[pct-l] Winter vs Summer Bag?

[Diane Soini of Santa Barbara Hikes]

Here's what I might try. If you have a support person at home you can  
always change this plan. If not, you could try bouncing the other  
sleeping bag up the trail a bit until you are sure. But this is how I  
might try it:

Mexico to South Lake Tahoe: Use the 10 degree bags.
South Lake Tahoe to mid-September: Use the 30/40 degree bags.
Mid-September to Canada: Use the 10 degree bags unless you feel like  
you're so trail hardened and the weather is nice enough that you do  
not need them.

The 10 degree bags are way overkill for much of the trail, but you  
can always stick an arm or foot out if you are hot. And it's mostly  
pretty darn cold in So Cal so the warmth will be appreciated. In the  
height of summer, 10 degree bags would be very unpleasant. I remember  
quite a few nights in Nor Cal where I slept outside my 20 degree bag  
until about 1am, then got inside.

If you only wanted to do a single bag and not bother with mailing  
them around, I'd go with the lighter ones and just plan to sleep with  
all my jackets and rain gear on super cold nights and have a handful  
of uncomfortable nights. It really would only be a handful.


On Apr 16, 2013, at 10:00 AM, pct-l-request at backcountry.net wrote:
>
> On Sun, Apr 14, 2013 at 1:55 PM, julie windsor wrote:
>
>> Hey y'all.  We're finalizing gear for our 26April start and have a
>> couple
>> of outstanding questions.  On the AT, we switched bags and clothes as
>> we
>> moved through the seasons.  On the PCT, do folks change gear or do  
>> the
>> high
>> altitides keep you in a summer/winter gray area pretty much the  
>> entire
>> time?
>>
>> I have a 10 degree and a 30 degree bag; Silver has a 10 and 40.   
>> Would
>> love
>> to dump the extra pound, but I sleep cold!  Thanks for any insight  
>> you
>> can
>> provide.