superlight sleeping bags

[Adam]

anyone have any favourites?

[chossmonkey]

What type of conditions is it supposed to be for?

[Zach Taylor]

I have a MEC merlin -3. I can't remember the exact weight, but i believe its less then 2 pounds. I have absolutely no complaints about it.

[theriault]

"superlight"
http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/5 ... ?locale=en

[Dom]

Ditto for the Mec Merlin. I have a -10 and they are relatively cheap for a 850 fill down sleeping bag. They are on clearance right now at mec (both the -3 and -10).

[Greg]

We have the Merlin -10 as well. Great bag. Super light and warm.

I think the very best bags out there are made by Western Mountaineering. Hand made, superior quality, lightweight and very warm.

http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_deta ... 4302701483

[GKelly]

If you are looking for a summer sleeping bag and you are on a budget you can get a light, very compact bag from Walmart for like 30 dollars. I've had one for a few years and it's been fine. Very much a summer bag though!

[Adam]

thx for the replies...

the bag should be good for down to -5 or -10 i'd say. going to be using it in late sept in yosemite so chances it'll be way too warm, but chances it'll be just perfect too depending on the weather.

i've been told i should go with synthetic for such uses. the merlin looks good but is down... any thoughts on this?


western mountaineering bags definitely look good but are too pricey for me i think.

[Dom]

i've been told i should go with synthetic for such uses. the merlin looks good but is down... any thoughts on this?

Synthetic is heavier and has takes more room. It does have much better properties when wet than down though.

I've been told the east coast is humid and that a synthetic sleeping bag would be better but I've had no problem with my Merlin made of down. Yosemite is not in the rain forest so I don't know why synthetics would be preferable? Manage your condensation in the tent/portaledge and I think you should be fine. This is my school of thought and I realize that the other side of the coin probably has valid points as well.

[Zach Taylor]

I have heard of people spraying there down bags with a DWR finish. I haven't done it, but the concept makes sense. It obviously wont make your bag 'waterproof' but it will definetly help resist water/condensation.

[theriault]

I have a TNF Summit Series Down -20 bag... it does have a waterproof/breathable outer shell. I tried it big time this winter when we went to WGC in +3C and rain, it stayed bone dry, worked amazing.... I know you don't need -20, but their line up does have some bags for warmer conditions. They are a bit pricy doh.

[Matt Peck]

Hey Adam.
So I always go with Synthetic between 10 and -10 degrees, as I find this is the range where you're most likely to perspire/encounter damp conditions and have problems with this later. Down is ok if you are doing 1-2 days out, but for longer you are gonna stay cold if it get's damp. Not sure if you're doing bigwall or anything, but if so, there's always the chance that you're going to drop something or get caught in a flash storm where you get soaked/stranded on the wall. In those conditions only a synthetic is going to keep you alive (not necessarily comfortable, but alive). I had the chance to demo a Western Mountaneering bag a couple of years ago in North Conway, and I was amazed at how light it was and still warm. It's basically a sleeping bag version of MEC's amazing Uplink Jacket. It was so light that I didn't feel that I should be as warm as it was. Kind of like staying toasty in the winter while only wearing a linen sheet, psychologically, you feel like you need to be wrapped in a duvet to be warm.
MEC's bags are also really good, and a much nicer price (WM bags are big $$$), but no contest when it comes to bulk/weight/proformance.
You could also consider a fleece bag liner combined with a bivysac, but that might be overkill.
The big thing that's gonna keep you warm is a toque, and always changing into a dry layer before sleep. Otherwise you'll spend hours drying out the day's exertion moisture before you dry out, even if it's only slightly damp, and all that moisture will wick into your bag and haunt you later.
Some food for thought I guess.