WM GWS bags - Worth it or no?

[Krieg Hetzen]

So I’m looking to upgrade my sleeping bag this year. I used a Nemo Sonic 0F bag this year and not only did I get cold but I got very wet. First was during moose season where I had to throW on layers on to stay warm in the mid 20s, which caused me to sweat and then get colder (yay!). Second was during my Afognak hunt where the wind made the condensation on the inside of my SO tent rain down on my bag, causing it to get wet and cold. Lastly the damn zipper on it sucks, was getting up 3-4 times a night to unzip the bag cause the zipper separated to rezip it and start the warming process all over again. The Nemo bag will be going in for warranty work over the winter (zipper) and become a back up bag.

I don’t have a particular preference of down or synthetic as being comfortable in my bag is worth the 1-1.5lbs difference in bag weight. I‘m curious if others have run a WM GWS bag in wet Alaskan conditions and how well it preformed? Also how accurate is the temperature rating? Lastly, the zipper. Is it worth a damn or not? Because that is one hell of a thing to get wrong on a sleeping bag.

Thanks for the input.

 

[tdot]

I sold my GWS WM bag as while it worked very well in certain conditions, I found that it narrowed the range of temps that I was comfortable in. It didn't breathe enough when the temps got warmer, so I froze from the sweat.

The new system that I've become very happy and reliant on is to have a treated down quilt or bag and then an Apex quilt over that. This gives me alot of versatility with temperature regulation and any moisture is being dealt with by the Apex quilt. The down quilt/bag I had made with a regular shell material and the Apex I had made with a water resistant material.

 

[Ryan Avery]

Love mine but I only use it in cold windy climates. It's not a great bag for over 40 ish degrees.

 

[sneaky]

Western Mountaineering bags are true to their temperature ratings, and they have the best zipper design in the business. GWS bags are for specific conditions.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

 

[Krieg Hetzen]

Good to hear. If I get one it would be used for those days where you get 2in+ or more of rain in a place like Kodak or Afognak with the accompanying winds, 40+ from what I saw this year and for moose camp where 2-3” of heavy wet snow is the norm vs the exception.