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Gear Sleeping bag for hut trip

Slim

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Any recommendations for a sleeping bag / quilt for a hut trip? I have a synthetic 20° bag that's just way to big & heavy for this. I'm looking at a 35° (that'll be nice in summers too) but online I'm getting recommendations anywhere from a 0° to 35°.

  • If you are looking at temperature rating ratings, make sure you are looking at EN ratings, and use the ’comfort’ rating. Typically the ‘name‘ of the sleeping bag reflects the ‘extreme’ or ‘low limit‘ rating. I’ve never met someone who found they were a rly comfortable at that temperature.(I’m sure they exist though)
  • I would personally choose a quilt. In a wood fired hut, it might be very warm at some times, the get colder during the night. A suffienctly warm quilt is easier to accommodate both.
  • 40F EN comfort rating sounds about right to me. In the rare occasion that a hut or summertime tent is colder than that at night, wear your down jacket and pant, another reason for the quilt. In most brands that would be ‘named‘ about 25/30F.
Basically, with quilts and sleeping bags, you pay more for lighter materials. Keep in mind that the lighter weight fabrics and higher fill power down, also means the quilt will compress smaller, making a smaller, tighter skiing pack.

Might I suggest Enlightened Equipment? A great small company, with some very affordable prices for the specs.
https://enlightenedequipment.com/revelation-custom/ you can see the weight vs price, choosing lighter weight down and lighter weight fabric.
 

David

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  • If you are looking at temperature rating ratings, make sure you are looking at EN ratings, and use the ’comfort’ rating. Typically the ‘name‘ of the sleeping bag reflects the ‘extreme’ or ‘low limit‘ rating. I’ve never met someone who found they were a rly comfortable at that temperature.(I’m sure they exist though)
  • I would personally choose a quilt. In a wood fired hut, it might be very warm at some times, the get colder during the night. A suffienctly warm quilt is easier to accommodate both.
  • 40F EN comfort rating sounds about right to me. In the rare occasion that a hut or summertime tent is colder than that at night, wear your down jacket and pant, another reason for the quilt. In most brands that would be ‘named‘ about 25/30F.
Basically, with quilts and sleeping bags, you pay more for lighter materials. Keep in mind that the lighter weight fabrics and higher fill power down, also means the quilt will compress smaller, making a smaller, tighter skiing pack.

Might I suggest Enlightened Equipment? A great small company, with some very affordable prices for the specs.
https://enlightenedequipment.com/revelation-custom/ you can see the weight vs price, choosing lighter weight down and lighter weight fabric.
Thanks. I've looked at them but I can't say I want to sleep on my pad when camping. I did find a fullzip lightweight quilt for a bit more at another small company https://mochileragear.com but not sure I want to spend that much on a quilt when I've never used one before. REI had a 25° down bag on sale but they are all out of the wide. My current 20° bad is a Wiggy's that I've used in the winter below zero and was still warm...but I don't think I sleep that warm anymore.
 

wooglin

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I got a revelation on Drop a few years back. Had low expectations, but the price was right. It was, indeed, a revelation. The mummy bag just sits in the closet these days.
 

Ken_R

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Warmer than about 45º I dont use a bag but a quilt (in a Tent). I only have one bag a Marmot helium 15º down bag which is amazing, packs light and small. In the late Fall when overnight temps get down to 25º when I am tent camping I use the Helium but some nights its too warm so I just open it up a bit. Its good to have extra warmth when you need it. I live in Colorado so its super dry most days at altitude. I do use double pads if its colder (foam + inflatable) but I do not have a warmer bag I see no need unless you camp in ridiculous conditions (Denali, Mt Washington or very very cold days where you would not want to be out anyway)
 

crgildart

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Depends on what kind of hut and how many people. Larger group of people put off body heat to keep the hut warm. Some huts have wood stoves. I'd think you could go with a light down bag and be toasty unless it's really cold and few people in a hut with no other heat source.
 

Justthetips

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A general rule when buying sleeping bags, is you can only pick 2 of the following 3:
Good quality
Lightweight
Cheap
I love my Marmot Helium Membrain, its a 15 degree F down bag. Packs down the size of a loaf of bread, but is not cheap. Comfort rating is likely more like 5F.
 

Plai

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+1 down bags for reasons stated above.
I'd get something warmer than expected. You never know when weather will arrive, and you can always vent a warm bag. I've had several summer 80+F days with near freezing nights in the high Sierras.

Have a great trip.
 
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Slim

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I'd get something warmer than expected. You never know when weather will arrive, and you can always vent a warm bag. I've had several summer 80+F days with near freezing nights in the high Sierras.
In some ways I agree with that statement, in others I don't.
Part of it comes down to the term 'expected'. For example, in the high altitude areas of the west, nights near freezing are common, even in summer, so I would not call them 'unexpected'.. I do agree with having a bag/quilt warmer than the average minimum temperatures.
I do not think one should bring a bag/quilt suitable for an extremely rare, theoretically possible, occurrence of temperatures extremely far below the average low.

Let's say the average night time low at the destination is 40F, with a the vast majority of nights falling between 30F and 50F. Of course, 20F is possible, and so is 60F. Since we can call 30F an expected temperature, going with that, if we want warmer than expected, we might take a 25F bag. That means, in normal conditions, about half the time, the bag will be a little to warm (on the coldest half of the nights, 30F-40F) and venting can make use reasonably comfortable. But even with venting, during the other half of the time, we will be very uncomfortable, trying to make a 25F bag work at 40F, 45F and 50F degrees.
It will also cost more money (warmer bags are more expensive), and be heavier and bigger to carry, which makes skinning up and skiing down more tiring, more awkward, less fun and less safe.

I would pick, for those same conditions, a 35F bag. (Slightly warmer than average low temps). That way, on over 3/4 of the nights, I would be perfect, and on less than a 1/4 of the nights I would be slightly cool, and add a light mid layer. In the rare occasions that temperatures are unexpectedly low (25F), I would add my down parka, (which I would have with me for a hut skiing trip anyway for cold days and breaks), and be perfectly comfortable. In the hypothetically possible situation of a 20F low temp, I would make do with adding hats and mittens, shell garments, spooning with trip mates, etc. and be uncomfortable but survive.


NB, at all these times, I am talking about actual comfort temperature. Eg, when I say '25F bag', or '40F bag', I mean a bag that you will sleep comfortably in at that temperature with only a light base layer. Not a bag 'named' 25F or 40F.
 
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Thanks. I've looked at them but I can't say I want to sleep on my pad when camping.
So you do not want a quilt, (because you don't want to be on the bare pad), so I would pick a full zip sleeping bag. Huts can be very warm, summer camping in the midwest can be very warm, a mummy with partial zip just doesn't allow you to compensate for that.

Generally, above freezing I prefer hoodless, and below 25F I prefer a hood. A 25-35F sleeping bag, I can go either way, depending on whether you expect more warm or more cold nights.

I did find a fullzip lightweight quilt for a bit more at another small company https://mochileragear.com but not sure I want to spend that much on a quilt when I've never used one before.
I do not see any full zip, (hoodless) sleepingbags at that website, only half zip quilts?

Zpacks do make full zip, hoodless quilt. So if the only price objection was wanting to stick with a bag, instead of a quilt, that would suit you. At a very small weight penalty compared to a halfzip quilt, you get all the benefits of both quilt and bag.

If you simply want something less expensive, you will have to look elsewhere.

Thermarest has one too:
But not much cheaper. But maybe you can find it on sale.

REI indeed is good value for money, as is Sierra Designs, and of course, closeouts. Still it is hard to find a lightweight full zip sleepingbag. With the big brands, those tend to be car camping models with heavy materials.
 
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Lauren

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I've looked at them but I can't say I want to sleep on my pad when camping.

If this is the only thing you don't like about a quilt, an option is to get a sleeping bag liner with a quilt. Last year, I got a Big Agnes King Canyon that I absolutely love. It's a bit on the light side (I couldn't find an "official" temp rating anywhere), but paired with an insulated pad and a sleeping bag liner, I've used it on some pretty cool nights. There's all sorts of liners (silk, fleece, microfiber, Primaloft, etc), with different warmth ratings...I use a pretty basic silk liner.

Big Agnes also makes the Fussell, which is 850 fill down for a very reasonable price, and one of the reviews on their site actually talks about using it for a hut trip. Both the Canyon and the Fussell come in around a 1lb, so I never mind carrying a liner around with me.
 
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Slim

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If this is the only thing you don't like about a quilt, an option is to get a sleeping bag liner with a quilt. Last year, I got a Big Agnes King Canyon that I absolutely love. It's a bit on the light side (I couldn't find an "official" temp rating anywhere), but paired with an insulated pad and a sleeping bag liner, I've used it on some pretty cool nights. There's all sorts of liners (silk, fleece, microfiber, Primaloft, etc), with different warmth ratings...I use a pretty basic silk liner.
Both the Canyon and the Fussell come in around a 1lb, so I never mind carrying a liner around with me.
Good point. You also might find you don't mind lying on a bare pad as much as you think. I used to really dislike it, but these days I on't mind it too much. I have a Neoair, so fairly plasticky material.

And since @David lives in the midwest, a liner is a great additionn. Many summer nights here are so warm and muggy, that even a thin quilt/bag is too warm, but you still want a bit of coverage, so the sheet-weight thickness of a liner is just right.

The advantage of quilts over bags is that there are far more ~35-45F lightweight quilts, than full zip sleeping bags, and so the chance of finding one on sale is much better too.
 

Ken_R

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Good point. You also might find you don't mind lying on a bare pad as much as you think. I used to really dislike it, but these days I on't mind it too much. I have a Neoair, so fairly plasticky material.

And since @David lives in the midwest, a liner is a great additionn. Many summer nights here are so warm and muggy, that even a thin quilt/bag is too warm, but you still want a bit of coverage, so the sheet-weight thickness of a liner is just right.

The advantage of quilts over bags is that there are far more ~35-45F lightweight quilts, than full zip sleeping bags, and so the chance of finding one on sale is much better too.

I sleep on a bare pad a lot. I got one I liked to sleep on thats all :roflmao:

Also worth mentioning. No matter the temp. a GOOD pillow is GOLD. Makes for much better nights.
 

Lauren

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Also worth mentioning. No matter the temp. a GOOD pillow is GOLD. Makes for much better nights.

One of the most underrated pieces of camping gear, IMO. There are much lighter pillows out there, but I cannot recommend the Nemo Fillo enough, it's so comfortable.

I'm also willing to add a little extra weight for a more comfortable pad. The Sea to Summit Comfort Light Insulated, has served me well for a number of years now.
 

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Another thing to consider is getting a full-zip down bag with no side baffle. Western Mountaineering makes some, spendy but unbelievably nice. I take my Summerlite bag on hut trips - super light, packs down tiny, can open like a quilt or close up for freezing temps, and you can shift most of the down to the top or bottom as conditions warrant. It’s just an all around great bag.
 

Ken_R

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One of the most underrated pieces of camping gear, IMO. There are much lighter pillows out there, but I cannot recommend the Nemo Fillo enough, it's so comfortable.

I'm also willing to add a little extra weight for a more comfortable pad. The Sea to Summit Comfort Light Insulated, has served me well for a number of years now.

I actually take one of the pillows from my bed at home if the hike to setup camp is not too long. :roflmao: Specially if I am gonna camp for a few days.:huh: :ogbiggrin:

That said for longer hikes that pillow looks NICE! I will check it out.
 

David

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Thanks everyone! That's a lot to think about. I'm not opposed to a quilt just a lot of money for something I haven't used before. The company I mentioned as well as a couple others do offer a full zip quilt so I'd have the best of both worlds. I think i need to figure out what temp I want to go with. I've used a 20° for everything over the last 40 years and have either ven in or on it with a liner or sheet depending on where I was.
The Big Agnes Torchlight UL 20˚ was interesting (if on sale) since it can open up to a 70" girth and I'm not small. But that's another reason to think about a quilt...
 

David

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Watching stupid tv and thinking...what if I purchase a basic warm quilt and use velcro (or something) to attach another piece of comfortable fabric to the bottom of the quilt. Then I would not be on mt pad or need a full zipp or bag to keep it over me? I also wouldn't need anything wider & heavier as I can use a piece of fabric large enough to have room for me?
 

Ken_R

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Thanks everyone! That's a lot to think about. I'm not opposed to a quilt just a lot of money for something I haven't used before. The company I mentioned as well as a couple others do offer a full zip quilt so I'd have the best of both worlds. I think i need to figure out what temp I want to go with. I've used a 20° for everything over the last 40 years and have either ven in or on it with a liner or sheet depending on where I was.
The Big Agnes Torchlight UL 20˚ was interesting (if on sale) since it can open up to a 70" girth and I'm not small. But that's another reason to think about a quilt...

I wouldnt get a quilt if money is an issue I would just use a sleeping bag you have as a quilt. My 15º down Marmot is so light that that is what I do. I only have that bag for everything.
 

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