Sleeping Bag

[hookr88]

I would look into the new style military bag. It is a three piece system. Inner light weight bag, heavy middle bag and a goretex outer bivy bag. They're not cheap but at least you will have one modular systems for all your needs. You might find a decent deal down at one of the surplus stores near Joint Base Lewis- McChord.

[RubblesPH]

Bought a browning -30 from Cableas this year before my Alaskan Yukon moose trip.  Stayed warm with room to store clothes and boots in over night. 

Here's a picture for testimony.  It's the empty bag with the tarp pulled off of it and the frozen gun beside it.  It has vents you can open for warmer weather.  Great bag, I'd highly recommend it.

[boneaddict]

Yep, thats what I got I think.  Use the tarp the same way too.   Whats nice is that it fits me at 6 5

[RubblesPH]

I'm only 6'00, but that extra room at the bottom stored my boots.  Wasn't happy when I woke up the first morning and had to put on rock solid frozen boots because I left them out of the bag....couldn't believe I forgot.  Shoulder room is generous too.  Can't stand feeling confined in a bag.  Definitely not a backpack bag though. 

[ICEMAN]

Tarps are too damned noisy. We use this weird product called a "Neat Sheet".  It is a quiet, "waterproof" groundcloth that breaths a bit like a goretex material....  No more waking up to all that crunching noise when someome or something moves. Drawback: the mice can sneak up on ya...

[Bean Counter]

Shouldn't this be in the "Gear" thread? 

[ICEMAN]

Shouldn't this be in the "Gear" thread? 

Thank you! Done.

[high country]

I have two bags that see more time in the field then any of the other umpteen that I own. for my high country hunts I use a western mountaineering badger. it weighs about 2lbs and packs down to the size of a pack of bagels.....tested to 11 above and stayed cozy. my other is a wiggy's ultimate thule.....this is not a backpacking bag. it weighs 5lbs and packs down to the size of 2 gallon jugs. it is big heavy and I have spent nights in it w/o a tarp to 15 below and stayed plenty warm. I would add that both of these are made right here in the USA and have great warranties. you would need to find them on ebay or used to meet your price, but if you buy a qualty 850 filll bag it will blow a 650 out of the water in warmth and compressability. the wiggys bag says right in the warranty that it is guarenteed against compression even if it is stored like that for its whole life......don't do that with a down bag!

[ICEMAN]

I have heard good things about the Wiggys bags...

My problem with most any bag, if you are a bigger guy, and your bag is even slightly snug, not tight but just snug, what happens with me is that the motion of my chest rising and falling as I sleep keeps pumping air into and out of the bag (draft guards be-damned!). I hate this! This is why I overdrape the bag with the neat sheet.... It keeps a bit of my warmed air around my bag so that I am not pumping cold air in all night...

[high country]

ice, my bag is a long/wide and it is big enough for me at 6' 250lbs. It would be tall enough for a 7 foot dude. I could have gone with a regular/regular....but wanted penty of room to keep my gear warm. they are a good bag for the $$ and a lifetime warranty helps seal the deal. jerry wigitow, the owner is a total tool, but he makes a great bag for a fair price.

[ICEMAN]

Yeah, I have read alot of reviews about them on a few hiking forums and they sound like the real deal. I am over 300lbs, have wide shoulders and a bit of a barrel chest, so I appreciate a large bag.

[high country]

I wear a size 54 jacket.......you should have plenty of room.

[halflife65]

Hard to beat WM except for price.  One of these days, I'll own a -30 (or so) WM bag.  In the meantime, I've been seriously looking at the Titanium Goat bivy sack to put over my Marmot Helium.  Should add another 10 degrees of heat rating, the new ones that are just coming out are supposed to be able to let you fit your pad inside and will work great under a tarp and they are really light and supposed to breath well.

The other bag that I have that I forgot to mention is a North Face Snowshoe 0 degree bag.  Ok, but doesn't compress very well.  I use it on shorter trips or when I don't want to use my giant camp bag.

I've heard that about the owner of Wiggy's.  Funny.

[archery288]

I have the Marmot Helium bag.. It's good down to 15 degrees and is extremely light at just over 2 lbs.  I wouldn't buy another bag - period!  It has a ton of loft as well which adds a little comfort when sleeping on the ground.  It is a little on the expensive side, but you can find deals on ebay or other mountaineering stores out there.

[high country]

my advice for adding a few degrees is to run a mylar backed buble wrap pad....it weighs about 6oz and there is NO question when you slide off of it when the ground is cold.....cheap and works.

I run a cabelas bivy sometimes and for the 16oz it weighs the bigger benefit to me is knowing if I encounter heinous weather I am still good to go. I can't say if it helped on the temp because 11* was the coldest I have endured and it was still going strong.