Sleeping bag...Bear Grylls

[red5]

Anyone have any experience with Bear Grylls 0* or 30* bags?

http://www.walmart.com/ip/25716604
http://www.walmart.com/ip/25716609

They seem lightish, pack down fairly well and very inexpensive.

Is it merely a case of you get what you pay for?

[jimmyjam]

Anyone have any experience with Bear Grylls 0* or 30* bags?

http://www.walmart.com/ip/25716604
http://www.walmart.com/ip/25716609

They seem lightish, pack down fairly well and very inexpensive.

Is it merely a case of you get what you pay for?

i would steer away from any BG stuff for backpack on the AT. Look at the quilts at www.enlightenequipment.com

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[Donde]

NO firsthand experience, but I would be highly dubious of a 3lb 0* synthetic. Even more so for $50. Sleeping bag is one of the few gear items you really should not skimp on. That does not mean you can't be economical though. CHeck the boards here for a used bag, check rei outlet. you ought to be find a real 20* bag for $150 or so.

[bert304]

The big problem with the temp rating system is there is no standard test for sleeping bags. The temp rating is subject to the company that made the bag. Also a 30 degree bag might work for one person may not work for another. I would not trust anything from Walmart when you get below freezing temps

[Wise Old Owl]

I would avoid purchase of BG equipment.

[Sarcasm the elf]

NO firsthand experience, but I would be highly dubious of a 3lb 0* synthetic. Even more so for $50. Sleeping bag is one of the few gear items you really should not skimp on. That does not mean you can't be economical though. CHeck the boards here for a used bag, check rei outlet. you ought to be find a real 20* bag for $150 or so.

Good point, my $400 0* down bag weighs around 3 lbs. A inexpensive synthetic bag should weigh substantially more if it is really rated to 0*.

As mentioned above, you can get good bags for relatively little money if you shop around carefully. I got the $400 bag I mentioned above for less than $200 as a closeout when EMS was changing their product lineup.

The REI outlet usually has a some high quality but inexpensive 20-30 degree bags on sale.

[Deacon]

The big problem with the temp rating system is there is no standard test for sleeping bags. The temp rating is subject to the company that made the bag. Also a 30 degree bag might work for one person may not work for another. I would not trust anything from Walmart when you get below freezing temps

Well, not entirely true. In Europe, there is the EN13537 rating system. See discussion in the link.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleeping_bag

[Tuckahoe]

The first strike against these bags is that they are sold by Walmart and the second is that they are branded BG. It won't matter what any real experience is with these bags and whether they are garbage or surprisingly decent bags, those two associations brand the bags with the mark of the beast. I would bet that if you took the same specifications and manufacturing details and slapped Big Agnes or some other popular brand name on the bag and quadrupled the price it would be declared good to go -- again without any physical experience with actual bag.

My questions regarding the bags would first concern the thermolite -- what type is it? And second would be whether the bag was tested to EN13537.

The big problem with the temp rating system is there is no standard test for sleeping bags. The temp rating is subject to the company that made the bag. Also a 30 degree bag might work for one person may not work for another. I would not trust anything from Walmart when you get below freezing temps

This is true to a certain degree but so many better manufacturers are following EN 13537 which sets a rather uniform lab test.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/EN_13537

EN13537 requires a thermal manikin test which produces four temperature results — upper limit, comfort, lower limit and extreme. These temperatures were worked for normal consumers.

The standard measures four temperature ratings:


Upper Limit — the temperature at which a standard man can sleep without excessive perspiration. It is established with the hood and zippers open and with the arms outside of the bag.
Comfort — the temperature at which a standard woman can expect to sleep comfortably in a relaxed position.
Lower Limit — the temperature at which a standard man can sleep for eight hours in a curled position without waking.
Extreme — the minimum temperature at which a standard woman can remain for six hours without risk of death from hypothermia (though frostbite is still possible).

For the purpose of these measurements, a "standard man" is assumed to be 25 years old, with a height of 1.73 m and a weight of 73 kg; a "standard woman" is assumed to be 25 years old, with a height of 1.60 m and a weight of 60 kg.

[HooKooDooKu]

...I would be highly dubious of a 3lb 0* synthetic...

Look closely at the specs for the bag and you will see 3lb listed beside the fill.

So I think the fill is 3lb, not the whole bag (the whole bag is likely 4 to 4.5lbs)

[Sarcasm the elf]

Look closely at the specs for the bag and you will see 3lb listed beside the fill.

So I think the fill is 3lb, not the whole bag (the whole bag is likely 4 to 4.5lbs)

REI has more detailed specs for the Bear Gryllis 0* bag.

http://m.rei.com/product/878957/bear...-2013-closeout
Currently on clearance for $33 more than the walmart price.

Total weight 3.3lbs
Fill Weight: 26.5 oz
EN ratings are listed as unavailable.

[bert304]

sorry I did not know about the EN13537 from Europe

[red5]

Thank you all for your time and comments. They are pretty much in line with what I was thinking. I guess I am having a bit of a difficult time finding something synthetic that packs down to a small volume in the 20* range. Thanks again!

[HooKooDooKu]

Thank you all for your time and comments. They are pretty much in line with what I was thinking. I guess I am having a bit of a difficult time finding something synthetic that packs down to a small volume in the 20* range. Thanks again!

Try looking into the Mountain Hardware Ultralamina 15.
The specifications indicates it comes with a 7x13 stuff sack.
By comparison, the North Face Cat's Meow 20 indicates a stuff size of 9x17.

Of course the price is going to be a lot more than a clearance Bear Gryllis. The Ultralamina series is regularly priced around $275. Campmor.com currently has the 15 on sale for $220.
If you're not in a hurry, you could keep an eye out for sale and other clearance prices. I was able to buy Ultralamina bags a few years ago in the middle of winter when the previous years models were on clearance. I've got both a 15º and 32º that I picked up for prices more along the lines of $150-$175.

The 32º bag really rocks. It's less than 2lbs and stuffs to 6x10 (better than many down bags with a similar temperature rating). Campmor has those on sale for $190 right now.

[red5]

Try looking into the Mountain Hardware Ultralamina 15.
The specifications indicates it comes with a 7x13 stuff sack.
By comparison, the North Face Cat's Meow 20 indicates a stuff size of 9x17.

Of course the price is going to be a lot more than a clearance Bear Gryllis. The Ultralamina series is regularly priced around $275. Campmor.com currently has the 15 on sale for $220.
If you're not in a hurry, you could keep an eye out for sale and other clearance prices. I was able to buy Ultralamina bags a few years ago in the middle of winter when the previous years models were on clearance. I've got both a 15º and 32º that I picked up for prices more along the lines of $150-$175.

The 32º bag really rocks. It's less than 2lbs and stuffs to 6x10 (better than many down bags with a similar temperature rating). Campmor has those on sale for $190 right now.

Hmmm....thanks for the idea.

What about the Mountain Hardwear Lamina 20* which I can find for 149.95
Or a Mountain Hardwear Pinole which I can find for 98?

The Pinole's stuffed volume is 50% more than the Lamina (14 vs 9.5) but weighs roughly the same and is 50 bucks cheaper.

[slbirdnerd]

My son and I have a couple MH Pinole 20, he uses regularly for scouts and is almost never cold (he sleeps hot). They tent camped here in Ohio in January and he did okay. Seems to hold up and wash pretty well (front load/hang dry). For synthetic, I'd recommend.

[HooKooDooKu]

What about the Mountain Hardwear Lamina 20* which I can find for 149.95

Lamina:
Weight: 3lb 1oz
Rating: 20º
Stuff size: 7x15

Ultralamina:
Weight: 2lb 13oz (4oz lighter)
Rating: 15º (5º warmer)
Stuff size: 7x13 (77cuin smaller)(13% smaller)

Obviously the Ultralamina is the better bag... but are these differences worth paying 47% more ($150 v. $220)? You've got to decide.

Pinole:
Weight: 3lb 2oz
Rating: 20º
Stuff size: 8x17

The stuff size for the Pinole would be the deal breaker for me.
Ultralamina = 500cuin
Pinole = 850cuin (70% larger than Ultralamina)

[colorado_rob]

Lamina:
Weight: 3lb 1oz
Rating: 20º
Stuff size: 7x15

Ultralamina:
Weight: 2lb 13oz (4oz lighter)
Rating: 15º (5º warmer)
Stuff size: 7x13 (77cuin smaller)(13% smaller)

Obviously the Ultralamina is the better bag... but are these differences worth paying 47% more ($150 v. $220)? You've got to decide.

Careful there; in order to be lighter and warmer with the same insulation type, something's got to give, probably the size. I see a lot of folks lured by better specs only to find out the bag is too small for them to sleep comfortably. I'm particularly sensitive to bags that are too narrow (it's all about girth!). I need a bag that's got 62+ inches of girth. The Lamina does, does the ultra lamina? Do you care, OP? I cannot seem to find it's specs.

[slbirdnerd]

Someone on Facebook "Hiking Gear Flea Market" just posed 2 Pinoles, $140 for both or $75 each. They compress to smaller than 8x12 for trips--you just don't want to store them like that. (Sea to Summit compression sack.)

[HooKooDooKu]

Careful there; in order to be lighter and warmer with the same insulation type, something's got to give, probably the size.

Good point...

In this case, it appears the difference is both in the shell material used as well as girth.
Looking at JUST shoulder girth:
Ultralaminia: 60"
Lamina: 63"
It looks like hips and feet are also 3" in difference between the two models.

[red5]

I greatly appreciate everyone's very helpful advice. I may add that I plan on hiking with two small boys. So far on our summer hikes they have only carried their sleeping pads and blankets. So that is why I have been desiring a small stuff volume since in cooler temperatures I will have to carry more colder-weather items (clothing, etc) for them.