Sorry Maineiac64. I missed your correction.
Wayne
The Western Mountaineering semi-rectangular bags are worth looking at. They are not so restrictive like the mummy bags, and can be opened up and used as a quilt if you want. The continuous baffles allow you to move the down wherever you want it, so it is a very versatile 3-season bag. I have the 25* Sycamore, which I have had comfortably into the high teens without changing or adding to my usual sleeping clothes (200wt woolies, socks, fleece cap.) I also have the 5* Sequoia, which is like sleeping in HEAVEN! I haven't really had any temps that have challenged that yet.
fortis fortuna adjuvat
Hey Ziggy - I'm a thick guy too (6', 275) and I have some special needs. Hiking gear tends to be sized for typical hikers and I'm just not one. Here are my thoughts and recommendations:
- You may be a cold sleeper. I know that I am. I tend to over exert myself on trail and start getting chilled once I stop hiking. I need much better than the recommended insulation to stay warm. It's just a personal thing that you have to figure out for yourself.
- Take the bag back to REI. They have a fantastic 1 year return policy. You're not going to find something off the shelf that fits properly.
- Get a good sleeping pad (or a hammock, see below.) That's what insulates you from the ground and it is more important than the top cover IMHO. Neoair XLite in the XL 25" wide size is great for 3 season down to about freezing. Any colder than that and I would want the X-Therm if was sleeping on the ground.
- Order a custom top quilt. I like both hammockgear and enlightened equipment. The hammockgear economy line is a really good deal (up to a 55" wide quilt) - or you can custom order an X-Wide (which is what I have) and pay a little more for it.
- I have a hard time sleeping on pads of any sort. They just aren't designed to cope with my size. I have much better sleep in a hammock and use an underquilt beneath the hammock to stay warm instead of a sleeping pad. Hammocks are generally more complicated and more fiddly but I sleep great with no back issues and they are totally worth it IMHO. You should check out hammockforums.com if that sounds interesting to you.
YMMV!
HYOH!
Happy Trails!
Along the hammock line of thought...
WhiteBlaze member Just Bill makes a line of bridge hammocks for the Big Guys. If you decide to go that route.
Disclaimer: I get nothing in return for mentioning Bill’s products here.
Wayne
Bills a pretty good author as well!Originally Posted by Venchka
After stumbling thru the OP's poor rhetoric ...I will add my 2 cents.
Take a sleeping pad as a value of 1. 1 anything...
Take a sleeping pad as a value of 1. 1 anything...
Each of these always has to at least equal 1.
Temperature always = 2.
So if your bag is a 1.5 but your pad is only a .5 ....Your gunna be cold.
Lesson is, Pad is equally as important as your bag. And I would say most everyone would agree that there is no bag or pad that is perfect for all 4 seasons. At least not for me. I can certainly get away with have a 3 season bag and winter a winter bag. And a 3 season pad and winter pad.
Trail Miles: 4,980.5
AT Map 1: Complete 2013-2021
Sheltowee Trace: Complete 2020-2023
Pinhoti Trail: Complete 2023-2024
Foothills Trail: 47.9
AT Map 2: 279.4
BMT: 52.7
CDT: 85.4
So, I went through a similar situation with a zero bag used on a night in the 20s. As you were, I was wrapped up in many layers as I sat around a fire for a while. Got cold, climbed in the bag, never really warmed up. That was about 20 years ago. Along the way, I've switched to hammocks and quilts and experienced more of the same from time to time. I've also experienced being warm at 20 degrees with my 20 degree quilt(s). First thing is that bags or quilts need your body warmth to insulate efficiently. If you're wearing to many layers, you're insulating your body warmth from your primary insulation (bag or quilt). Not saying sleep naked, just sleep in one layer, or 2 lighter ones.
I don't think the extra room in the bag is much of an issue. If you're pushing the limits, then yeah, it could be. Of course, a bag doesn't insulate you underneath when your body weight is crushing the insulation, so your pad makes a big difference, but I doubt it was much of an issue at 35. Also makes a difference if you're moving around a lot - crushed insulation on bottom needs to reloft when you roll over onto your side or stomach and fill up with air, which primarily is coming from the exterior. Plus, moving around pushes a lot of warm air out of the bag through the head.
I hammock and use quilts. An underquilt stays put, never moves. A top quilt stays on top and can be tucked around the sides to seal and drape directly on your body with no extra room. The two of them form a bag like insulating structure, but with no crushed insulation and no trapped warm air being pushed out as a result, no matter how much I move - which I don't do nearly as much of in a hammock as I did on the ground. Even on the ground (on a pad), a top quilt can give you the room you need while still draping over you for more efficient insulation.
In short, get yourself warm before getting in the bag and squirm around a bit in the bag (creating some body heat) as you take off some layers. That should account for most of the issue. Then consider your pad and switching to quilts if still a problem.
"I wonder if anyone else has an ear so tuned and sharpened as I have, to detect the music, not of the spheres, but of earth, subtleties of major and minor chord that the wind strikes upon the tree branches. Have you ever heard the earth breathe... ?"
- Kate Chopin
I'm not sure your post is going to have the clarifying effect you expected.
The Terralite does look ideal, very wide through the hips as well as the shoulders. It's interesting that it's rated to 25°, although it claims as much loft as the 20° Alpinlite. It also has 1oz less fill, despite being wider ... but attains the same loft? All very curious, but makes we wonder if (1) there isn't plenty of room in the Terralite for an extra oz of down, and if that would get you that 5°, and (2) if the rating isn't just adjusted for the roominess, and if you actually fill the bag to the same extent a skinny person in a slim mummy does, might it be just as warm.
Western Mountaineering ratings tend to be conservative. I believe the Sycamore is also rated 25 degrees and is very similar to the Alpinlite.
You can special order down overstuffing from Western Mountaineering. Have you looked for a storefront dealer in your area?
Wayne
i suggest you take your discussion to Rockfish Gap Outfitters in Waynesboro. They have the goodies and they know their stuff. Their email is [email protected] Good luck.
RE:So heres my deal im like 5'10 250. Im built like a brick **** house
I'm 6'0 and 240 ... so I'm pretty much like you probably. Western Mountaineering Ponderosa if you want to be able to get down to 20F, or the WM Bristlecone if your dealing with colder temps yet. Bought these about 10 years ago, and have never thought about any other bag since.
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