Western Mountaineering bags and moisture

[Sverimerica]

I think too (in my limited experience) your clothing system is a huge part of this. Last September I was running a system that was OK for a "normal" Montana September. I had a rain jacket and gaiters but no rain pants. Even with deep snow higher up (newbie move).

I ran down the mountain early one morning to try things where there wasn't a foot of snow. Well that night it started to drizzle a bit while I waited to ambush on the edge of a park. The wind picked up and the temp dropped then it started a rain cats and dogs and the whole farm! My rain jacket help up but my pants (FL Obsidians) were completely soaked. It was nice to be able to stuff the pants in the foot box of the sleeping bag to try and dry them out as I was spiking out from my wood stove at the top of the mountain.

But this year I'll be packing better clothes and rain pants. That way the only thing I might get wet are gloves and a hat. So I don't really see why I'd be jumping into a bag wet...

Also I upped my boots so aside from sweat my socks should stay dry.

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Unrelated, but as a boot whore, what boots did you get?

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[frankrb3]

I bought the WM versalite sleeping bag to replace my synthetic military modular sleeping system for my job this summer. It is super warm, very light and packs down small. I am currently working as a wildlife technician in the Clearwater region of Idaho and sleep in that bag 20 nights a month. So far it has been excellent. I mostly sleep under a tent fly without the tent body. Several times I have had the bag covered in condensation in the morning. If it’s sunny out, I lay it in the sun and it dries fast. If its raining i’ll Pack it wet until i can dry it later. I’m very happy with the bag and got it for $400 because of a small hole poked in the side by the distributor. I would also like to get the badger GWS and the Sequoia GWS bags from WM.

 

[Chirogrow]

Thank guys! That solved my worries! It sure will be nice to cut the weight!

Was kinda thinking about going the quilt route but I do love the security feeling of a mummy bag...

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Hey I’m looking at picking up this bag for an Alaska moose hunt this sept. How is the versalite bag treating you?

 

[Clovis]

Take a look at what WM says on their website about when they recommend the Windstopper versus the microfiber shells. I have one of their bags in microfiber and I would have to work to get it wet through the outside during normal camping conditions because the DWR is so good, and it breathes better than Goretex,

 

[JDBAK]

Years ago, I did a solo 14 day kayak and deer hunting trip in Prince William Sound in mid October. The sun never came out. It rained enough that most days I just hunted in my one piece kayaking dry suit. There was zero opportunity to hang anything out to dry....30s and 40s temps and rain, and a cold tent. The Bibler tent walls did relatively well, but condensation would still run down the aluminum poles and the bathtub floor would get wet and have to be sopped out.

To dry out, I wore my wet clothes to bed in a Wiggy's 0 degree sleeping bag. It worked out quite well, and I never even tried to make a fire that trip (too busy during daylight, and tired at night). My bag was accidentally soaked the first day kayaking, and still had the same result - warm and nearly dry by morning. I slept well.

Fortunately, I didn't have to worry about carrying that heavy sleeping bag on my back every day.

Anyway, it is tough to imagine how that trip would have gone with down bag for that length of time in that wet of conditions. Still, I'm tempted to try down for weight and size reasons.