Re: [pct-l] sleeping bags

[Dude Spellings <dude1@pdq.net>]

I wouldn't recommend anything else but a down bag.  I have used both
down and synthetic and really, really prefer down.  Down is far lighter,
much more compact, and more resilient after stuffing 100's of times.  I
have not camped in the east at all, but just got back from doing the JMT
where it rained 8 of 12 days.  I had a North Face Blue Kazoo(20 degree
down) and did just fine.  I slept in a tent and was protected from most
of the rain, but got the bag damp on the nylon shell of the bag.  The
shell was treated with some type of water repellent from the factory.  I
did notice the bag losing a slight amount of loft toward the end of the
8 day rain, but that was somewhat remedied by air drying in the sun
during the few hours of sunlight between the showers.  I understand that
Dry-Loft works well, but I have no direct experience with it.

As far as the lightest 15-20 degree bag out there, the lightest I have
heard of is the Feathered Friends Hummingbird.  It is 1lb 10oz.  I met a
guy using one on the JMT.  He said that the 20 degree rating was a
little misleading, as he was cold in it at temps is the high 20's.
However, you can special order the bag with extra down in it for a small
fee.  This is what he recommended.  I think that Feathered Friends
claims that each additional 2 oz. of down lowers the bags rating by
about 10 degrees.  If you want to get info directly from the
Manufacturer, here is their website:

http://www.featheredfriends.com/featherd/bags.htm

Hope this helps out.

Peace,
Dude in TX

* From the Pacific Crest Trail Email List |  http://www.backcountry.net   *

==============================================================================