sleeping bag woes

[ZiggySours]

So this past summer was my first section hikes on the AT and really backpacking in general. I hurriedly got all of my gear together over the winter and had researched and developed for about a year. Learned alot those first few trips and am starting to learn what works for me. However, on a unrelated car camping trip late fall with the kids I took my Rei 20 degree synthetic sleeping bag into 35 degree weather. Which i had not encountered while on the At. So with a black lab two kids and me in a tent with a hat on socks on sweat pants and a long sleeve tshirt and a patagonia fleece i woke oh and ****ing hand warmers in my pants pockets, I woke up cold like really effin cold. So heres my deal im like 5'10 250. Im built like a brick **** house so when trying on all these bags at rei by diff companys one thing stayed true the whole experience. My shoulders are broad and mummy sacks do not like me at all. So to combat this an Rei suggested i go for a xlong and xwide bag. Im not that tall i really dont need the x long but try finding a bag that is xwide and not x long. As a result this thing is physically comfortable a ****. However, I feel like the increased material and baggieness is prob not trapping my body heat as well. Is anyone else in this boat? I really just want one sleeping bag that is perfect . Now I know this is going to spark the whole quilt convo but my only dilemma with that is rei does not sell them so say i ****ing hate that **** and now im stuck with a 300 dollar quilt and nothing to sleep in or under. Rei u can return anything so thats what im saying. Im down for cottage company I just dont want to be mailing **** all over the earth back and forth any one with a similar structure have any advise. Thanks Zig

[daddytwosticks]

Hey Ziggy, what kind of sleeping pad were you using? If the bag has lots of empty space, that will definitely affect it's performance.

[Zalman]

I'm 5'9, 200, broad shoulders and 46" chest. I have similar issues but not as severe as yours @250lbs ... so it's difficult to say. I agree with you that if you had extra space in your bag, that's a likely culprit, as is the ground pad issue, as daddytwosticks mentioned. I can't speak for REI mummy bags, never having tried one, but there are definitely some mummy bags I can't fit into and some that I can, comfortably. Marmot makes some of the widest bags I've ever tried. Western Mountaineering makes the narrowest bags I've ever tried -- they supposedly have "wide" sizes these days, but I find that a Marmot at the same "shoulder-width" measurement will feel much roomier inside. Feathered Friends also makes bags in different widths, though even their widest is just big enough for me, and so might not fit you depending on how that extra 50lbs is distributed.The various widths offered by these companies are entirely separate from the length differences, so you can get the wider cut in a regular length.

The bags I mentioned are all high-end, and the ones I've tried are all down bags. Just what I have experience with ... hopefully someone else can help with other styles and price ranges.

I've never much liked quilts for warmth ... I like to keep the space inside just enough to avoid being cramped, and most importantly, I find that wearing the hood on my mummy bag is very key to staying toasty.

[martinb]

Have a look at Mont Bell Super Spirals. I have wide shoulders and have no room issues with my MB down hugger.

[Venchka]

A 20 F rated Western Mountaineering Alpinlite Long on an Xtherm Large air mattress keeps me comfy to a measured 15 F. I’m only 5’-8” and almost a 100 pounds lighter and I wasn’t wearing anything like the clothes you had on. I didn’t need the long size bag, but the price was right. The Regular Alpinlite will be fine for you.
I’m not sure where you got the idea that WM only makes narrow bags. They actually make more wide bags than skinny bags. Look at the specs online.
I’m also a voice of one in the Wilderness calling BUNK! on the myth about large bags not being warm if they aren’t filled up.
Good luck!
PS: A good down bag will last decades with proper care. It is the most economical solution.
Wayne

[Zalman]

I’m not sure where you got the idea that WM only makes narrow bags. They actually make more wide bags than skinny bags. Look at the specs online.

Hi Wayne, I assume this is for me -- my ideas come from actually trying the bags out. My experience is that the width specs are misleading: when lying in both, the same specs for Western Mountaineering bag were a much tighter fit than in the Marmot bag. I didn't say WM only makes narrow bags -- in fact I mentioned the wider widths they offer. My point is that how those bags feel when you're actually lying in them is quite different due to the way they are cut, baffled, and filled -- despite the similar specs. The WM Alpenlite I laid in was a tight fit for me, I doubt the OP would want to squeeze into it.

I think you may be vastly underestimating the difference that 100lbs makes. That's almost like putting a second person in your sleeping bag with you. At 5'10" / 250lbs this guy is thicker than Earl Campbell.

[steady123]

Get a down 10 degree quilt. Couple with a 4.5 R value inflatable pad. You will be fine.

[Dogwood]

"So heres my deal im like 5'10 250. Im built like a brick **** house so when trying on all these bags at rei by diff companys one thing stayed true the whole experience. My shoulders are broad and mummy sacks do not like me at all. So to combat this an Rei suggested i go for a xlong and xwide bag. Im not that tall i really dont need the x long but try finding a bag that is xwide and not x long. As a result this thing is physically comfortable a ****. However, I feel like the increased material and baggieness is prob not trapping my body heat as well. Is anyone else in this boat? I really just want one sleeping bag that is perfect ."


The mummy sacks you've looked at don't serve your broad shoulders. You had an REI associate sell you on what they have available in sizes which may not fit. Mummy bags come in shoulder widths as large as I've seen in 65"-67" in reg length which sounds like a better fit for your body shape. You don't need to go to an X long to get the shoulder width you require. NOR do you need to abandon a mummy style because REI's options shown to you don't fit. NOR do you require a quilt to fit your broad shoulders. If you want a quilt for other reasons fine but you don't need a quilt to accommodate very wide shoulders. There are also mummy bags that stretch but again REI doesn't carry bags made by companies like Montbell. REI carries limited in store selections of WM bags and no FF Bags which may also offer a better fit. People are trying to sell you at REI and here on WB.

[Venchka]

Hi Wayne, I assume this is for me -- my ideas come from actually trying the bags out. My experience is that the width specs are misleading: when lying in both, the same specs for Western Mountaineering bag were a much tighter fit than in the Marmot bag. I didn't say WM only makes narrow bags -- in fact I mentioned the wider widths they offer. My point is that how those bags feel when you're actually lying in them is quite different due to the way they are cut, baffled, and filled -- despite the similar specs. The WM Alpenlite I laid in was a tight fit for me, I doubt the OP would want to squeeze into it.

I think you may be vastly underestimating the difference that 100lbs makes. That's almost like putting a second person in your sleeping bag with you. At 5'10" / 250lbs this guy is thicker than Earl Campbell.

I read too quickly. Sorry.
Wayne

[ZiggySours]

so i started out with a cheap klymit v channel pad i think r value is in the 4s or high 3s i tried and exped insulatd one also and that one sucked pretty bad i mean i dont know how anyone likes that i slid off it all night and poped a pin hole in it the second time i used it im going to get like a 200 dollar sea to summit i forget what exact one but its like multi channeled and is red and is light lol also 250 sounds like alot and since ive been married the last few years i put on like 30 dad pounds and yeah i need to loose them lol but i dont look like huge with the extra weight i mean i got a lil belly big shoulders and my thighs are pretty muscular and large but im pretty stout husky maybe lol I am a hvac service tech now but spent 10 years as a installer carying hvac units up and down stairs and in attics and dragging stuff in crawl spaces so as a result i got huge leg muscles and muscular shoulders. THe service world now i dont see to much crazy weight lifting as i did but even in my 20s i always weighted around 200-220 i guess im like a size 38 pant so any name drop of something that might work out would be awesome i dont know if i can drop 600 bucks on a bag and not try it on first though but the western mt bag looked pretty baller thanks in advance Zig

[Venchka]

Moosejaw allows bags to be returned IF you don’t remove the tags and IF it looks like new.
I purchased a North Face Hightail 3S bag from Moosejaw. The bag was #2 on my short list. I tried the bag out indoors for a couple days. It was a decent bag. Just not what I was looking for. I returned it for a full refund.
My Alpinlite isn’t the largest bag that WM makes. There are others that have more girth around the shoulders.
If it’s not too late, you could get your money back from REI.
Wayne

[MuddyWaters]

So this past summer was my first section hikes on the AT and really backpacking in general. I hurriedly got all of my gear together over the winter and had researched and developed for about a year. Learned alot those first few trips and am starting to learn what works for me. However, on a unrelated car camping trip late fall with the kids I took my Rei 20 degree synthetic sleeping bag into 35 degree weather. Which i had not encountered while on the At. So with a black lab two kids and me in a tent with a hat on socks on sweat pants and a long sleeve tshirt and a patagonia fleece i woke oh and ****ing hand warmers in my pants pockets, I woke up cold like really effin cold. So heres my deal im like 5'10 250. Im built like a brick **** house so when trying on all these bags at rei by diff companys one thing stayed true the whole experience. My shoulders are broad and mummy sacks do not like me at all. So to combat this an Rei suggested i go for a xlong and xwide bag. Im not that tall i really dont need the x long but try finding a bag that is xwide and not x long. As a result this thing is physically comfortable a ****. However, I feel like the increased material and baggieness is prob not trapping my body heat as well. Is anyone else in this boat? I really just want one sleeping bag that is perfect . Now I know this is going to spark the whole quilt convo but my only dilemma with that is rei does not sell them so say i ****ing hate that **** and now im stuck with a 300 dollar quilt and nothing to sleep in or under. Rei u can return anything so thats what im saying. Im down for cottage company I just dont want to be mailing **** all over the earth back and forth any one with a similar structure have any advise. Thanks Zig

Inside that tent should have been 40+

With what you were wearing, the cheapest $15 walmart sleeping bag should have worked fine. I done that before without issue. Sweat pants, sweatshirt, cheapo 40-50f rectangular bag, in tent. It was 39 in tent. I was warm on prolite pad.

This is how scouts camp.

[Venchka]

Something doesn’t compute.
What were the children wearing and sleeping in? Were they comfortable? Cold? Begging to go home?
There are people who sleep really cold. Folks here at WhiteBlaze who claim that they are freezing in a 0 F bag around freezing, 32 F.
Could that be you?
Wayne

[SC_Forester]

ERR... try a quilt..... https://www.rei.com/product/896047/t...corus-hd-quilt and try to find a wide sleeping pad.

[Trail Lady]

deleted due to harassing messages sent and emails

[Maineiac64]

A 20 F rated Western Mountaineering Alpinlite Long on an Xtherm Large air mattress keeps me comfy to a measured 15 F. I’m only 5’-8” and almost a 100 pounds lighter and I wasn’t wearing anything like the clothes you had on. I didn’t need the long size bag, but the price was right. The Regular Alpinlite will be fine for you.
I’m not sure where you got the idea that WM only makes narrow bags. They actually make more wide bags than skinny bags. Look at the specs online.
I’m also a voice of one in the Wilderness calling BUNK! on the myth about large bags not being warm if they aren’t filled up.
Good luck!
PS: A good down bag will last decades with proper care. It is the most economical solution.
Wayne

A regular wm alpinlite will not work for him, maybe the summerlite but even that might be too tight.

[Maineiac64]

A regular wm alpinlite will not work for him, maybe the summerlite but even that might be too tight.

I meant terralite.

[blw2]

I don't really understand what you meant about quilts....didn't get the code...guessing it was foul language about rei not selling them.

Regardless, I can't really imagine an argument against a quilt....especially since so many of them are customizable. Once I tried a quilt instead of a bag I can hardly imagine going back to a bag.

Anyway, I've got to imagine there are custom bag makers out there....I remember a youtube commercial a while back about a company selling discounted gear at a lowish price by cutting out the middle man retailers. Can't remember the name, but I wonder if they did custom stuff.

Sorry, i don't have a direct solution for you. good luck in your search

[egilbe]

Western Mountaineering does sell bags made for burly men. Me? I'd rather switch to a quilt. Wait a minute...I did!

[Venchka]

A regular wm alpinlite will not work for him, maybe the summerlite but even that might be too tight.

The Summerlite, Ultralite and Apache MF are cut on WM’s slim pattern. Too slim even for skinny me at 59” shoulder girth.
The Alpinlite comes in 64” and 65” shoulder girth. WM makes a few bags with another inch or two of girth. All of the dimensions are listed online.
Wayne