Sleeping bags

KnotOnCall

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For you guys that do alot of backcountry hunting, do you prefer down or synthetic? I know Down is lighter but is effected by moisture. If you do prefer down, whats your setup like as for as tent, tarp, hammock, etc. I have a small super light one man tent that does hold condensation. So i dont know if i'm over thinking this stuff or not. Im buying alot of new gear so your knowledge is much appreciated. Thanks
 
To me, this are the questions at the root of this choice......1)What is the likelihood that you will be in a wet environment? 2)What is you tolerance for weight? 3)What is your budget? My answers 1) Totally dependent on the trip. Here in CO in the later seasons I would be reasonably certain this wouldn't be an issue. 2)I have a higher tolerance to carrying a bit extra than some. When it comes bags you are probably talking about an extra pound +-. 3) As for budget....only you know how much $$$ you can float. There are some rally nice, water resistant down bags out there if you have the scratch.

In the end I am a synthetic guy. I like the security of knowing that I keep some insulation no matter what, I am ok with the weight and I am generally a cheap SOB :)
 
Seems like most down is now treated with some type of hydrophobic chemical, I would certainly search them out as well. Nixwax also has a wash in liquid that does the same thing.

I have a 25deg down and a 10deg down bag, along with a couple similar synthetic bags. Down goes in my backpack, synthetic goes in the truck camps. I've yet to have a problem with my down getting wet. Just lucky? Who knows, I like to live on the edge. The bag gets damp, but the down isn't compromised. You have to soak down to really get hosed. Don't fall in a river, or take one on a rafting trip... But for backpacking I've not had any issues. I also keep my bag in a dry bag in my pack when hiking and DO NOT put it in a compression bag when its damp in the morning... same goes for synthetic bags. The moisture tends to be on the outer surface of your bag, and when you compress it, it forces it into insulation layer.

IMO, the biggest issue is moisture management in your tent, with good ventilation. I take a pack towel with me, and wipe the inside of the fly off if I don't think it will dry out during the day. Camping here in AK, the temps can hover around the dew point for days, and no sun to dry things out, but if you can manage the moisture in your tent, it will help pull the moisture out of your bag when you're away.

I've been holed up in a tent for a few days at a time due to rain/fog, using a down bag, and had zero issues.
 
I've always like down for its warmth, weight, and compactness. Never had an issue with it getting soaked until 2012 in the NZ alps I woke up feeling wet, turned my flashlight on and saw that my 4 man tent was 2" deep in water and rising fast. We were bailing constantly and losing ground. Finally I had to stab holes in 3 different areas of the tent floor to drain the water. 40 hours straight of hurricane force driven heavy rain had my down bag completely soaked. I had to sleep in wet wool clothes to survive. When it finally stopped raining it snowed. In the end I was in early stages of hypothermia. As soon as there was a break in the storm a chopper extracted us.
After all that I am still a fan of down and I don't ever anticipate being in that intense of a storm again. I will be camping on Adak Island Alaska come next December and will be packing a down bag.
 

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Cotton kills. Down dies.

Why choose a material that might cost you your life if gets damp? Why choose a material that takes a long time to go from damp to dry even if you get a fire or camp stove roaring? I have no death wish. I carry a sat phone in wilderness. I avoid cotton. I avoid down. I file a travel plan with family and friends and try to stick to that plan. I may still croak far from a paved road but they have an idea where to search. My only trip to AK was with an early version of Spot where could proactively upload current location to let my family know I was in motion each day. If I stopped moving for a day, they were to send someone out to see what is going on. I had the panic switch though not always a chance to activate depending on the emergency.
 
I have both and prefer the down bag. Through the end of September I sleep under a tarp and if it looks like it might get really stormy I use a light weight bivy sack. Now if I am blessed and the animals are close to the road I set up a tent with a heavy sleeping pad, and a larger more comfortable synthetic bag.
 
Down bag protected in a dry bag, then with a a tent floor, good sleeping pad and good tent site. Highly recommend a Spiral Down Hugger in the highest down fill power you can afford and a temp rating on the bag at least 20 degrees lower than the lowest temps you expect.
 
I'm with Bambi and glass eye. I have a synthetic bag and use it on occasion but down is so much more bang for the weight/bulk. Most people who say it does nothing when wet have never slept in a wet down bag. It has to be saturated to pack out...yeah it's possible but you have to have a glass eye type of situation or sink it in a creek for a long time. Synthetic bags are fine and I get why people use them--I use mine a few times each year--but "down dies" is a serious hyperbole. Best thing you can do is get some experience and see how your expectations match up with reality.
 
I use down. Hundreds of nights camping in various tents, sleeping in torrential rainstorms and hiking in rain I’ve never had a moisture issue with my sleeping bag.
 
After reading everything and talking with different people, I'm going with down. I know everybody is different and sleeps different, some people sleep hotter, some colder. What degree rating do you all recommend. I will mostly likely being hunting south west Colorado first rifle season. I'm from MS gulf coast. So our temps here feel way different, with sky high humidity. I've got it narrowed to down to a few different bags/quilts with degree ratings from 20 to 40 degree. I'm trying to be weight conscious. My thinking is if I go with a 30 or 40degree bag and its gets cold I can always put on some base layers, socks, etc to sleep in. Does this sound reasonable or am I way off??

Glass Man that sounds an extraordinary experience. Book worthy...
 
I personally have a 20 degree down bag that's very light and packable. It has water treated down, waterproof sides, and water resistant top and bottom. Didn't cost me too much either. But everything has it's disadvantages. It will start losing loft when it gets wet. I can feel it happen a little even when I climb in wet. I don't think you are going to die from using a down bag, however. There's a lot of major mistakes that have to happen between buying a down bag and dieing.

During my 'training weekend' last weekend I had my dog with me so I went to the edge of my tarp. When I was sleeping, the open part of my bivvy slid into the pouring rain. It was in the 50s so no big deal. If it had been cold, I could have woke up, dried out my bivvy, put on a few layers and probably been fine if not comfortable. The next day I could have kept the bag outside under the tarp to dry.

Whichever you choose, make sure and view everything in your pack as a mutually dependent system. I don't have down everything. My layers are all Merino, fleece, and synthetic loft. Since this takes a lot of room in my pack, i use a more minimal sleep system: a down bag, a waterproof bivvy, and a tarp. If my bag gets soaked or if the temp drops low, I can use all my layers to stay comfortable or at least survive.
 
I have always operated under a theory to have as light a bag as possible so I can bring more clothes and be more comfortable all day long. Having a heavier sleeping system that then requires lighter clothing and then being miserable glassing in a freak storm doesn't sound good to me, and then if my bag gets wet or the temps are lower than expected, I have the clothing to accommodate and still be comfy.

All great points above about condensation management and the true impact of moisture on a down bag... For me, I have an early season 40-deg bag and a 20deg down bag that go, and have a thin liner that can increase the warmth. For hunting from the truck I roll with a big fat geezer-pleaser synthetic bag and cushy pad, backpack hunting the Neoair gets the call and often a thin bivy for the bag.
 
I use a 15 degree bag fro September on. If it gets colder I use more wood in the stove.
 
I have a 0 degree synthetic bag and a -40 down bag that weighs almost exactly the same. The -40 (marmot cwm) is what comes along almost always due to the breath ability even though the cwm is waterproof treated. I end up staying way more comfortable and if it’s too hot, I just use it as a blanket.

The -40 rating is absurd. I’ve been in -25 in it and did not sleep comfortably at all, even in a tent and with a decent sleeping pad (inflatable on top of a foam cell). Most of my hunting (backcountry rifle in MT) is in below freezing to downright frigid temps, so take that for what it’s worth.
 
I’ve been in -25 in it and did not sleep comfortably at all, even in a tent and with a decent sleeping pad (inflatable on top of a foam cell).

Just wondering aloud if reversing your pad situation would have kept you just as soft, but a somewhat warmer situation to have the insulation adjacent to your bag instead of the un-insulated air mattress?

And huge applause to you for even attempting -25 tent camping. Below a certain temp, the fun starts to leak out for me.
 

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