[pct-l] Down vs Synthetic

[CMountainDave@aol.com (CMountainDave@aol.com)]

I've used a 20 degree down bag for over 20 years and it has never gotten wet, 
even in some mighty big rainstorms in the Olympics where everything else I 
carried got wet. I put it in a garbage sack inside my pack in wet areas. I 
use a tent and when it rains I stick the bag in a bivy sack just in case and 
when it REALLY REALLY rains (and water inevitably gets inside the tent) I put 
the bottom half of the bivy inside a garbage sack. The bivy also makes the 
bag warmer in cold weather. In the Olympics, some people carry a tarp, too, 
to cover the tent. Not too many people string up just a tarp, but I have seen 
people just throw an 8x10 tarp over their bag (on a ground cover) and let it 
pour overnight. Another obvious advantage of a down bag is its compactness. 
My 20 year old bag is nearly shot and I'm strongly thinking of replacing it 
with a Feathered Friends Hummingbird