Sleeping bag search

I’m looking for a relatively light and compressible synthetic sleeping bag that is rated to 0-15 degrees (so not just a summer bag). I know that down is usually the way to go for light weight and compressibility, but if anyone knows any brands that make warmer synthetic bags that are not too bulky or heavy, I’m open to any suggestions.

Mountain hardware ultra lamina perhaps? I hear good things about that one but I only have down at that warmth

Mountain Hardware Hyperlamina series are good bags. Unfortunately they're all relatively heavy/bulky in that temp range. 

Marmot Trestles Elite? They offer a couple different temperature ratings, down to 0 degrees F. They're in the process of changing their lineup, so last year's Trestles Elite bags can be found on sale if you look around.

Not your temp rating exactly but north face cats meow is a classic 20 degree mountaineering bag.

Under 3 lbs and pretty small.

With layers I’ve used it in your temp range but not super comfortable.  Depends what you’re using it for.  1-2 nights climbing vs.  I wanna be warm on this 2 week trip.  

greggrylls wrote: Not your temp rating exactly but north face cats meow is a classic 20 degree mountaineering bag.

Under 3 lbs and pretty small.

With layers I’ve used it in your temp range but not super comfortable.  Depends what you’re using it for.  1-2 nights climbing vs.  I wanna be warm on this 2 week trip.  

X2. i have the same bag and it's perfect for all but the coldest nights.

(for cold expeditions, I use the big agnes blackburn UL 0)

curt86iroc wrote:

X2. i have the same bag and it's perfect for all but the coldest nights.

(for cold expeditions, I use the big agnes blackburn UL 0)

X3. I used mine for the last 10+ years. Not the best, but good value for sure. 

Montbell

Your best bet is going to be a hyperlamina, maybe bump bump it to 20 degrees and wear all your clothes. 

Why synthetic? Just curious. I'd think that a 0* synthetic seems a little weird since lingering moisture/humidity isn't too much of a concern at that temp and the gap savings at that weight between down and synth are much more apparent. Just wondering.

If you're set on synthetic, I echo the MHW Hyperlamina recommendations. I have the 20* one for alaskan kayak expeditions and it's been great. Doesn't pack as small as my down bag, but smaller than other synthetics in the same temp range. It's very warm (probably too warm for what I use it for); paired with some clothes or another puffy jacket and I don't see why it wouldn't do well in temps below freezing. They do make a 0* version too that you can check out. They usually go on sale a few times a year, so wait for a good deal if you can!

I know your asking for synthetic but I just got the Sierra Designs Nitro 0 down bag and it’s awesome, super warm, compresable 850 down, under 3 lbs, and a good price point at about $375. It’s not loaded with a bunch tech (Gore-Tex or water resistant down). 

wcayler wrote: I know your asking for synthetic but I just got the Sierra Designs Nitro 0 down bag and it’s awesome, super warm, compresable 850 down, under 3 lbs, and a good price point at about $375. It’s not loaded with a bunch tech (Gore-Tex or water resistant down). 

It actually does have water resistant down (Dridown), just got the nitro 20, looking forward to using it once the temps are a bit more amenable! 

The REI Magma 10 is the best deal in lightweight down sleeping bags. Sub 2 pounds and HOT at 20 degrees. Best part is it’s $300-$350 retail. Comparable bags are $500+. You could probably use your dividend and a 20-25% coupon to make it a steal. 

I have an old 0 degree MHW hyperlamina and I have used it for sleeping in 15 degree weather in the Sierras.  My other bag is a packable down 20 degree Zpack.  The MHW is bulky and heavy at 3 1/2  lbs but it keeps me warm in winter expeditions.  If I use the zpack during the winter, I also bring a silk liner, and an extra old down jacket to keep me warm.  All the supplemental stuff adds almost enough weight and bulk in my pack that I'm better off bring the MHW hyperlamina.

Mountain Hardwear hyperlamina series is currently the lightest and most packable set of synthetic bags per rating on the market (though this may come at the cost of 1F or so on the new EN rating system; i.e. the "20 degree" bag is actually rated at 21F). I've used the MH series of bags in one iteration or another for over 10 years with minimal complaints. In the summer weights (32-35F or so), they are comparable in weight and packed size to down. At 15-20F they are a bit bulkier but manageable. By 0F they get big enough that I don't use them. However, with a good pad, clothing (that you're already carrying anyway most likely), and some kind of shelter (bivy, tarp, tent, snow etc.), they sleep below the rating acceptably. With puffy clothing, neo air xtherm, and bivy sack, I recently used the 20F in approximately 0F conditions. For true winter camping burl (which I only partake in rarely these days), I just layer a 35F and 20F bag, which comes out to about the same as a 0F bag.

Read Andy Kirkpatrick's articles for some ideas.

He is a fan of using a lightweight down bag inside of a lightweight synthetic overbag. 

Other options is to sew your own bag- using Ray jardine's kits it will cost only 100 bucks or so. I sewed a 2 person double bag with a system that lets it also work as a warmer 1 person bag

mpech wrote: Read Andy Kirkpatrick's articles for some ideas.

He is a fan of using a lightweight down bag inside of a lightweight synthetic overbag. 

Came here to say this. More versatile. Get the insulation right and your dew point is well into the synthetic bag or quilt.

The North Face Hyper Cat is the current lightest for its warmth synthetic bag from a major manufacturer. It has a EN comfort rating of 30 and lower limit of 24, vs the Hyperlamina 20 with a comfort rating of 32 and a 21 lower limit. So it’s a wash. The Hyper Cat comes in 12 ounces lighter than the Hyperlamina (30oz vs 42oz)

I don’t know if that’ll be warm enough for you. It’d be expensive, but you could get a Western Mountaineering Nanolite to put inside it that would probably get you down to zero for another 11 ounces and still pretty light

Brian Abram wrote: The North Face Hyper Cat is the current lightest for its warmth synthetic bag from a major manufacturer. It has a EN comfort rating of 30 and lower limit of 24, vs the Hyperlamina 20 with a comfort rating of 32 and a 21 lower limit. So it’s a wash. The Hyper Cat comes in 12 ounces lighter than the Hyperlamina (30oz vs 42oz)

I stand corrected. Based on the "new arrival" sticker, I'm guessing that must've hit the market in the last 6 months or so, after I bought an MH bag? At least per the manufacturer reported specs, it's a 9oz difference in weight, not 12oz (but maybe you found someone who actually weighed both). Also interesting that the TNF bag has a lower comfort rating but higher lower limit--know anything about the EN rating process to explain why that might have happened?

Derek DeBruin wrote: Also interesting that the TNF bag has a lower comfort rating but higher lower limit--know anything about the EN rating process to explain why that might have happened?

https://thermarestblog.com/en-iso-sleeping-bag-ratings/

https://www.backcountry.com/explore/warmth-to-the-wise-temperature-ratings-for-sleeping-bags-decoded

These two links explain things pretty well.. Note that the EN standard was introduced in 2005, and superseded by the ISO standard in 2017. Were both bags tested using the same protocol? What's interesting is that the EN standard defines the comfort limit as the temperature at which a "normal" woman can sleep through the night comfortably, and the lower limit as the temperature at which a "normal" man can sleep through the night comfortably. The ISO standard uses the same criteria for the comfort limit, but defines the lower limit as the temperature at which a "normal" man can sleep through the night, but not necessarily comfortably. If the MH bag was tested by the newer protocol then that could account for the difference.