Sleeping Bag

I am in need of a new sleeping bag. I would like one for three seasons, so somewhere between 15 and 25 degrees. I am a side / stomach sleeper, so I need one with lots of room. What do you guys use?

I am purchasing a Sierra Designs Wicked Fast. It is a 30 degree 800 fill of the highest quality down. I have always found that Sierra Designs temp ratings are fair. I am a warm sleeper and this will be my my winter spring and fall bag. In the summer I will use a fleece liner to keep down on weight. Right now I only have a EMS MM0 degree bag which I have had for years. Where I am from even in the middle of summer up in the mountains it still gets pretty cold at night. But now that I live down here I need to update my arsenal. Check backcountry edge, good gear site with good prices and free shipping.

I've also been a big fan of Marmot's down bags. They are well made, rated well, and priced fairly. I had no trouble out of the Helium that I owned. Also check out the Hydrogen and Atom to fit your temp rating. I now have a WM Highlight that is rated for 35 degrees and at 1lb I love it. Its light, warm and packs small. So, long story short, first you need to figure out how much you want to spend and go from there. If money isn't a factor then figure what weight, fill, and temp you want. Hope this helps!

colt:
Look at the Montbell Superstretch (SS) #1. It is rated at 15 deg. and should keep you warm down to 10 deg. easy. I have the Montbell Alpine #1, also rated at 15 deg. and used it in January down to 8-10 deg. and stayed very warm. It also has the superstretch feature. Can't beat the 800 down rating either. The neat thing about the superstretch design is that it stretches as you move and you can even sit up and cross your legs in it. It gives you a great deal of room.
UL

If you are looking for a warmer-weather bag, the Marmot Atom is a great down bag. Its rated at 40 deg. and will keep you warm down to the mid-30s easy. I've go the long version and it only weighs 21 oz.
UL

I noticed that all of the bags you guys recommended are down. Any reason no one likes the synthetic? I know it is a little heavier, but you don't have to worry about not getting it wet. Just curious as to what everyone thought.

Ounce for ounce, down is warmer and lighter. It requires a little extra care, but down just works so much better than synthetic. About the only place that I would consider a synthetic over a down bag would be the Pacific Northwest and only because of the large amount of rainfall. Around here and in most other areas, you will definitely like down better. BTW, once you settle on a bag, I would encourage you to check eBay for the same bag. You can sometimes save as much as 50% on new products.
UL

I second what UL said. One thing that is important to me is compressability, because I carry a smaller bag to save weight. Weight savings, better warmth to weight ratio, and it packing down smaller, all of these are reasons why I choose down over synthetic. Now for car camping, I use a synthetic bag because you don't have to take as much care of it, and its cheaper. When I want to make a quick trip to the local park, I don't want to worry about taking care of an expensive piece of gear. Just my thought.

I see. Excellent reasons overall. Campsaver.com has the Marmot Atom for just under $200 right now. Not too shabby! Or, on eBay for a new one for $168 buy it now. http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-Marmot-Atom-DOWN-Sleeping-Bag-40-Degree-NWT-850_W0QQitemZ160239753933QQihZ006QQcategoryZ111262QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

One more thing. In a synthetic bag you will loose loft much quicker over time than in a down bag. I had a old REI Hicountry Parka, down, that I have had since the mid 70's. Though not a bag it hasn't lost hardly any loft over all of those years. I also have a The North Face kids 20 degree synthetic bag that I bought for my grandson back in 04 and it has most definitly lost loft.

By the way that old parka has European Down in it..


Just my .02 worth...

colt:
I got my Atom NWT on eBay at auction for $149.00 plus shipping. You may be able to get one as cheap if you bid on one instead of using the "buy now" option.
UL

$149. Nice. I will keep looking. That was the only Atom on eBay right now, but that could certainly change.

colt:
One other thing about the Atom is that the long weighs 23 oz., not the 16 oz. advertised. Even the regular size weighs around 18 oz.. I've seen as many as 4 or 5 on eBay at one time, so if you're not in a hurry, I'd wait a little and you should see more for sale.
UL

The more I look at the Atom the more the shape concerns me. Is it a true mummy? I have never been able to sleep comfortably in a mumy due to being a side / stomach sleeper.

I am a side sleeper and have not experienced any problems with the Atom's size or shape. It is a mummy bag, but it doesn't feel restrictive to me in any way.
UL

Has anyone used a Big Agnes sleeping bag? I always carry a Thermarest with me, and the BA is designed to have the pad slip right into the bag itself, eliminating the need for padding on the lower half of the bag, resulting in a smaller packed size and lower weight. It's a pretty smart design, and I like supporting the smaller companies

Any thoughts? They make some nice tents as well, this one on special today

http://www.outdoordaily.com/

I have a Big Agnes Horse Thief 35 degree bag. I like it for what it does. For mild weather it is super light weight. It is a mummy shape and I have a InsulMat (inflated pad) that I use or I also have cut to shape a walmart blue pad. Keep in mind that you can't roll around in them or set up in them! Takes some getting used to.

OH

OH

Do you put the blue pad inside the bag? I really like my Blue Pad but it is so big.

A lot of hammock sleepers like them because they do not have to worry about compressing the insulation below them. I thought hard about buying one, but my quilt set works a lot better for me, and weighs 2lbs.

If you are a ground dweller, they work out really good in my opinion.

To your questions yes the blue pad goes inside a sleave on the bottom of the bag. You have to cut down the blue pad. Not hard just get some measurements and cut away. And I did get it first for hammock use. Since then I have used it in hammocks and on hte ground.

OH