Has anyone ever modified their sleeping bag in this way? I got the idea here (http://www.trailspace.com/forums/backcountry/topics/27356.html) and the wheels started turning. I am 5'8", weigh 135 lbs, and have a shoulder girth of 40". Because of my small frame, my 59" Lucid is much too large and causes me to sleep cold. I ordered a Montbell sleeping bag, but wondered if it would be difficult to modify my Lucid to suit my needs, since I like the bag so much.

Any thoughts/suggestions?

Thanks in advance!

Someone who could give good advice on this subject would be Penny on the Backpacking.net "make your own gear" forum.

One possible negative to adding stretch baffles would be that it might compromise the loft of any insulated clothing you might wear in the sleeping bag to extend it's comfort range to lower temps. Montbell bag owners might answer whether or not this is a consequence or not.

In my mind, having a little surplus room in the bag is a good thing in that it assists the bag to be configured over a larger range of temperatures.

Unfortunately, it's enough surplus room to compromise the bag's temperature rating. I sleep warm at home, but in the woods, even after a big, hot meal, I never seem to be warm enough when the temps are below 30°. The bag has 5.5" of loft, so I think it's the extra space...

That is a huge amount of extra space....
You're right, a smaller bag is in order. A properly sized bag w/ 5 1/2" of loft should keep a healthy and conditioned person of either gender warm at 30. You would have to completely rebuild the Lucid to add stretch baffles a la Montbell. This can't be practical.

If the Montbell doesn't work out you might consider
a radically different approach--a Nunatak Arc bag. Spendy but custom to any size and adaptable to a broad range of girths. Many people on this site swear by them. I'm very satisfied by mine.

"Montbell bag owners might answer whether or not this is a consequence or not. "

It has not been an issue in my experience.

I have a homemade quilt that weighs just over a pound and has 2.25" of loft. I plan on using it alone in the warmer months and in conjunction with my 3 season bag for the winter.

I don't want to actually add stretchy baffles, but run elastic thread through the baffles to simulate the effect. I don't want to ruin my Lucid, but it's my ideal bag (girth aside) that I spent a ton of time deciding on... Even the Montbell bags would be a compromise on either temperature rating or features.

Edited by mysticmoose on 01/29/2006 09:56:18 MST.

Using elastic thread, and taking care to enter and exit through the zipper seams, you can just as easily remove the elastic if it doesn't suit you. I think some down will come out with the thread if it is removed, but not much; and this can be controlled by wiping the elastic clean as you remove it using the bag's inside liner. You might try one and partially remove it to see if this will be a problem. As the article states, you will also want to keep the elastic thread against the inside fabric to prevent de-lofting your down.

My experience with Montbell's sleeping bags has been very positive. I have two of them I use for conditions that extend beyond my homemade down top bag. If the elastic causes loft compression, it seems to be overcome by the elimination of convection currents and resulting loss of heat. In any event, the article you cite left one end adjustable. You could even use some micro cord locks allowing you to adjust the elastic to suit conditions.

Jay

That's exactly what I was planning on doing (the adjustable tension through use of cord locks). the more I thought about it, the more it seemed that it would be easilyreversible if it didn't work as I hoped. My bag has wide zipper stiffener on each side, so it shouldn't be a problem to feed the thread through there. Now I just have to find some elastic and time to experiment! I'll be sure to post some pictures and let folks here know how it goes.

Diana,

I look forward to hearing how it works out. Good luck.

Jay

Hey Jay,
As the "Make Gear" staff ?? you have been conspicuously absent with your effort.

I hope you are working on something worth the wait.

Bill,

I haven't been absent, just distracted. I'm finishing the last of the gear reviews, left over from when I was in that capacity. I'm now turning my focus solely to the MYOG section.

We are working on building the MYOG section, which will include a dedicated page with links to the MYOG forums, articles, supplies, sewing techniques, material resource links, and a few other ideas that will remain undisclosed until I have some of the details worked out.

As for articles, I am writing a couple now; converting a sleeping bag into a top bag, and making a wind & water resistent camera bag. I hope to ramp up the MYOG section this year. Thanks for keeping the section going in my absence. ; )

Jay

Edited by jham on 02/17/2006 13:30:20 MST.

I understand how easy it is to get distracted. Yes there is life outside the workshop.

Glad to hear about the sleeping bag modification. That question comes up a lot. I have two older bags and after your article comes out I may try it with one of them or maybe both.