bag over me like a quilt. And the mummy liner is great because it helps absorb some of the dirt, oils, and smells that can accumulate on your body when you hunt hard for multiple days on end without showering. Adds a few ounces, but definitely worth it.

The down/synthetic decision should factor in how much moisture and condensation you plan to encounter.

As far as temperature ratings go, you are likely going to get a variety of answers - and that's because of differences in people and in sleeping bag manufacturer ratings. Some people are "warm" or "cold" sleepers, meaning that what might be comfortable for one person might not be for someone else. Also, the ratings from one manufacturer aren't necessarily going to be close to others. The "Tier" ratings mentioned above are generally accurate, and the higher end bag manufacturers tend to be truer to their temperature ratings. Lower quality bags....well, not so much! (Not all 30 degree bags are truly going to keep most people comfortable at 30 degrees!) Based on what you described, I would go with a 15 degree bag.

Bivy sacks can be great, but they can also lead to condensation as well. And if you are going to a place that could get rain/snow for any part of the trip, a bivy sack alone can be tough to keep your gear dry and give you space to change clothes, sit up, etc. Most people that take a bivy also take along a tarp, which can negate the weight savings of the bivy, but give you some flexibility as far as setup goes.

Good luck in your search!

 

[VenaticOppidan]

I have a Marmot Helium, 15 degree bag. I've used this bag from -5F to +50F and been comfortable. There are a few things I would consider....

1) Where are you going to be using it. Outside of coastal regions, I'm going down fill. Most high end bags use hydrophobic down now, so it has to be wet for a long period of time to affect loft.

2) Size the bag so there is little extra room. A sleeping bag insulates your body heat, so any extra space in there causes heat to be lost and you decrease the effectiveness of your bag. I size my bag so there is a little extra room for down layers in case it gets really cold. Also, go mummy bag, I very rarely use that functionality, but when the temps are 20F below the rating of my bag it's a life saver. I'm 6'1" and use a regular sized bag.

3) Brands. There are a ton of different good brands. In my view, there a 3 tiers of bag.

Tier 1: Western Mountaineering or Feathered Friends. These are the best and you can get then customized to whatever you want.

Tier 2: Marmot, Mountain, Hardwear, Rab, etc. Most backpacking brands fall in here. These are good, in some cases excellent, bags. Just not the quality, or customization of Tier 1.

Tier 3: Off brands. You generally will know what brands these are. Heavy for temp rating.

I have a high end Tier 2 bag. My next purchase will be a feathered friends.

4) Temp rating. I would go with a 10-15F bag personally. With ingenuity this will get you down to at least 0F and be just fine above freezing, while still being around 2lbs, which is very light.

Hopefully this helps. Good luck.

thank you so much for all of the suggestions and comments, a lot of great info. there is so much that goes into it. i found this bag https://www.rei.com/product/163032/nemo-disco-15-sleeping-bag-mens

seems to check a lot of the features you guys mentioned. would this be a low tier or mid tier bag?

 

[S.Clancy]

thank you so much for all of the suggestions and comments, a lot of great info. there is so much that goes into it. i found this bag https://www.rei.com/product/163032/nemo-disco-15-sleeping-bag-mens

seems to check a lot of the features you guys mentioned. would this be a low tier or mid tier bag?

That's mid tier for sure. Could get a lot of years of hunting and backpacking out of that bag.

 

[turley]

1) Where are you going to be using it. Outside of coastal regions, I'm going down fill. Most high end bags use hydrophobic down now, so it has to be wet for a long period of time to affect loft.

Probably the top two tier bag manufacturers in the U.S. (Western Mountaineering, Feathered Friends) do not use hydrophobic down and rely on water repellent shells to protect the down - as does Valandre a top tier bag from overseas. If memory is correct, ZPacks who once used hydrophobic down no longer does.

Here is the Western Mountaineering reasoning for not using hydrophobid down from their website:
"We have found in our own testing that the performance enhancements of hydrophobic treatments on high quality down are widely overstated. High quality untreated down already has naturally water repellant oils on it left by the geese (makes sense since geese spend a lot of time in water). These oils help repel water and keep down lofted. More importantly is that these oils last indefinitely. Hydrophobic treatments wash out like a DWR and remove the natural oils during the application process. Because of this, and the water resistant capability of our shell fabrics, we feel that hydrophobic down does not provide a considerable impact on performance and could actually inhibit performance over the lifetime of our products".

Bivy sacks do increase warmth but even with highly breathable water resistant shells in the right conditions can hold moisture/condensation between the outside fabric of the sleeping bag and interior surface of the bivy.....which is why bivy sacks tend to be more popular in the dryer western states vs say the more humid southern states.


I'd go with an 800FP bag or higher with a 15 degree or so temperature rating......but would definitely make sure it had a full length zipper to allow venting.

 

[Maverick1]

Same as above. That bag will work! (The link you provided to REI indicates it is no longer available but you might find it elsewhere). The 650 down in that specific bag will take take more total fill to get the same temperature rating than a comparable bag using 800 or more down. A comparable bag with 800 fill down will also weigh about 8 ounces less, and pack down to a smaller stuff sack, but likely cost $100-$150 more. Always tradeoffs!

Also, if you go with a down bag, make sure you store it unstuffed!

 

[NWRoger]

Check out Klymit’s KSB line, they are 650 down tops that stretch and synthetic bases. Solving that crushed down problem. I have the KSB 15 and their insulated static v pad (4.4 R value), so far really happy using them in the Gifford Nat Forest area. Relatively cheap too, I saw them at Costco recently for like 40% off MSRP


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