Down or Synthetic Bag Early Season CO

[freshta]

What are you guys using first 2-3 weeks of elk season..down or synthetic?

 

[oldgoat]

Well, I only own synthetic so that's what I use year round! It could rain, it could snow, it could be hot and dry for the whole elk season and it could and does do all three in 24 hours time so pick your poison accordingly!

 

[whiskey]

Down without a question. In 20+ years of backpacking I've never had a problem keeping my down bag dry.

 

[mrbillbrown]

Synthetic without a question if you're like me. I live in OK and spend all year planning, studying, training, etc. and put a ton of effort into my annual elk hunt in CO. No way am I gonna risk all that time, money, energy, etc. into a down bag that might fail me when I rupture a bladder in my bag, fall in a creek, or have days of terrible rain that soaks everything. Synthetic bags might have a small weight and compressibility penalty but it's well worth the insurance to me to not worth whether or not my bag is gonna fail. Synthetic, one and done.


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[Justin Crossley]

As you can see from the responses already there will be opinions for and against both. I can tell you that I use nothing but down quilts and bags but I also wouldn't recommend that to someone newer to backcountry hunting.

Get yourself a decent synthetic bag that is rated for lower temps than you expect and you'll be good to go. After a few years of experience in a particular area and time of year you will know if down is a viable option for you or not.

 

[Stwrt9]

I've never really worried about my down bag getting wet while in my pack as i stuff it into a small dry bag. Seems to work great.

 

[oldgoat]

Depends a lot on the shelter too!

 

[bojangles808]

i recently picked up the rei lumen for $100 bucks on sale on their site. 2.5 lbs and synthetic seems pretty lightweight for the price

 

[mauiarcher]

The Eternal Down vs synthetic debate. Search function is your friend. That being said, for me down without question. The new treated Downs are much better with regard to getting wet and not being completely useless- dryguard or whatever they're called. I would agree with the above, shelter plays a big role. Non-issue for me keeping it dry in a pack.

There is no substitute for experience. If you're unsure you may want to opt for synthetic and deal with the added weight and bulk until you determine what works best for you. I am a quilt convert so there is already a cost, size and weight advantage vs a bag.

That being said, I almost pulled trigger on a cheap 3 season arrow head synthetic kick ass quilt....less than 2 lb. I have no doubt would keep me warm (with some layers if needed) down to 20 on my xterm pad.

Owyhee Top Quilt Regular

But just too bulky for the pack i like to carry. Plus i can bring my 1lb chair for no net weight gain.

Good luck.

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[Justin Crossley]

I would also add that if it's in your price range you should look at the Kifaru Slick Bag.

These are what I would get when I need a synthetic bag.

 

[ben h]

+1 on CasNed. After having spent some time in a wet down bag, I prefer synthetic and the weight penalty has been decreased in the last few years. If counting oz is important to you, definitely go down. Cas also brings up a good point, for a short trip and not that many miles, it probably doesn't matter. If you're coming for a week and are going to be a long way from your vehicle I don't think it's worth the risk, even if it's a small risk.

I think early season CO can have weather anywhere from 15-20 degrees at night on the cold end, can get into the 80's or higher and can have snow or rain. A lot depends on elevation too. A rule of thumb is for every 1,000' in elevation gain, all things being equal, it will be about 3 degrees cooler (The 3 degree rule of thumb was from my snow hydrology professor in college and it's been my experience, it's fairly reliable).

Whatever you choose, make sure you look into the MFG's ratings; some are for sustaining life, while others are for comfort. If you go BA, add at least 20 degrees to the rating, some of the other brands are spot on from what I've heard.

 

[KMT]

I use down. But use whatever you like. Either will work for you.

 

[DEHusker]

I'm a little curious about the "my bag soaked through" comments. Does it really matter if you have a down vs a synthetic bag if it is "soaked through?" You are going to be wet and miserable regardless and I don't care what they tell you about "synthetic keeping you warm even if wet." Yeah, synthetic may dry a little faster but if it is that wet out, nothing is going to dry. Use a super cheap bivy sack, and any bag you buy should stay dry unless you jump into it while absolutely sopping wet (not recommended). Bottom line is: Buy the bag you want, use some common sense, and go huntin'.

 

[Felix40]

I like a down quilt. Mine has been pretty dang soaked and still kept me as warm as I needed to be. I don't have any problem getting into it soaked from the knees down either. When I wake up in the morning my legs and socks will be dry and all that water will have moved through the quilt and will be beaded up on the outside. Then by the time Im ready to go to bed again the quilt is totally dry. A good synthetic bag will work the same way but will be bigger and heavier.

 

[oldgoat]

I'm a little curious about the "my bag soaked through" comments. Does it really matter if you have a down vs a synthetic bag if it is "soaked through?" You are going to be wet and miserable regardless and I don't care what they tell you about "synthetic keeping you warm even if wet." Yeah, synthetic may dry a little faster but if it is that wet out, nothing is going to dry. Use a super cheap bivy sack, and any bag you buy should stay dry unless you jump into it while absolutely sopping wet (not recommended). Bottom line is: Buy the bag you want, use some common sense, and go huntin'.

I just bought a used center Zip Kifaru, hand washed it in the bathtub, rolled it tight squeeze the water out, it felt almost the same weight after rolling it it did prior washing and was completely lofted again, the Apex insulation in it has 99% heat retention soaking wet as compared to dry, don't think you will get that with soaked down. To me that is the difference!

 

[xziang]

Depends a lot on the shelter too!

This was my thinking too. I'm using a msr hubbahubba which is used as a full tent 80% of the time and I run a down bag. I have used the MSR via just the rainfly to save weight for a 2 nighter and during the day I put the down bag back into the stuff sack for safety reasons. (rain/wind/etc.)

I don't worry about it getting wet if I fall into a creek or bladder breaks for it is compressed pretty tightly in a dry bag.

If you get just ONE bag synthetic would be a safer bet.

 

[chasewild]

You don't NEED a synth bag for Colorado.

Manage moisture in your pack by using a dry bag.

Manage moisture at night by keeping your shelter ventilated.

Manage moisture in sub-freezing temps (frost on bag, ice on the wall of the tent, etc.) by selecting more walls (double wall, triple wall) tent.

Otherwise, wait for the sun to come out. It's CO...not Siberia.

 

[DEHusker]

I just bought a used center Zip Kifaru, hand washed it in the bathtub, rolled it tight squeeze the water out, it felt almost the same weight after rolling it it did prior washing and was completely lofted again, the Apex insulation in it has 99% heat retention soaking wet as compared to dry, don't think you will get that with soaked down. To me that is the difference!

Is this your standard procedure at 11,000 ft in a rainstorm that's been lasting for 3 days and you, your tent, and your bag are soaked? All this "synthetic insulation" advantage talk is laboratory theory. I also have a 0 deg center zip slick bag and have used it a lot. It is probably one of the better syn bags on the market but it doesn't even come close to my down bags for weight, bulk, and more importantly warmth. I've used a down bag for years and neither condensation nor rain have ever made the bags unusable. If I was hunting in BC I might reevaluate but it's CO. Take some precautions and use the bag you want. Down Technologies are so good now that the water argument is pretty much moot. Western Mountaineering has thrown their down bags in a lake and they are still dry and floating after days of being there. They don't even have treated down. Call and ask them about it. GOOD down bags are underestimated for their stowmworthiness.

 

[snowcamoman]

I've been a happy down user for many years, even when I was a river rafting guide. Packed and stored safely, I've never had an issue with my down getting wet. I know there are circumstances where you can get 100% humidity and crazy condensation inside tents where the possibility of getting a sleeping bag wet is there. I've had horrible condensate in my tents, but have always been able to keep my bag dry by just staying off the sides. In winter conditions, I've had frost build up pretty bad inside tents and drop on my down bags as well, but my winter down bags have a Gore Dryloft shell and have never amounted to enough to soak or get my down wet.

If I was that worried about a soaked down bag, I'd likely just leave a synthetic stashed at a landing strip. If things get bad enough to warrant me getting a soaked down bag, something went terribly wrong and I'm falling back to my safety net stash kit.

 

[twall13]

Is this your standard procedure at 11,000 ft in a rainstorm that's been lasting for 3 days and you, your tent, and your bag are soaked? All this "synthetic insulation" advantage talk is laboratory theory. I also have a 0 deg center zip slick bag and have used it a lot. It is probably one of the better syn bags on the market but it doesn't even come close to my down bags for weight, bulk, and more importantly warmth. I've used a down bag for years and neither condensation nor rain have ever made the bags unusable. If I was hunting in BC I might reevaluate but it's CO. Take some precautions and use the bag you want. Down Technologies are so good now that the water argument is pretty much moot. Western Mountaineering has thrown their down bags in a lake and they are still dry and floating after days of being there. They don't even have treated down. Call and ask them about it. GOOD down bags are underestimated for their stowmworthiness.

Do you have a link to the Western Mountaneering's testing you described? I've seen some other stuff that tracks with what you say but I'm always curious to see more.