High Sierra Topix

Also check out these bags, they stretch, making it more comfy fro side and stomach
sleepers: http://www.montbell.us/products/disp.php?p_id=2321188" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; also these: http://www.sierradesigns.com/sleeping-bags/bed-style" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
For quilts check these: http://www.nunatakusa.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Why not keep your sleeping bag and just buy a lighter pad. At 12oz for the NeoAir XLite you could save well over a pound, about 20oz actually. The NeoAir has a 3.2 R-value and since you said you also carry thin foam pad you would have more than enough protection for 3 season hiking.

OzSwaggie wrote:Hi All

We are counting grams again, and my 1600gram 15 degree sleeping bag is annoying me. We carry a good, warm 4 season tent with no permanent mesh (so, no draughts). I carry a downmat 5.9 R-value, with a thin closed cell foam underneath.

Just reread this again.

With a 4 season tent and a downmat, there are more than grams at stake. You can easily downgrade for July/August.... There's plenty here that makes the sleeping bag weight look petty.

My downmat weighs a pound (3/4 length, ultralight - r value 5.9) and the tent is 2 1/2 lbs each between the two of us. I'm happy with these weights for the benefits gained It was only the sleeping bag that seemed a waste of grams. (OK, I admit it, I'm not as tough or experienced as most of you!)

(I only mentioned the tent and mat situation as I thought this might be relevant to advice re. choice of sleeping bag/clothes/quilt.)

Thanks Maverick

The words "five pound tent" activate the ounce counter in me.



That was my first tent... thank dog I found someone to buy it from me so I could move on...

Almost There, thank you, you are totally right we could save significant weight by using a more minimalist tent. We have looked at lots of others, both in shops and in the field, but both of us really like our tent, and feel it is worth the weight. It is an Exped Venus 2, has lots of great features, and I would thoroughly recommend it to people like us who enjoy the camping part of trips as much as the walking part, and who are not very experienced in the backcountry so need the safety factor while still learning. We are definitely not "fast and light" backpackers, and don't really aspire to be at this stage. I bring a paperback book to read, and my backpack itself weighs over 5 lbs (so now your ounce-o-meter will be having a fit

I just don't think my heavy sleeping bag is worth it - if I can get something else that will do the same job and save me a couple of pounds, and not cost too much $, I will.

Our first tent weighed 11 lbs. It was a 3 person with an enormous vestibule and we lugged it up to Little Yosemite Valley along the Panorama Trail in 2010 on our first ever backpacking trip to the amazement of a couple of PCT hikers we met there, who thought we must have just come from Mt Everest! It was a gorgeous orange thing big enough to sort of crouch/stand up in, and with a vestibule we could do yoga in. So we actually find our current tent quite minimalist.

Give us a few years and a few more trips and maybe we'll be under a tarp ...

Just wanted to update on this ancient thread - I ended up getting a WM Tamarak 5 foot 40 degree hoodless bag and I team it with a very warm Rab parka. I would have preferred the EE quilt/bag, but got the WM cheap. I'm really happy with the setup; it's very flexible through a range of temperatures (can use it as a blanket when warm) and I love having the warm parka around camp. It probably would not be warm enough if we did not have such warm mats and a four season tent, but I've been comfortable in a snowstorm with temps in the teens, with a couple layers clothes on the legs as well. I can't believe it's nearly 5 years ago already. Thanks all for the advice.

I can second the recommendation of Enlightened Equipment, their quilts can strap to your pad, which avoids getting "wrapped up" if you move around at night.
Dave

I'm a huge supporter of the sleeping bag option, it means carrying extra stuff but it beats having to change your clothes in the evening and in the morning; plus, you can take off your shoes, which is a significant plus.
On top of that, you can carry it attached under your rucksack, at the level of your butt, wrapped in its cloth sack, and use it as a portable cushion when you're sitting.