Zen bivy vs western mtn versalite

[Elkangle]

Looking at experience/thoughts on the two bags

This will be a shoulder season bag, teens at the lowest for temps...will be used all over the country from up north to lower 48

if the zen bivy runs hot does a guy get the 25 degree ? Muscovy down vs goose down ? Is muscovy just a cheaper product for the companys margin ? Will the 10 deg be over kill if average night is in the 30s ?

Or for a bomb proof bag is the versalite/alpinelite the way to go

Will be used in a 4 season shelter

For those who have slept in both in a wide veriety of conditions would love to hear your thoughts..what you trusting your life with

 

[RWT]

Watching. Curious if you sleep hot or cold

 

[Elkangle]

Watching. Curious if you sleep hot or cold

Id say i sleep average, ive never been in a bag that i thought was underrated... usually dont zip up mummy bags but will wear a alpha hoody to bed

I like the idea of no zippers as its one less thing to fail but the idea of jumping into a zen bivy soaking wet on a 20 deg night isnt as fun as the same idea in a full WM mummy bag

 

[sneaky]

Once it gets mid 20s and lower the appeal of quilts is really lost for me. I've got a 20 degree quilt, and it's fine for archery elk and deer. But once those nighttime temps start dropping a good bag is just way easier to stay warm in. Ymmv

Sent from my SM-S918U using Tapatalk

 

[AK_cowboy]

Also following to see if anyone has any strong opinions about the goose down bs Muscovy down

 

[lifeisgoodsteve]

I've only tried the 10 degree ZenBivy for a backpack trip up about the snowline a few weeks ago, but can share my comparison of that with a WM Alpinlie (overstuffed to supposedly add 5 deg warmth to bring it to 15).

Note: The ZB I believe lists the "comfort" rating of their figures as 10 degrees higher, so believe that differs a bit from WM.

My overstuffed WM Alpinlite seems to have notably more down than the 10 degree ZB. On this last 2 night backpack trip, camping at 8700ft I'm guessing the coldest it got was about 40degrees. I had tried sleeping with just an alpha direct 60g top and boxer briefs, but by morning when it reached the coolest, I actually was a touch chilly in the legs. I slipped some down booties on which helped. Maybe it'd have been a big difference if I'd slept with a wool lower baselayer.

I'm still going to fully vet the ZB system as I did appreciate being able to turn from side to back to other side freely without the constriction of the WM Alpinlite, even though the Alpinlite is the wider of the WM bags. So I'll be experimenting with various baselayers to see if I can find a sweet spot with the ZB.

All that to say, that for me if I try the ZB 25, I'll have some warm baselayers/jacket to have on hand to wear in case they're needed.

 

[Elkangle]

I've only tried the 10 degree ZenBivy for a backpack trip up about the snowline a few weeks ago, but can share my comparison of that with a WM Alpinlie (overstuffed to supposedly add 5 deg warmth to bring it to 15).

Note: The ZB I believe lists the "comfort" rating of their figures as 10 degrees higher, so believe that differs a bit from WM.

My overstuffed WM Alpinlite seems to have notably more down than the 10 degree ZB. On this last 2 night backpack trip, camping at 8700ft I'm guessing the coldest it got was about 40degrees. I had tried sleeping with just an alpha direct 60g top and boxer briefs, but by morning when it reached the coolest, I actually was a touch chilly in the legs. I slipped some down booties on which helped. Maybe it'd have been a big difference if I'd slept with a wool lower baselayer.

I'm still going to fully vet the ZB system as I did appreciate being able to turn from side to back to other side freely without the constriction of the WM Alpinlite, even though the Alpinlite is the wider of the WM bags. So I'll be experimenting with various baselayers to see if I can find a sweet spot with the ZB.

All that to say, that for me if I try the ZB 25, I'll have some warm baselayers/jacket to have on hand to wear in case they're needed.

Hey appreciate the thoughts, getting chilly at 40 with a 10 deg bag kinda sucks esp with a alpha 60 up top...shouldnt matter what you slept in ! Theres another thread on here where form is talking bout how warm they are and regards them to WM quality but im worried about quality control