This post is in the same spirit as this one:

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/xdpy/forum_thread/31248/index.html

I'm in the market for a new sleeping bag. I'm pretty close to 6' and 180 lbs. This puts me about exactly on the border between a "regular" and "long" bag from most manufacturers, including the Western Mountaineering bag that I've been looking at / coveting.

Does anybody have any advice they'd like to share about choosing between a bag that's potentially too snug vs. one that's potentially too roomy?

I'm leaning towards a "long" since I like to stretch out and I occasionally like to put clothes or a water bottle by my feet, but I'd love to hear the opinions of others who have had to make a similar decision. Thanks in advance!

If you can't try a WM regular and a long (model doesan't matter) at a lcoal dealer, go for the long for all the reasons you listed, plus......

While you may be 6' tall standing up, when you lie on your back or especially on your stomach, your feet fold down, increasing your overall body length.

If your toes are pressing into (and thereby compressing) the down in the footbox, your feet can get chilled in cold weather. You can also find the top of your head compressing the down in the hood as well. The tiny extra weight for the long is worth the added comfort and space.

IMO.....

Wandering Bob

Ben, I previously owned a Megalite in Long, and I'm exactly 6', and weigh 170-175 lbs. on any given day. I found the Megalite in Long to be a tad too roomy, granted it was a Megalite, but the length seemed a bit much for me as well at 6', I tended to want to slide up to be snug in the collar and hood, and then my feet would feel bare and I'd want to slide down a few to fill in the void in the bag near my feet. I sleep straight as a board typically, like a mummy. I finally conceded to the bag length being a touch too big for me. Again, just my experience.

I'm 5'11" and my WM Summerlite regular is almost to short. Sometimes I'm getting cold feet because I compress the down in the end of the footbox.

Your research and logic are both dead on. I'm 6 ft and 180 as well and have used a megalite long for this past season. It's definitely roomy however, it did allow for me to wear a down sweater easily w/o losing any loft one cold night. I agree that it is a bit long but in the regular, which I tried out, my feet compressed the box just a tad so I was worried about cold spots in my toes (which I hate). Overall love the bag and a big improvement for me in terms of both warmth and weight but not perfect.

I have a long (6' 6") W.M. Ultralite. I'm 6' 8". My feet compress the down in the footbox if I fasten the hood snug.

If you like putting clothing or fluid bottle by your feet, get the long.

I'm 5' 8" and have used several 6' WM bags, when the hood is cinched it shortens the bag significantly. The 6' bag fits me (and my size 12 feet) perfectly. I can't see how somebody much taller could fit into the Reg bags.

I'd get the Long for all the reasons listed.

Ben- get this Summerlite its for sale on the gear swap and its a long, you won't regret it, a long is the way to go.
Sorry for the shameless plug!

Edited by bestbuilder on 11/02/2010 10:45:38 MDT.

I vote for the long. I'm also 6' tall and I'm glad I opted for the long version of the WM ultralite. The hood on the ultralite is a bit shallow and I think the regular would have felt too short when it is cinched down. I'm not familiar with the other WM bags, so they may be different.

W.M. deliberately make the inside of the hood shallow so the down can loft between the shell layers.

I wish WM would make a 7' Alpinlite.

kia ora, i just picked up a WM bag in regular for my wife, which i also planned on using for some colder solo trips. im around 183cm tall & 90kg, and the bag is a little on the small side. if the bag was for me i would have swapped it out for the long version

Thanks everyone. It sounds like a "long" is the way to go.

Tad, I've been watching the Gear Swap forum and I saw your SummerLite. It's a little more than I'm ready to spend right now, but there's a very good chance I'll get impatient. :-)

To the person who wants a 7 footer.

On the WM tags there are markings for 5'6, 6', 6'6, an 7', the person who puts the tags on circles which length the bag is. Have you tried contacting them to see if they do make bags in 7' on special order? You would probably have to go through a retailer but maybe they can do it.

WM only makes certain bags in some lengths... such as 7'.

The only 7' bags they make right now are the big semi-rectangular Ponderosa, & the wide-cut mummies Badger & Kodiak. Nothing in the ExtremeLite series... would be nice to have at least one option there, eh?

I've got the WM Summerlite regular. I'm 6'0" (maybe a tad shorter now), about 200 pounds. FWIW, the regular works for me although it's a tad snug if I wear a down sweater inside -- not overly so, but just a tad. I'm a side sleeper so the issue with one's toes pointing outward when one sleeps doesn't really affect me.

HJ