Sleeping Bag for Climbing trips

So, I was never huge into backpacking/camping, but climbing has sort of forced me to get into it, and the cheap sleeping bag I've been using that I probably bought at Target isn't cutting it anymore for early and late season climbing (50o day temp usually translates to 20-40o night). I'm looking for a new bag for use on multi-day climbing trips, preferably less than $200. It looks like one area I can save is weight and compressibility, as 90% of climbing trips involve car camping, but I wouldn't mind the option of occasional backpacking if somebody wants to drag me outdoors.

Outdoorgearreview is my usual go-to for...outdoor gear reviews, but I'm still having difficulty making a decision and was wondering what you guys use. Their top value pick is the Kelty Cosmic Down, but one con they mentioned was it wasn't as warm as others and was more suitable for summer camping (which makes no sense to me, as it's a mummy bag). They were really pushing the rectangular bags for car camping, but I'm worried that those will get cold on a early March/late November trip. What do you guys think?

My girlfriend has the cosmic and really likes it. We have been camping down to 35ish degrees and she is still warm. I've been thinking about getting one myself just for the price alone.

Ted,

A rectangular bag can be plenty warm if it has enough loft. And it will be more comfortable than a mummy bag. But you will be sacrificing weight and bulk compared to a mummy bag. You can't really have all the options you want in one bag - cheap, warm, lightweight and quality.

I dont have a specific model to recommend, but keep in mind that the temp ratings on the bags are the minimal temps you can sustain in order to prevent death, and it assumes you are sleeping in clothes. If you like to sleep without full clothes and you want to be comfortable, add 20 - 30 degrees to the bag rating for the minimal comfortable temp. I have a -15 degree bag and it keeps me warm to about 10 degrees, below that it starts to get cold, especially if I am not sleeping on a Thermarest.

Corn: yeah, the Kelty was their top value pick, although it still is $200. Not sure if I want to deal with down, though...and the weight/compressibility isn't a huge issue for car camping.

Hmm...good to know 20 kn. I'm probably not going to need to go quite that low, but it's good to be overprepared incase nature surprises you...

Down isn't hard to deal with. Just don't get it wet when you're camping, and keep it clean (don't sleep in manky clothes).

I'm going to pick up a 0 degree down bag when I find a decent one on sale. It's going to loose some loft, and I've been below freezing on rock climbing trips a few times.

Check out the Marmot Trestles 15. Good value and would suit your needs. I use it for backpacking also. Not ideal by most peoples standards but its been working well for me.

Campmor has the Cosmic 20 for $129.

See here: campmor.com/kelty-cosmic-20…

20 kN wrote:I dont have a specific model to recommend, but keep in mind that the temp ratings on the bags are the minimal temps you can sustain in order to prevent death, and it assumes you are sleeping in clothes. If you like to sleep without full clothes and you want to be comfortable, add 20 - 30 degrees to the bag rating for the minimal comfortable temp. I have a -15 degree bag and it keeps me warm to about 10 degrees, below that it starts to get cold, especially if I am not sleeping on a Thermarest.

No

The kelty cosmic down is rated according to the en-ratings ... Its should be rated fairly accurately for the "average" eurobum providing one is using sufficient ground insulation

Read this to understand en-ratings

mammut.ch/images/Mammut_Sle…

;)

bearbreeder wrote: No The kelty cosmic down is rated according to the en-ratings ... Its should be rated fairly accurately for the "average" eurobum providing one is using sufficient ground insulation Read this to understand en-ratings mammut.ch/images/Mammut_Sle… ;)

I have owned four sleeping bags and none of them stayed warm to their rated temps, not even remotely close. I also owned bags from good companies like Mountain Hardware. Like I said, take the rating and add 20 - 30 degrees if you sleep with limited clothes in the back of your car. That's been my experience among four brands using the bags in the exact application the OP described.

I've used a cat's meow 20 and have nothing but good things to say about it. I've heard negative reviews from some folk, but for a synthetic bag it's relatively warm, light, cheap and durable. I've taken it to 0 with a liner and been perfectly warm, I've had it for over 7 years. It won't do everything and a bag upgrade is on the horizon, but well worth the 160$ I paid for it. They go on sale often.

• full disclosure* I don't have a problem with wearing layers in the bag when it gets cold. I doubt it would have been comfortable wearing boxers and a tee shirt at 0

20 kN wrote: I have owned four sleeping bags and none of them stayed warm to their rated temps, not even remotely close. I also owned bags from good companies like Mountain Hardware. Like I said, take the rating and add 20 - 30 degrees if you sleep with limited clothes in the back of your car. That's been my experience among four brands using the bags in the exact application the OP described.

Ahhhh

But

- are your bags en-rated

- did you use ground insulation with around a R-value of 5 .... In other words TWO ridgerest or z-lite pads

- did you warm up the bag first through a few situps inside

- if its down you should also shake it out to fluff it up before hand, not to mention dry it in the sun every opportunity

- did you have a good high protein/fat meal and get well hydrated before sleeping

read this for excellent advice from andy kirkpatrick about how to keep warm sleeping

web.archive.org/web/2013052…

The en-ratings are pretty "spot on" for the "average" man/women ... In fact they are the most conservative compared to previous rating schemes

There is always the possibility that you run cold of course ... and women need a bag thats rated 10F warmer than men roughly as the chart below shows (skinny low fat men may be in the same situation)

But frequently folks who are cold at night in a properly en-rated good brandname bag are cold because of some other reason

The en-ratings were devised to combat deceptive marketing of sleeping bags an standardize the measurements

comparison between sleeping bag rating standards

example difference between "comfort" temperatures of different ratings schemes

Its science, just not rocket science .... After all thermal resistance is just insulation ... Home builder calculate it just fine all the time, theres no mumbo jumbo

I suggest reading the excellent mammut pdf link i posted

now in the real world there ARE are reasons to get a warmer bag such as

- down bags loose loft eventually from internal condensation (especially below freezing or in humid conditions) if you dont dry it out in the sun/heat ... which is why folks in the artic/antarctic often use overbags or VBLs

- synthetics loose loft with compression ... never compress your synthetic bag for long periods, and avoid compression sacks like the plague

- you may run colder than the "normal" person

- you may be in an area that has a good possibility of sudden unexpected temperature drops

but the en-ratings generally are fairly accurate ... they are tested on real folks when they were developed

;)

Ted, I personally like mummy bags as I tend to get pretty cold at night. You may want to check out the Mountain Hardwear Lamina series. I have a -15 but like 20kn said, add about 20 degrees to that. It's usually pretty comfy until about 5, but thats just my experience. You can usually find those bags on sale for well under $200.

Theres some great reviews on outdoorgearlab.com as well. They do some pretty good comparison tests and even if they don't have a ton of products in that category, the reviewers are pretty good and give you a lot to think about.

I don't know how any bag can work perfectly in all situations. Summer I just use blankets if car camping. Fall etc I use a zero bag from Marmot - using it like a blanket most of the time on top a themorest with a sheet in a tent or unzipped mostly. Zip it up when it gets cold. Down has a much wider comfort range than synthetics - I sweat more under my 20 degree synthetic bag than my zero down bag in the marginal temperatures.

If you want something for multi day climbing trips that packs down small and will keep you warm in the temps you mentioned, your not going to get it for less than $200. Your gona need a lightweight down bag. If you are willing to spend more money the Marmot Plasma 30 or 40 with a Therma Rest Silver Neo Air is hard to beat for a packable sleeping system.