thenhoc

I was curious what people have for winter sleeping bags. I'm considering one (though I probably won't get one this year), and wondered what people think is a good bag.

All right dan: Mountain Hardwear Lyell SL -15 degree 600 fill down bag. It's the best winter bag for cold weather camping. It's my favorite winter bag. The stuff sack that it comes with is pretty big. So i use a Dry Bag Stuff Sack w/ compression straps. its the best sleeping bag investment i've made. The Lyell packs down to the same size as a 20 degree synthetic bag. about the size of a bowling ball. which is an amazing size for a -15 degree bag to pack down to. the one down side i had with it was when we were on the big trip i was very hot in it wearing a poly pro t-shirt and boxers. I had to vent the bottom of the bag to cool down, but we did have a lot of people in the loft. But its awesome when there are very few people in the cabin or when tent camping.

Specs on the bag are:
3.4 lbs,
lengths reg 6 ft, long 6'6"

The outer shell of the bag is made of mountain hardwear's conduit SL cloth which is water resistant. But don't get the bag wet b/c when down is wet it takes forever to get dry.

Space wise the bag is pretty roomy on the inside. I've spent many nights w/ a stuff sack full of clothing at the bottom of the bag and still have had plenty of room to stay warm and comfortable.

Price wise its a shit ton of money $330 reg / $345 long but worth every penny of it.

Rating this bag i would give it a 5 out of 5 hands down.

As far as other bags / winter bags i have a North Face Cat's Meow 20 degree Synthetic bag which i use for year round camping including summertime, if it is cool out. It's a good cabin's bag for Franky up until Febuary which is always the coldest time up there from my experience. As far as year round its an awesome bag. A little small as far as space wise and i'd never recommend putting a stuff sack of clothing at the bottom of the bag since it robs you of a lot of room for warmth and comfort.

Rating 4 out of 5

I had an Extra Money Spent (EMS) boral 0 degree synthetic bag. It was an ok bag but the down sides that i found to the bad was that it takes up way too much space when you pack it down into the stuff sack, even w/ a compression sack i could never get it down to be half the size of it in a regular stuff sack. It took up half of my 4500 cubic in pack. And it didn't always keep me warm, the draft collars never said shut tightly and it wasn't very roomy inside.

Rating 2 out of 5.

As far as other winter bags that i haven't owned but would recommend i would highly recommend the Mountain Hardwear Lamina Series in a
0 degree 4.2 lbs $165 reg / $175 long
-15 degree 4.13 lbs $210 reg / $220 long
-30 degree 5.9 lbs $220 reg / $230 long
They are cheaper then the Lyell but just as good. They are Synthetic bags so you don't have to be as careful with them as a down bag.

For winter bags Mountain Hardwear is where it's at. They know their stuff and make a bomber product that will last. They also sponsor the majority of the Everest Expeditions for gear so you know that they are all about their cold weather gear.