theres few pieces of equipment that will make or break a hunting trip as fast as a good or defective sleeping bag and pad combo on a cold night spent in a tent under cold conditions,
a few tips, I learned the hard way hunting ELK over 40 plus years in Colorado & Wyoming & California sierras, hunting in the high county during snow and rain,
always have a warm watch cap,and a sleeping bag with a head hood, it retains body heat
an inner liner bag tends to add warmth and prevent some wear and dirt issues and an outer gortex bag tends to help with moisture issues
compressed insulation has far less warmth so you'll NEED a decent pad UNDER the bag, and ALL air mattresses, that you blow up will eventually leak and prove worthless, you need a closed cell foam pad, that won,t allow moisture to pass thru to the bag, and although its a P.I.T.A. to transport its worth its weight, in keeping you warm
synthetic bags tend to be heavier and harder to pack into small stuff bags, but they also tend to be warmer if they get wet than down bag insulation which can be near worthless once soaking wet.
down insulation is effective but generally youll need to be careful reading labels, and look for ( PURE GOOSE DOWN of 550 loft or better, the BETTER BAGS HAVE 650-800 LOFT DOWN) duck and chicken feather insulation, is NOT THE SAME AS DOWN and tends to be vastly inferior
wearing a parka while inside a bag may add insulation but pre-test any bag to make sure youve got room,to do so ,it can reduce insulation if its too tight, in an emergency, if the bags too, wearing it confining youll spend a miserable night, its best to spend a bit more and get the lower temp rated bag , you can always open them partly to release heat, but your screwed if the temp drops any your bags rated far above the temps your dealing with, thats why Ive always suggested a -20F rated bag and a decent 4 season tent
All insulation tends to lose loft and insulation effectiveness if you store the bag packed in a stuff sack over time so store the bag in a large hanging plastic bag
mummy style bags are lighter but far more confining, the rectangle bag designs tend to be far more comfortable, in most cases, but more difficult to pack longer distances, and larger when packed, in a stuff sack
if you expect to see snow get a MINIMUM of a 0F degree rated bag and a gortex outer bag, you can partly unzip a bag to cool off but hypothermia from cold can KILL YOU if you can,t stay warm, laying extra clothing between the pad and bag can increase warmth
always allow decent air flow thru a tent, no matter how cold it is or your breath condenses on the tent walls & roof and can potentially get equipment damp over time, when it eventually warms enough to drip, and it ALWAYS DOES
all bags can rip, have a small sewing repair kit and duct tape available
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watch and read the linked info its critical that you understand the concepts
read thru this
http://www.rei.com/expertadvice/article ... cking.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeZorNFFmDg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-aAscnx ... re=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRRReIDs ... re=related
http://www.backpackgeartest.org/reviews ... ng%20Bags/
http://adventuresportsonline.com/sleepingtemp.htm
http://www.backpacker.com/fall-winter-g ... gear/15919
http://www.outdoorgearlab.com/Backpacki ... ag-Reviews
http://www.ehow.com/how_111859_buy-opti ... eping.html
a few tips, I learned the hard way hunting ELK over 40 plus years in Colorado & Wyoming & California sierras, hunting in the high county during snow and rain,
always have a warm watch cap,and a sleeping bag with a head hood, it retains body heat
an inner liner bag tends to add warmth and prevent some wear and dirt issues and an outer gortex bag tends to help with moisture issues
compressed insulation has far less warmth so you'll NEED a decent pad UNDER the bag, and ALL air mattresses, that you blow up will eventually leak and prove worthless, you need a closed cell foam pad, that won,t allow moisture to pass thru to the bag, and although its a P.I.T.A. to transport its worth its weight, in keeping you warm
synthetic bags tend to be heavier and harder to pack into small stuff bags, but they also tend to be warmer if they get wet than down bag insulation which can be near worthless once soaking wet.
down insulation is effective but generally youll need to be careful reading labels, and look for ( PURE GOOSE DOWN of 550 loft or better, the BETTER BAGS HAVE 650-800 LOFT DOWN) duck and chicken feather insulation, is NOT THE SAME AS DOWN and tends to be vastly inferior
wearing a parka while inside a bag may add insulation but pre-test any bag to make sure youve got room,to do so ,it can reduce insulation if its too tight, in an emergency, if the bags too, wearing it confining youll spend a miserable night, its best to spend a bit more and get the lower temp rated bag , you can always open them partly to release heat, but your screwed if the temp drops any your bags rated far above the temps your dealing with, thats why Ive always suggested a -20F rated bag and a decent 4 season tent
All insulation tends to lose loft and insulation effectiveness if you store the bag packed in a stuff sack over time so store the bag in a large hanging plastic bag
mummy style bags are lighter but far more confining, the rectangle bag designs tend to be far more comfortable, in most cases, but more difficult to pack longer distances, and larger when packed, in a stuff sack
if you expect to see snow get a MINIMUM of a 0F degree rated bag and a gortex outer bag, you can partly unzip a bag to cool off but hypothermia from cold can KILL YOU if you can,t stay warm, laying extra clothing between the pad and bag can increase warmth
always allow decent air flow thru a tent, no matter how cold it is or your breath condenses on the tent walls & roof and can potentially get equipment damp over time, when it eventually warms enough to drip, and it ALWAYS DOES
all bags can rip, have a small sewing repair kit and duct tape available
[/color]
watch and read the linked info its critical that you understand the concepts
read thru this
http://www.rei.com/expertadvice/article ... cking.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeZorNFFmDg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-aAscnx ... re=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRRReIDs ... re=related
http://www.backpackgeartest.org/reviews ... ng%20Bags/
http://adventuresportsonline.com/sleepingtemp.htm
http://www.backpacker.com/fall-winter-g ... gear/15919
http://www.outdoorgearlab.com/Backpacki ... ag-Reviews
http://www.ehow.com/how_111859_buy-opti ... eping.html