Sleeping bag for a reptilian/cold blooded guy - AZ Jan OTC hunt

[fwafwow]

There are some current threads that are very close to my question (this one is pretty close - https://www.rokslide.com/forums/threads/0-or-15-degree-bag.117446/), but as a relative newcomer, I didn't want to hijack those posts. (If this is the wrong approach - please let me know and I will move my post.)

I'm "that guy" in your hunting group who is always cold. By way of comparison, I sat for 12 hours in a Nebraska whitetail stand in November when the high was 20 degrees and the windchill was well below that, BUT I had on 8 layers on my upper body, with the Sitka Incinerator as my outer layer and a bunch of high-end layers beneath. Yes, whether I could have drawn my bow is questionable.

This bag will initially be used for a Jan AZ Mule/Coues hunt, although we haven't yet picked our unit, so the nighttime temps may vary a bit. This will likely be a backpack hunt (still TBD), so I know that a trade-off is weight, but I figure I should try to get in better shape to handle the added weight of a heavier bag. I'm also in part a side sleeper, so I don't think a true mummy would be best for me. I've looked at quilts, but am concerned they wouldn't be as warm.

I'm normally a buy once/cry once person, so I'm not *terribly* concerned about the price, and I've been looking at WM, Marmot, Montbell and Katabatic. That said, I have an ability to get Big Agnes and Klymit at good prices. (I have already purchased the Klymit Insulated Static V Luxe pad.)

Thanks in advance for any feedback!
Ed

 

[Bailer]

That’s tough to answer without a unit. Low tonight is 40’s in phoenix, 20’s in flagstaff. Will you be closer to 1500’ or 7000’?

 

[mrbillbrown]

I’m a cold sleeper from central OK. Tried a quilt and couple of different bags for my Sept archery elk hunting in CO. Temps were 50+ in the day time and dropped to around 20 at 10,500+ feet on the mtns. Always got cold.

I finally broke down and bought a 0* wide slick bag and haven’t been cold since. (I couple it with an Xtherm sleeping pad). Plenty of room for me to side sleep and even roll to my stomach if I want. It weighs 4# in the stuff sack but I haven’t been cold since and think it was money well spent on a synthetic bag. Just my $.02....


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[fwafwow]

That’s tough to answer without a unit. Low tonight is 40’s in phoenix, 20’s in flagstaff. Will you be closer to 1500’ or 7000’?

Sorry - we haven't yet picked our unit, and since I'm such a cold person, I want to assume that we end up in a unit with the 20s as the current low. Thanks!

 

[fwafwow]

I’m a cold sleeper from central OK. Tried a quilt and couple of different bags for my Sept archery elk hunting in CO. Temps were 50+ in the day time and dropped to around 20 at 10,500+ feet on the mtns. Always got cold.

I finally broke down and bought a 0* wide slick bag and haven’t been cold since. (I couple it with an Xtherm sleeping pad). Plenty of room for me to side sleep and even roll to my stomach if I want. It weighs 4# in the stuff sack but I haven’t been cold since and think it was money well spent on a synthetic bag. Just my $.02....


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks! Is that the Kifaru?

 

[Desk Jockey]

+1 on xtherme pad. Pay attention to that and consider an inflator plus a closed cell. Easy to lose heat to cold ground and snow.

No real thoughts to offer on bags as I am in the other end of the spectrum and sleep pretty warm so my preferences wouldn’t apply.

I will say I have had good luck doing a few exercises before be done to raise my core a bit before I get in the bag. Simple calisthenics or burpees are fine.

Also, try boiling water and putting it in a regular Nalgene bottle inside your bag. Two if you need it. One at your feet and one in your core. I did this snow camping a few times when I was too poor for a properly rated bag. Be careful because some caps will leak when they hold boiling water. Test yours or it will be a bad night. Inside a gallon ziplock is a great safety measure.

 

[Jbehredt]

Not an AZ hunter but my one and done sleeping bag is the 15* rated wm badger mf. Have had it in the mid 20s with nothing but my skivvies on. It’s a roomy mummy, enough room to bring my leg to my chest for the “running man” sleeping position. Definitely a buy once cry once piece. No regrets.

 

[pointer26]

I have the same sleeping pad Klymit Insulated Static V Luxe pad. It is not a good pad for me. It lets all the heat scape. I just purchase the therma rest xterm and it made a tremendous difference. I sleep cold. Just so you know where I am coming from. I have WM 5 degree bag and WM 15 degree bag. the lowest I can take the 15 bag is about 30 and the 5 bag around 15. A warmer pad will really help you out.

 

[mrbillbrown]

Thanks! Is that the Kifaru?

Yes. Kifaru Slick Bag

 

[mavinwa2]

i'm happy with a 0-Deg Sea2Summit bag, kind of modified mummy style but with square, big foot box.
kept me warm on many 20+deg and sub20 deg nights on AZ OTC late archery hunts during the last 9 years been doing that hunt.

 

[Ryan Avery]

I would look hard at Western Mountaineering Badger GWS. My wife is a very cold sleeper and has slept well in that bag down to 15 degrees. Plus it packs down much smaller than the slick.

 

[5MilesBack]

I don't generate heat unless I'm on the move, so I'm usually just on the move. Probably why I'm all over the place while sleeping too. I've used my 0 degree down quilt with an Xtherm into the low 20's and been fine. It it's set up right, pad in footbox, quilt wrapped around the pad so no drafts, and you wear your base layers and a fleece or wool hat, you can stay pretty warm. But I'll wear the same stuff in the middle of summer in the mountains under that quilt and I'm comfortable in it then too.

 

[Beendare]

It hit 10 degrees on my Arizona hunt recently...I would assume cold.

WM bag is the cream of the crop and don't forget a quality insulated pad as down compresses below you so insulated pad is a must. In those temps I would use an insulated inflatable pad [good for side sleepers] plus a waffle mat under it.

Guys that get cold seem to like the extra warmth of a bag rated 0 degrees

 

[dtrkyman]

I am a cold sleeper as well, just ran a outdoor vitals zero degree last week in AZ. Was fair in the mid 20s cool in the low 20s and not good at 18!

I wore a heavy primaloft insulated base layer the last couple nights in the low 20s and was good, but seems crazy to need to wear that in the 20s with a zero bag!

Will return that bag and likely go WM.

 

[zloomis]

This may just be me, but in my experience a 15 degree WM bag is warmer than a 0 degree Slick Bag. I think a lot of that has to do with the draft collar, on a WM bag is really traps the air in the bag but on the Slick whenever I shift around I feel cold air leak into the bag. If you can afford it and you can keep your gear dry I would look into WM or Feathered Friend sleeping bags in the 15 to 0 degree range. I also highly recommend a Thermarest XTherm pad.

 

[BluMtn]

What ever bag you decide on you can always supplement with one of these. I have one that I use when it starts getting around the zero mark.

https://seatosummitusa.com/collections/cold-weather-sleeping-bag-liner

 

[Gatorgrizz27]

If you’re literally never hot while sleeping, you might as well go with the 0 degree bag. I’m the complete opposite, and often wake up sweating. I’ve primarily used synthetic bags in the past, but ran a Sea to Summit 20 degree down bag this year for CO elk.

I was really happy with the bag, but until it got down to freezing I had to leave it unzipped. There were several times where it cooled off and I zipped it up to wake up sweaty, then had to cinch the hood down to stay warm until it dried out.

A more versatile setup would be a 2 lb 20 degree bag paired with a 1 lb 40 degree bag. Most 0 degree bags are right at 3 lbs anyways, so you’d be lugging the extra weight even when you don’t need the warmth if it’s the only one you have.

I picked up one of these, but haven’t used it much yet, I did do a quick test and found it to be pretty warm for the weight. A lot of Ultralight backpackers seem to use them, and one of the EXO pack guys carried one in early season also.

https://www.amazon.com/AEGISMAX-Url...5&keywords=down+mummy+sleeping+bag&th=1&psc=1

 

[fwafwow]

Thanks again for all of those who have given me feedback. I'm still trying to make up my mind, and I have probably taken one step forward and one back. I've decided on treated down, so I'm now debating the WM Kodiak GWS, the Katabatic Long Wide and the forthcoming Stone Glacier Chilkoot 0. That order is heaviest to lightest, and I know I'm mixing apples and oranges with the Katabatic quilt in there. Any further thoughts - including any tips on the timing of sales - would be awesome!

 

[zloomis]

Katabatic seem to be about the best quilt you can get, that said if someone says they sleep very cold I would hesitate to recommend a quilt in cold weather since they are more susceptible to losing all the trapped heat if you don't have all the edges locked down. The Stone Glaicer looks like a great bag especially if you're fairly tall and you can't go wrong with WM. I would also add Feathered Friends into the mix at that price point.

 

[fwafwow]

Thanks zloomis. Your point on the quilt is something on my mind, especially since I'm a total rookie when it comes to camping in general. I do have the FF Ibix on my spreadsheet, but it doesn't appear that they use treated down. Now that I've dug further, WM doesn't use treated down either, but the GWS should help, and their FAQ makes a good argument about not using treated down.