Fellows,
I backpack often in winter in the hills of PA and West Va. I have an old, heavy down winter bag and wanted to replace it with a nice, light WM bag. Which one?

The nighttime lows are around 10F but can drop to 0F or maybe -5F. I sleep fairly warm.

I use my campfire clothes over my usual light daytime backpacking layers for sleeping: MontBell Alpine Lite jacket, Cocoon Pro hood, MontBell Thermawrap insulated pants, down booties. Warm platypus inside.

Big Agnes insulated aircore (full length mummy) & GG nightlite torso + pack under legs. Tarp, no tent. Below treeline, fairly protected campsites.

A friend uses a similar scheme with a WM Megalite (rated 30F) which surprised me.

Alternatives are WM Ultralite (narrow) or Alpinlite (wide) both 20F, or Versalite (between above 2 in width) 10F.

Anyone have experience with these and could offer suggestions.

The Megalite is attractive as it is 5oz lighter than the Ultralite, 7oz lighter than the Alpinlite, 8oz lighter than the Versalite.

I'm 5'8", 160#. Would the Ultralite be too tight?

Lastly, a puzzle, why is the Megalite so much lighter than the Ultralite & Alpinlite for a 10F difference, whereas those two are only a couple of oz lighter than the Versalite for another 10F difference?

Thanks for any suggestions.
Marty Cooperman

Marty,
I routinely take my WM Versalite bag to 0*F. Just this weekend it got to 6*F and not a smidge of problems...it was so warm, I actually slept in to about 9:30am!!

I use it with a base layer in a VBL. Sleeping pad consists of a Downmat 7 short, 1/8" CCF underneath and pack under my legs. I always brag about the versalite because of how low I can push it. Only problem, is that I have no explanation for this, it just keeps me warm no matter what. Lowest I've had it is -2*F and still no problems...haven't been out when it has gotten any colder, but I wouldn't be nervous to do it. I recall others having the same experience as me...
Hope that helps.

Steve, are you using a Bivy with the VersaLite?

I've taken my WM Antelope to the 0* to -5* range using a MLD winter bivy and a Mid type shelter.

Tad, no bivy...just pure magic :) But mostly in a floorless shelter if that makes a difference.

Also, I tend to think I am a cold sleeper in comparison to most.

I don't think you will be disappointed with the Versalite.

I just used my WM Versalite w/ a Ti goat bivy in conditions similar to what you describe this past weekend (~10F lows, windy). I slept in a shelter on a torso length Ridgerest and a 3/8 in. thinlite. I jumped in the bag w/ all of my clothes on but within 30 minutes stripped down to my capilene 2 baselayers and fleece beanie. I was comfortably warm and could have definetely been comfortable at even lower temperatures.

For reference, I'm a 5'9 female and weigh 135 lbs. I find the bag roomy enough even with all of my layers on. I am a pretty warm sleeper relative to most women (but women tend to sleep colder than men).

Three cheers for Versalite!

Although, this post also belongs on the "most expensive gear" thread - they aren't cheap.

Looks like they might have gone up in price recently.

If you're not going to wait for a sale, be sure to use fatwallet.com for the click through. Backcountry.com has 6% back and it comes in the form of a check mailed 90 days after purchase (off a $425 versalite = 25 bucks)

Fellows,
Thanks for your comments.

I'm still wondering if anyone (aside from my friend mentioned above) has used a Megalite (30F rating) with good ground pads and wearing good insulated clothing, down to near zero F temps?

I'm sure the Versalite would be fine at those temps and Elizabeth's comments above, about being warm enough to remove garments in this bag are proof of that.

Since I'll be bringing those insulated garments to wear around camp in the early part of the evening anyhow, could I get away with a Megalite (which is very spacious inside - 64" girth - and would likely not compress my insulated garments worn inside) and save 1/2# as well as $100 over the Versalite?

Chrisopher, I appreciate the tip on Backcountry.com. Yes, these bags are expensive. By nature I'm a cheapskate and I cringe at spending this kind of money.

To put this into perspective for me, I've been helping my daughter out of a difficult year by paying her apartment rent the last 7 months. She was due to move out at the end of January. For various reasons she wasn't able to move out until this past weekend. Cost to me for one month's extra rent: $467 = 1 Versalite! Yikes!

I have a megalight and it is good down to its rating but in my opinion can't handle low teens to zero degrees. I am a cold sleeper though.

Since I'll be bringing those insulated garments to wear around camp in the early part of the evening anyhow, could I get away with a Megalite

Marty, others are welcome to disagree here but that is a question I believe you will have to answer yourself through trial and error, preferably in your backyard or when your car is nearby! :). It's too big of a jump to say "yeah, you'll be good". You'll have to do some testing to see if you can push a 30F bag to 0F - there would be too large a gap between individual results...one person would sleep warm and toasty while the other froze. Keep in mind that the down fill in your bag has the best warmth/weight ratio in comparison to jackets/fleece/bivys etc. I'm not saying it isn't possible because I am sure people have done it, just be careful and of course let us know how it goes :)

Edited by Steve_Evans on 02/24/2009 07:48:09 MST.

Like Steve said. I'm a big fan of backyard testing, so I can run inside if it doesn't work.

Yep, it depends on the person... but no, I definitely don't think you can get away with the Megalight plus layers as a winter bag. Sorry. I use a Summerlite with layers to the mid twenties or so. Then switch to an Antelope for winter. The Antelope weighs 7 ounces more than the Versalite--but it's 7 ounces of nothing but down. I'm a cold sleeper; if I'm expecting temps around zero or lower, yes, I'll be layering, but I also like those extra ounces of down. The Antelope's 2# 7oz is still really light for a zero deg (F) bag... but the Versalite is a great bag and lighter...

You can't go wrong with any of their bags. I would go with the Versalite with down overfill. I've had this bag for a few years and love it. I like to sleep in just long underwear in the winter inside my bag. I had mine down to zero in a Tarptent Squall and slept plenty warm. I do tend to sleep a little on the warm side.

I plan to test this with a MW Megalite soon. I plan to wear a DAS parka and use a nice pad, so I'm sure I can push it below 30. The question is, how much...
Its interesting to think about factors like body fat, metabolism, eating before sleeping, and choice of shelter though.

Edited by HechoEnDetroit on 03/03/2009 15:46:17 MST.