[pct-l] prospective '09 thru-hiker... 32 degree bag enough?

[Scott Heeschen]

I had a Western Mountaineering MegaLite (rated to 30 degrees) on my hike,
and was comfortable every night - Sierra, Cascades, anywhere.  I often wore
some extremely lightweight long underwear while sleeping, in order to keep
the bag relatively clean (which worked great), and that probably also helped
on some of those colder nights.  I *am* a warm sleeper - a friend with the
same bag sleeping 10 feet from me will have to zip it up tighter or put on
more clothes to stay warm.

I often just slept out under the stars, but would occasionally set up my
TarpTent (no floor).  That was probably worth a few extra degrees, too, but
I probably only set it up for the extra warmth twice.  I was a little
worried heading into the Sierra, so had a friend buy me a bag liner.  Never
needed it.

As an aside, I was all concerned about using a down sleeping bag as I
prepared for the hike.  Wasn't a problem keeping it dry.  The only time I
worried was waking up in my TarpTent on top of Boulder Pass in the middle of
a drizzly night - I had been so tired I just went to bed with my (very) wet
jacket on.  I woke up thinking "Shoot - I've soaked my bag!" but realized my
body heat had dried everything out - no sign of any moisture.  I've stopped
being so paranoid about down bags these days.  Not sure if the Ultralamina
is a down bag or not, so maybe that anecdote doesn't matter...

Have fun on your hike!  I can't wait to do another thru.

    Scott "Buck Larceny" Heeschen - PCT '05