30 Degree bag reasonable?

[OTdarters]

Could one expect to do the entire trail with a 30 degree bag?
I have a 30 degree bag that I'm very comfortable with and would like to use, so long as it won't get to cold.

[Thinker]

I used a 30* the entire way this year, Started in March, ended in early September. There may be a few cold days at the beginning, but grin and bear it and you'll come out ok. Good luck to you!

[BookBurner]

Rainsuits, extra clothes, and especially gloves and a hat can really extend the bag's rating on those especially cold nights.

[Lone Wolf]

Could one expect to do the entire trail with a 30 degree bag?
I have a 30 degree bag that I'm very comfortable with and would like to use, so long as it won't get to cold.

if you sleep in a tent it's totally doable

[Yahtzee]

Could one expect to do the entire trail with a 30 degree bag?
I have a 30 degree bag that I'm very comfortable with and would like to use, so long as it won't get to cold.

Shouldn't be a problem. If you get cold, put on your clothes before slipping in the bag.

[Blissful]

I'd be somewhere else if the temp drops to single digits which it certainly can in March (we hit 8 degrees in mid March, but we were in Franlkin then). You're taking a risk, IMO. After April 15 should be safe though.

[max patch]

You'll (probably) freeze your azz off.

[old school]

If I was to it again I would start with a 0 degree bag...man it gets cold out there

[Thinker]

I hit single digit temps several times in the beginning with my 30* bag and was fine with some extra layers on. It all depends on how warm or cold of a sleeper you are. It can be done and it can be done comfortably.

[rafe]

30 degree bag.... probably OK if you're starting after mid-March or so. You'll have a few cold nights but you'll survive. Helps to have an extra layer or two for those situations. In summer, the bag will be too hot, unless you can unzip it and use it as a quilt.

[Haiku]

I started on the first of March, and used the Marmot Hydrogen - 30° bag. I was extremely cold for a couple of nights, but for the most part I was fine. I didn't have much in the way of extra clothes, so I shivered for a few nights. In the mid-Atlantic states and southern New England I wished I had much lighter bag - it was miserable! Especially in NJ-MA when the mosquitoes were out and I had to choose between zipping up the bag and sweating or leaving it open and getting eaten alive. Either get a lighter bag or get a good bug bivy!

If you have money to spare, get a 15° bag to start, and then switch to a 30° after Pearisburg (don't listen to anyone who says to switch after Damascus; wait until Pearisburg, believe me). Otherwise you'll be fine as long as you have a few extra clothes to wear in the bag, or someone who doesn't mind you snuggling against for the cold nights.

Haiku.

[Pokey2006]

I'm cold just thinking about it...

[Egads]

Depends on your tolerance to cold. I sure as hell wouldn't do it.

[dmb658]

it will get cold. i would take a 15 or a 20 degree

[neo]

if you sleep in a tent it's totally doable

yep,shelter are for babies and candy-ss hikersneo

[Ziggy Trek]

Experiment over night this winter. See what works for you. There are too many variables to get accurate advice on this.
January through February I only take a 30 degree bag because I am already carrying extra layers of clothing. Can't recall ever having a problem (even in blustery cold). Yet others with me have brought their Zeros along and were miserably cold.
It's extremely difficult to define "warm sleeper" vs. "cold sleeper". What does a 30 degree rating mean between ten different makes of bags and their users?

[Grampie]

Well, if you already have a 30 degree bag and not a lot of cash to spend, take it. You will probably have some uncomfortable nights but you will survive O.K.
I did my thru with a 20 degree baq. started mid April. Had some cold nights, one was 8 degrees, and I was still cold.
Just another hardship of a thru-hike that you have to learn to deal with.

[burger]

Besides wearing extra clothes to bed, you can also extend your bag's temperature range with a liner (like this silk liner) or a lightweight bivy sack/sleeping bag cover (like this one).

[buz]

Don't know where u live, but if you are planning for next year, practice sleep this winter in known temps that will challenge the bag. That way you will know what you need if it gets really cold early in the hike, or if it isn't workable, period. Layers will help, but I would doubt any 30 degree bag would work if a night is say 10, even with layers. Depends when you are planning on starting as to how many of those nights you would see also.

[Bigglesworth]

Could one expect to do the entire trail with a 30 degree bag?
I have a 30 degree bag that I'm very comfortable with and would like to use, so long as it won't get to cold.

I think you need warmer. I switched from a 20 degree synthetic (older bag) to a 15 degree down, and it made a huge comfort difference for me. Hefty investment, but wouldn't trade it in for anything. If you don't want to spend the money to switch, how about a silk liner for your 30 degree bag, then you can send one or the other home in the summer?