Sleeping bags

I'm looking for a down bag. If the rating is honest, 15 degree will do, but my experience is just to get a zero. The bag I'm retiring is a Mountain Hardwear zero rated, it's been good.

I like a roomier bag, not such a radical taper as a lot, including the new MH's. So I'm looking at a Nemo Disco 15. Anybody know anything about this one? Other recommendations in that price range (app. $300)?

Thanks  

I spent plenty of nights in a MH Ratio 15. Roomy cut and was pleased with it for being a sub $300 bag.

Oddly enough, I'm currently selling that bag. Check below if you're interested.

https://www.mountainproject.com/forum/topic/121626303/fs-mh-ratio-15f-down-sleeping-bag

If Micah's doesn't work out, I recommend getting a feathered friends or western mountaineering off ebay if you'd be a size small, since those are always cheaper than regulars. I've see good deals the last several months.

Cumulus Down is a company out of Poland that makes very high quality bags.

https://cumulus.equipment/us_en/sleeping-bags.html

A friend has one and loves it.  

Micah, thanks. Truth is that when I find what I want I need two. My wife hates sleeping out in the open   .

Steve, yeah, I've eyeballed Feathered Friends for a while. Pricey, especially for two   .

Kai, thanks. The Alaska 900 might just fill the bill. Maybe more tapered than I want, but it checks all the other boxes   .

Steve McGee wrote:

If Micah's doesn't work out, I recommend getting a feathered friends or western mountaineering off ebay if you'd be a size small, since those are always cheaper than regulars. I've see good deals the last several months.

Regardless of how tall one is, I always recommend getting a long winter bag. That leaves room for boots, bottles, etc in the bottom. All of my bags were made by Feathered Friends.

As for buying two bags. Buy the one you want that with a right side zipper. Then buy the next warmest matching bag for the wife but with a left side zipper. They can then be zipped together. And when you go out in really cold weather and the wife stays home sipping hot chocolate and schnapps you can take the warmer bag.

e.g. 

20 right side long (matches with the 0 bag)

0 left side long (matches with the 20 and -25 bag)

-25 right side long (matches with the 0 bag)

Check out Montbell’s down bags if you get a chance. I have one of their 800 fill down huggers and it is roomy due to it’s unique baffle/stitching. 

Funny how everyone is making these pricey suggestions before asking some basic questions.

Are you using it for backpacking or just car camping?

Cuz if you aren't going to be packing it far or long there's no need to spend big bucks on 850 down and all of that...

Unless you are doing fast and light alpine or heading to the arctic, I find these chinese down sleeping bags to be the best value. 

They claim 800 fill goose down, and I have no reason to doubt it. Just a rough feel compared to my older 700 fill power bags shows less feathers and more loft. 

The zippers and shell are adequate, and the amount of down they give you is impressive for the price.

The bag, especially the footbox is decently roomy. 

They aren't western mountaineering or marmot in terms of quality, but for general use it works absolutely fine.

The equivalent to the nemo 15 you are looking at cost around $75-100 depending if you want 700g or 1000g of down fill.

I have purchased 4 of these bags over the last few years. One of them is in a friend's SAR kit.

On the downside it is almost certain that the down isn't ethically sourced. Duck and goose down is cheap as hell in china, being the byproduct of various industries. Most of the price you see in western name brand bags is not the down itself, but marketing, supply chains, branding, after sales support and just good plain old markup.

There is an excellent chance that the down in some of these big outdoor name sleeping bags is from china in the cheaper end of their range (650 fill bags). The nemo disco 15 is made in china.

Like the D25 headlamps, I consider this one of the few products from china where the quality is good enough and the price exceptional.

https://a.aliexpress.com/_mLgLSM0

I have Western Mountaineering, Enlightened Equipment and North Face bags and quilts. I save those for when its really needed and use the $75 chinese bag 90% of the time.

I’ve got a Nemo Disco 15 and a Cyan 35. I hate mummy bags and Nemo’s spoon shape make it much more comfortable. Consider that you’ll be trading some warmth for comfort as there is more space in the sleeping bag to heat. Ive only used the 15 in 30ish temps and it did okay.

Javinder Bains wrote:

On the downside it is almost certain that the down isn't ethically sourced. Duck and goose down is cheap as hell in china, being the byproduct of various industries. Most of the price you see in western name brand bags is not the down itself, but marketing, supply chains, branding, after sales support and just good plain old markup.

I could get over how they treat the animals more easily than the potential child or Uyghur forced labor. I try not to buy too much stuff made in China if a viable alternative exists, but I recognize my budget is in the privileged category. 

jdejace wrote:

I could get over how they treat the animals more easily than the potential child or Uyghur forced labor. I try not to buy too much stuff made in China if a viable alternative exists, but I recognize my budget is in the privileged category. 

I am not overly fond of chinese gear myself unless the price differential is ridiculous and the quality acceptable. Which in this case and that of the D25 headlamp, it is.

Note that even the brands most cherished by climbers have been implicated in the Xinjiang fiasco.

Patagonia for example:

https://amp.scmp.com/news/china/article/3158093/nike-patagonia-ca-named-dutch-criminal-filing-chinese-forced-labour

They even sponsor climbing in Xinjiang where Uyghur forced labor is used:

https://www.patagonia.com/stories/granite-china-part-three/story-19220.html

We won't even talk about the other brand most beloved of climbers. Arc'teryx is now owned by a mainland chinese company. The president of china wears their clothes in public. You will not hear a peep out of that brand now about human rights in china.

Thanks all for the great info. I knew this is the place to ask before dropping dime.

I have a NF bag that is light and rated to 20. Of course NF is pretty loose with their ratings, but it's good to freezing, and below with lots of clothes on. Anyway, adequate 3 season packing bag. 

What I'm shopping for are bags for camping at the car. Since "car camping" for me can happen in some pretty remote spots (tough 4wd access), I want security temp wise. It's not like we can get in the car and go to the nearest motel if the weather blows, and sleeping in a jeep really sucks. So my car camping scene starts with a top of the line 4 season tent (something NF does really well), and bags to suit. But above $400 is to rich for me.

Coldest I've camped in so far, last couple of years, was <20. The old MH zero bags, which were great when new, gave us an education in what it means to be cold   .

FWIW I cannot buy Chinese down bags. They are cheap for a variety of reasons that I cannot sleep well with. I'd rather be cold.

Thanks for the tip on the Nemo. I'm sure that a lot of my gear is made in China, but with new purchases I'm trying to avoid that if at all possible. 

Well this is a fantastic thread!  Ty for starting it and for the contributions.  I've been in the market for a new one.

If this is for car camping and you want roomy I wouldn't spend your whole budget. Get some inexpensive synthetic behemoth, it doesn't need to be packable or light for car camping and it'll be easier to clean. REI has a 5F for $120 that the website claims is made in Vietnam - part of the same race to the bottom, but maybe not quite as objectionable as China. Also check out stuff aimed at hunters at the local sporting goods store, tends to be bigger and cheaper. 

Or get a quilt to layer over your TNF bag. A 20-30F quilt on top of your 20-30F bag should be pretty toasty. A few US cottage companies (eg Enlightened Equipment) make synthetic quilts, should be ~$200

If you have access to a sewing machine and very minimal skill (like, a couple YouTube videos will get you the basics if it doesn't need to be pretty) you could easily make either a rectangular bag or quilt with Climashield insulation. How-to guides abound on the interwebs. 

Javinder Bains wrote: They even sponsor climbing in Xinjiang where Uyghur forced labor is used:

https://www.patagonia.com/stories/granite-china-part-three/story-19220.html

Javinder, climbing in Xinjiang/East Turkestan does not equal supporting forced labor.

Ironically, YOU are as guilty by recommending and purchasing headlamps manufactured in China, a country that is murdering and enslaving Uighurs. Think about what you are doing.

Terry E wrote:

Javinder, climbing in Xinjiang/East Turkestan does not equal supporting forced labor.

Ironically, YOU are as guilty by recommending and purchasing headlamps manufactured in China, a country that is murdering and enslaving Uighurs. Think about what you are doing.

Most headlamps are produced in Shenzhen, Guangdong province. This is quite far away from Xinjiang. No Xinjiang cotton in those headlamps!

Or is anyone recommending items  made in china guilty of murdering and enslaving as well?

Black Diamond produces their headlamps in China. Better stop purchasing their products.

Arc'teryx is owned by mainland china, so all profits flow back there. We should censor any recommendations of their products!

Nemo and Sea to Summit produce sleeping bags in china.

We can go through the list one by one.

Up to you.

From the New York Times:

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/29/business/economy/nike-coca-cola-xinjiang-forced-labor-bill.html

You can tell who is a brand fanboy on this site quite easily!

jdejace wrote:

If this is for car camping and you want roomy I wouldn't spend your whole budget. Get some inexpensive synthetic behemoth, it doesn't need to be packable or light for car camping and it'll be easier to clean. REI has a 5F for $120 that the website claims is made in Vietnam - part of the same race to the bottom, but maybe not quite as objectionable as China. Also check out stuff aimed at hunters at the local sporting goods store, tends to be bigger and cheaper. 

Or get a quilt to layer over your TNF bag. A 20-30F quilt on top of your 20-30F bag should be pretty toasty. A few US cottage companies (eg Enlightened Equipment) make synthetic quilts, should be ~$200

If you have access to a sewing machine and very minimal skill (like, a couple YouTube videos will get you the basics if it doesn't need to be pretty) you could easily make either a rectangular bag or quilt with Climashield insulation. How-to guides abound on the interwebs. 

This is the way to go. If you are car camping in a tent you don't really even need a sleeping bag. A thick comforter from a department store can be just as warm, works for two people, and will cost a fraction of a technical sleeping bag.

For car camping we use an Exped Megamat, sheets, blankets and a comforter.

MUCH more comfortable than sleeping bags.

Tbh, more comfortable than our bed at home

My partner and I have been using two layers of cheap memory foam and a comforter and blankets and have been comfy down to 19F with clothing on. Bulky but cheap and warm for car camping.

I have the Disco 15, bought in '16 or '17. Frankly I can't say enough good about it. I've had it out in 5-10 degree weather at least half a dozen times and I've been at 15 with it at least twice that much. I got cold the first time, but that was operator error in that I didn't have the right pad. Get a decent insulated pad, some good base layers and you'll be toasty warm.