How big of a deal are draft collars in sleeping bags?

Looking to get my first down bag, tossing up between the WM Alpinlite and the FF Swallow UL 20. The major differences (other than a bit of extra chest room that I don't really need) are the weight and the draft collar. I've never used a bag with a draft collar so...are they worth it? I'm a fairly restless side-sleeper, so I find that features designed to increase warmth for non-spastics often end up in the wrong place for me by 2 AM. These any different?

They are a big deal for me. I am a side sleeper also, and I find that when I flail around in the night, the draft collar keeps things sealed up nicely. In a bag without the collar, when you accidentally break the face-hole seal you lose a ton of heat from the entire bag. 

Not for me, I'm usually scrunched down into the bag if it's butt-assed cold. Draft Collar does nothing for me. Those are both top notch companies that make excellent product.  

On the one or two occasions that I've been in my bag when temperatures approached the bag's comfort limit, I was awfully glad to have the draft collar. The rest of the time, I didn't really notice it, and I'm a fairly restless sleeper myself. 

Yes.

FF thinks draft collars help too, their arbitrary cutoff just seems to be 10F bags rather than 20F like WM. 

jdejace wrote: Yes.

FF thinks draft collars help too, their arbitrary cutoff just seems to be 10F bags rather than 20F like WM. 

Yeah, I did send them an email asking if they could do a Swallow with a collar but no dice. Could just get a 10 degree bag from them...

Yup, def an option if it makes sense price/weight wise. But the WM wouldn't suck. 

jdejace wrote: Yup, def an option if it makes sense price/weight wise. But the WM wouldn't suck. 

The price and weight are pretty much identical to the Alpinlite, more worried about potentially roasting myself when the weather gets warmer. Guess I can always unzip though. And a 10 degree bag could be enough for Alaska summers/NZ winters...that'd be nice.

Ryan Mac wrote:

The price and weight are pretty much identical to the Alpinlite, more worried about potentially roasting myself when the weather gets warmer. Guess I can always unzip though. And a 10 degree bag could be enough for Alaska summers/NZ winters...that'd be nice.

If the weight /price/pack size are similar get the warmer bag, much more difficult to get warm when you're approaching limits out there than to dump some heat. For reference I use a -5F RAB bag for all-purpose winter camping. Just slept out in Indian Peaks on a ski-backpacking trip last week with overnight temps at ~+15F and it was perfect. Same bag for Montana winter overnights at -5F. Maybe overkill for some but I'm super restless and the extra warmth lets me get away with inadvertently letting a draft in here and there. It does have a draft collar that I use if it's very very cold.

Additionally, consider overall interior space. It is really nice to have enough room in the toebox of your bag to stuff your liners, damp layers, etc. to dry out overnight (throw a hot water nalgene down there too) and not have your foot space totally cramped. Sometimes worth getting a "long" or whatever for that reason.

Alex Styp wrote:

If the weight /price/pack size are similar get the warmer bag, much more difficult to get warm when you're approaching limits out there than to dump some heat. For reference I use a -5F RAB bag for all-purpose winter camping. Just slept out in Indian Peaks on a ski-backpacking trip last week with overnight temps at ~+15F and it was perfect. Same bag for Montana winter overnights at -5F. Maybe overkill for some but I'm super restless and the extra warmth lets me get away with inadvertently letting a draft in here and there.

Additionally, consider overall interior space. It is really nice to have enough room in the toebox of your bag to stuff your liners, damp layers, etc. to dry out overnight (throw a hot water nalgene down there too) and not have your foot space totally cramped. Sometimes worth getting a "long" or whatever for that reason.

By last week I mean 2019, I would certainly never dream of leaving my home during these times...You may extinguish the torches.

I don't have any info for the draft collar vs non draft collar. I have however, spent 200+ nights in my alpinlite. It's a great bag and is still holding up. I sleep warm, and on the warmer nights I just use it as a blanket and it's not bad. 

I like draft collars. I move around a lot when I sleep and my head tends to be warm anyway, so I like the ability to snugly insulate my body from any heat loss. I would never buy a sleeping bag meant for the colder nights without one. 

Victor Machtel wrote: I like draft collars. I move around a lot when I sleep and my head tends to be warm anyway, so I like the ability to snugly insulate my body from any heat loss. I would never buy a sleeping bag meant for the colder nights without one. 

I spent the first 25 years of cold weather backpacking in bags without collars. Then I got one. Woohoo. Definitely agree with the bolded part above.

I own a big agness goose down 0 degree storm king. I also have a northface 20 degree synthetic allution bag.  The draft coller makes a huge difference in sub freezing conditions. The northface bag is a little small short. The big agnes bag is huge. The insulation of a down bag is a pain in the ass peroid. I can throw my north face bag into the wash and dry in less than two hours. The down bag isnt worth the time or the money spent.

I have an older Feathered Friends sleeping bag with a removable draft collar.  It makes a huge difference in warmth and is a really nice feature that allows you dispense with it when not pushing the limits of the bag.

I have an older Swallow sans any collar and use it mild conditions very regularly. For those conditions not having a collar at all has been fine. My other two FF bags have a collar.

Tiny Cam wrote: Both great companies, collar or not, WM better quality by a small margin.  

What edges it out for WM?

get a long sleeping-bag 20 degrees then you will be able to (really) have more cover.

I've used both sleeping bags with and without draft collars. In my opinion, the draft collar is always warmer and I feel like I sleep better. One issue I had with my old, non-draft-collar bag is that I would toss and turn a bunch and end up curling myself into a ball while sleeping. The draft collar keeps my head out from inside my sleeping bag and I feel like I can actually get warm.
So I would ask yourself: Do you sleep cold? Would you be willing to take up more weight to be warmer?

I've tested several bags from Western Mountaineering and Feathered Friends for OutdoorGearLab, including the Swallow YF and the slimmer cousin of the Alplinite, the Ultralite. Both are awesome bags. As you've noticed, the biggest difference is the draft collar. Personally I prefer a draft collar in a bag with this level of insulation because I believe it extends the usable temperature down considerably. In my experience Feather Friends down feels slightly loftier, but the draft collar on the Alpinite should result in it being the overall warmer bag.

If you do go with a Feathered Friends bag, be aware that the UL fabric makes a crinkly sound that the YF fabric does not. If your restless-ness is influenced by noise, the heavier YF fabric is a better choice.

However, I would caution you from choosing either the Swallow or the Alpinlite if it's going to be your primary sleeping bag. They're simply too warm for most applications. But if you have especially cold objectives in mind, they're both a great choice.

I really like a bag that seals around my neck, I'd rather that than a hood, I find unless done up completely a hood doesn't provide any real seal and just dump out heat and even then the seal isn't anywhere near as good as having a dedicated active draft collar.