I am planning a 2 months long winter trip in Southeast US (Pinhoti, BMT and Southern AT). According to the temperature charts I will have to expect temps below freezing at night, sometimes even down to single digits.

This will be a long trip in humid conditions with little possibilities of drying a down bag and therefore I have decided to carry a synthetic bag for this trip. (I own WM down bags that would suit the temperature range, but after lots of bad long term experiences with down I really want to use a synthetic bag for this trip.)

After doing research here on BPL I have come up with these options:

TNF Cat's Meow
MH Ultralamina 15
Montbell Super Spiral Burrow

All those bags are rated around 15 F and weigh about the same. I am afraid that 15 F might not be quite adequate for my winter trip, but the next warmer bags rated around 0 F already weigh a lot more - and are a lot bulkier. I could not find bags rated in between.

I am still lacking experience when it comes to synthetic bags so I am not quite sure what insulation material and construction is best.

Which of those bags would you recommend and why?
Are there other suitable bags I have overlooked?

Thanks for any input and suggestions,
Christine

I own and use the cats meow, its 1250g and en rated to 23f/34f for the newer versions

The advantage of it over the ultralamina is the full zip and the low price you can get it for, around 120-130$ ... The ultralamina is en-rated to 19f/30f

No one knows how true the mbs are to their rating as they dont en-rate their bags

However if you are female and want to hit 15f, you may well need to use a much warmer bag overall as the 15-20f rating is for men

I have this bag and it's very warm and comfortable. It's not UL, but for the price it's a very nice bag. However, if you're willing to spend more, there are a lot of UL options, especially if you'd like to try using a quilt instead of a bag.

Susan, I do not mind spending more, but I don't see what Ul option you are refering to. I could not find any SYNTHETIC quilt that is rated down to 15 F or lower.... if you know a quilt like that, please let me know.
Christine

Mountain hardwear ultralamina insulation is a cold bag by 15 to 20 degrees plus it breaks down fast. So stay away from the MH sleeping bags. I had one and my brother had one.
Terry
Ps: Ken thanks for the spell check I corrected the mistake.

Edited by socal-nomad on 03/17/2012 09:34:30 MDT.

I see that they have all their bags listed as new this year. Also showing EN ratings for most.

BTW. it's Hardwear Terry

Edited by kthompson on 03/17/2012 09:19:18 MDT.

i stand corrected ... MBs are back on the list ... sweet !!!

I'm surprised no one's mentioned Enlightened Equipment's synthetic quilts. Tim makes two different versions, one with a breathable nylon shell and one with a cuben fiber shell:

http://www.enlightenedequipment.com/prodigy.html

http://www.enlightenedequipment.com/epiphanyapex.html

They come in 35, 25, and 15 degree ratings. Perhaps you could try his 25 or 35 degree synthetic quilt inside a lighter synthetic sleeping bag to help control drafts? Or maybe he could sew up his 15 degree version into a zip-bag?

Its been along time since Ive used a synthetic bag I used to own a cats meows back when they were polargaurd HV. I really hope the synthetics have improved. I would be leary of a stretchy synthetic bag. Since synthetic is not a loose fill. My thoughts are that a bag that the shell stretches would be hard on any insulation that is woven or batts. Dont know much about excelloft just spewing out thoughts

John, thank you so much for the "enlightenment". It had eluded me that Enlightened Equipment is also selling synthetic quilts - and who the owner of the company is ;-)

Researching the Enlightened synthetic quilts on BPL I could not find much about the 15 F synthetic quilts (Prodigy and Epiphany Apex). Has anyone used them and could give some feedback?

Christine

My son has an MH ultralamina 15. Its EN is 30 comfort/19 limit . He has slept comfortably 22-30 F at least half dozen times, never had a complaint that he was even cool. (I ask after every cold night ) At ~40F he complained he was almost too hot. Packs small for synthetic. weighs 40 oz (2.5 lb) on the nose w/o stuffsak

I have offered to get him a down bag but he really isnt interested, he likes his MH. He even took it to boy scout camp 2x in summer for 50 degree nights instead of a more lightly insulated cheaper bag. He says he just pulls it over him , or sleeps on top.

a new one in the store hanging has a lot of loft. His doesnt have nearly as much, but its warm nonetheless, and very water repellent. If I get in it in 65F house Im sweating in a couple minutes. In the house, I have to be in my 30F down bag for at least 20-30 min before I start to feel sweaty hot. Theres more to the heat retention here than just "loft" apparently. Breathability may play here too, dont know.

The dual side zips are a pain because cannot open up and use in quilt modem, and are pretty easy to snag if arent careful. The solution is to just be careful.

MH designed this bag for Appalachian Trail use, where a synthetic bag was wanted and wanted to be able to put hands out to cook or such. They missed the mark, it would be a MUCH better bag with a full zip that let user extend the temp range.

It can also be gotten dirt cheap right now on clearance. Like close to $100 with additional 35% off coupon from sierra trading post.

Edited by livingontheroad on 03/17/2012 11:13:14 MDT.

Hi Christine,

This may not be of any help to you but a two bag (or quilt) approach may be a good option, a lightweight down quilt and a lightweight synethetic on the outside.

Cheers,

Stephen

Stephen, I have thought about a 2 bag approach a lot, but I cannot see the advantage. Two bags, even a combination of down and synthetic, will be at least as bulky and heavy as a single warm synthetic bag. It might be more versatile, but I will be hiking in cold and wet conditions all the time. I also do not mind buying a specific bag or quilt for that purpose as I will be using it a lot on this trip.
So what would be the advantage of a two bag approach? With two bags you have the weight of two shells instead of one, so it will be heavier no matter what. Please correct me if I am wrong - I do really look for some new input as long trips in wet and cold conditions is something new for me.
Christine

German tourist, do not trust the new commercial bag ratings, especially not the northface ones.

They list the lower en comfort ratings, and, having made the mistake of picking up two northface synthetics, because of the attractive weight, without research, the orion (20 degree, allegedly, and the lynx, 40 degree allegedly), I can assure you that the current nf bags aren't even remotely close to their alleged ratings. The lynx is lucky to keep you warm at 50+, I wouldn't even put the orion to the test, but judging by the loft, 35 degrees would be roughly realistic. Those lower ratings mean what keeps you from dying of cold, not any sensible notion of comfort.

I have an old northface cats meow, made long before their current owners bought them, and it is a wonderful, albeit 4 pound bag, that to this day I'd be comfortable in I think to 20, it even has a fuzzy liner, but it's huge, the old polarguard stuff.

That bag has far more loft than their new ones, even being as old as it is, and the fuzzy liner must add a good 5 or more degrees as well. So there's simply no way the new cats meows can be 20 degrees, maybe 30 realistically, I don't know, and I will never test anything made by them again unless I get it for a tiny fraction of its retail price, that being what it's now worth.

Northface is owned by some faceless outdoor gear conglomerate now, I'd remove them permanently from any gear options, personally I'm disgusted by their blatantly fraudulent ratings, and am stuck with two bags I'll be lucky to sell at any price. Buyer beware. I bought them not realizing how profoundly their corporation had changed values, now I know.

Look at the cottage guys as suggested, figure out how much loft you need, and talk to them, if you want a bag vs quilt, which I think is smart for your needs, maybe one of them can meet your needs.

Anyone want to buy one of these bags, I'll sell them very cheap, 80 each, basically unused?

Just keep your fleece handy while you're sleeping. If it gets too cold just add another layer of clothes....................

Christine,

My thinking is that a lightweight 45F synthetic overbag with a 20F quilt inside it would be about the same weight as a 32F synethetic bag. The quilt is providingng most of the warmth, while the overbag absorbs any moisture and drys quickly, and stops drafts.

Stephen, it is really difficult to tell what combination results in what temperature, but your weight estimation is not entirely correct. Here is the weight comparison for the combination you have suggested and in order to compare apples with apples I have always used Ultralamina bags.

Ultralamina 32 F: 1,33 kg

Ultralamina 45 F: 0,70 kg
Prodigy 15 F: 0,92 kg
Combined weight: 1,62kg (290 gr = 10 oz more)

Ultralamina 45 F: 0,70 kg
Prodigy 25 F: 0,76 kg
Combined weight: 1,46 kg (130 gr = 5 oz more)

If you assume that a combo of 45 F overbag and 20 F quilt is warmer than 32 F than the comparison becomes more favourable. But still, an Ultralamina 0 F weighs only 1,53 kg which is still 100 gr lighter than the 45F/15F combo.

But the big question is: What temperature rating does the combo result in?
Overbag 45 F + Quilt 15 F = ?

I was more thinking of a 570g 20F Gooses feet quilt and Ultra Lamina 45F, combined weight 1270g.

I would hope that combo would be far warmer than a 32F synthetic bag.

Stephen, what is a 20 F gooses feet quilt? I tried to google it, but could not find anything.

Hi Chistine,

Gooses is a one man operation run by BPL Member Ben Smith.

He has made the following custom sized kit for me.

Trousers (216g weight, 100g 750fp down)
Parka (450g, 250g 900down, box wall constuction)
Booties & Mitts (50g weight for each pair and about 20g 750fp down)

I have a 6 foot quilt on the way that 55inches wides and has 390g of 900fp down.

His website is https://goosefeetgear.com/

Cheers,

Stephen