[pct-l] mummy bag

[Nathan Miller]

First, I'll echo the sentiment that 4 lbs. is a bit heavy.  I have a 5 lb. synthetic bag I bought in...1989, if I recally correctly.  Two summers ago, I bought a down Marmot Pinnacle weighing 2.5 lbs.  I can feel the difference in weight.  There are a lot of opinions about sleep gear, so I'll try to be general and allow you to do more research on your own.  First, you probably don't need a mummy bag, per se.  You do need something that'll keep you warm and keep out any annoying droughts, both of which are part of the thinking behind the sleeping bag in general.  Even in mid-summer, it can still be chilly at night up in the Cascades and sometimes damp (While summer is overall dry here, we occasionally get random scattered storm systems off the Pacific.), so you'll want to keep that in mind.  You might consider going to your local outdoors store, preferably one which employs knowledgable staff--REI, despite the misgivings about it by many on this list,
 would be one such place.  You might also consider some place that has lots of selection.  I bought my 5-lber at a place called Tri-City Sporting Goods in Fremont, CA.  At the time, they advertised as the world's largest sporting goods store.  Even if it wasn't, the claim wasn't exaggerated by much--the place was huge, practically the Costco of sporting goods stores!  Apparently it's gone out of business, but the point is that if you go somewhere with a lot of selection, you should be able to match what you know about what you need from your sleeping arrangement with what's available.

-Nathan Miller
Newberg, OR