Sleeping bags

[Mike 338]

The bag is probably fine so long as it's 10 or 15 degrees above it's rating. If it's down, you gotta fluff it up till your arms fall off after it's been compressed. I once shined a flashlight on my down quilt and there seemed to be virtually no insulation in the baffles. The next day I fluff it up for about 2 minutes and bingo, the baffles all filled in.

Cots are bad news on their own. Throw a bit more money at your sleep system and get the best/highest insulation rated pad you can afford. I'd start looking at Thermarest. They have some good ones. Say goodbye to cold nights.

"Naked sleepers"... still reliving the glory days of bringing a girl friend on a camp out. They've said it so many times, I think they actually believe it. Just put a single blanket on your bed at home and turn the heat completely off so the house is "cold". Strip down and see how well you sleep. Do it again the next night with a bunch of warm fuzzy, loose fitting clothes. Don't forget a hat of some sort to sleep in. It becomes obvious pretty fast, the benefits of insulation, in all it's forms.

Get a good pad.

 

[Litehiker]

Rogue,
Enlightened Equipment sells only quilts, not mummy bags. For winter conditions and the warmest per weight mummy bags are still the best and most thermally efficient.

My warmest bag is an LL Bean -20 F. down bag. Beautifully designed and high quality.

Eric B.

 

[Rogue]

LiteHiker,
They sale bags. Not sure why you would want one when a guilt and pad are so much warmer!!!!

My warmest bag is an old NorthFace Inferno. Took it to Norway above the circle back in 91. The dam thing was to warm and I ended up sleeping with it unzipped. Also have several from Mountain Hardware, Big Agnes, Sea To Summit and several versions of military bags. None of them are as comfortable or as warm as a good down quilt.

IMHO.

 

[Litehiker]

So Rogue, how do you keep your head warm? Separate down hood? (They make 'em.)
How about the top where air comes in? Is there a down filled collar on the quilt?

No way is a quilt warmer. More comfortable, yes. Warmer? No, or the military and mountaineers would be all over that.

Eric B.

 

[Rogue]

I love it when this crap happens!

I submit to your superior knowledge and years of experience. I am ashamed that I dared to share a bit of my own. I am thankful for people like you who know everything and are so willing to prove everyone else wrong.

OP-Hope you find a sleep system that works for you.

Rogue - SGT of Marines
USMC Artic Leaders Course, October 1990
USMC Cold Weather Survival Instructor 1988-1993
3 Deployments above the Circle

But, I don't know crap about sleeping in the cold. Sorry.

 

[dfanonymous]

what was the bag temp ratings and what was the outside temp?
Were your clothes damp at all when you got in your bags? Damp / wet conditions will really hurt the insulating properties of down, if not making it nearly useless.

Have you tried to find a better compression sack for the military one?
I use what I know, which is the usmc 3 seasons bag with the sealine compression sack. Packs down to about 11 x 5 plus or minus 1 inch.

Anyways my angle is that you should look for a better compression sack not s bag if you already have one that works

 

[Rogue]

Exactly! When you lay a down bag on a cot you will compress it all on the bottom side of the bad, thus loosing all the insulation value of the down against the cot. Effectively the only thing insulating you from below was the cot fabric, the air between the cot and the ground (which i am assuming is cold air), and the sleeping bag fabric. Adding an insulated air pad (any pad would have helped) would have put a lot of insulation under your bag and kept you MUCH warmer.

He nailed it!!

Insulation between you and the ground is a must. A good sleeping pad can add a lot of warmth. I am currently using the Nemo Tensor 25L. It's about 3" thick and very comfortable. Insulating sleeping pads come in many forms, good luck!!!

 

[Litehiker]

Rogue,
OK, you haver your bona-fides and I have mine.
1. 10 years as a Nordic Ski Patroller, including patrolling the 1979 Lake Placid Pre-Olympics and 1980 Winter Olympic Nordic games.
2. Ski Patrol Mountaineering course
3. Ski Patrol Winter Travel and Rescue course and later WTR instructor
4. Army ROTC Cadet Winter Survival instructor (classroom then weekend bivouac after insertion by Chinook) 3 years.
6. Six years Alpine ski patroller
7. 14 years EMT with cold injuries specific training.
8. Numerous XC ski races & marathons including the two day, 100 mile Canadian Ski Marathon.

I never said that a winter quilt was inadequate but that its design is not as thermally efficient as a mummy bag. To each his own.

And I truly am curious about how you deal with head and neck area warmth and draft prevention around your shoulders.

Eric B.