Favorite Piece of gear.. Western Mountaineerings Sleeping ba

[fishmonger]

Tried the Helium first at REI, but much too tight also - (I am 6 ‘~225 lbs…FYI).

At exactly 6' foot - how is the length working for you in WM bags? I am somewhere between Long and Regular with various manufacturers. North Face fits only in Long, while REI fits me in Regular. I guess as I age, I am getting shorter, too :-)

Found a great deal on the Versalite at Tent and Trails (below ebay) and just want to make sure I don't buy the Long one if I don't need it.

[markskor]

I am just a tick over 6 foot...and the regular fits me fine. I too thought the long would be needed, but no...regular does the trick.
Mark

[fishmonger]

I am just a tick over 6 foot...and the regular fits me fine. I too thought the long would be needed, but no...regular does the trick.
Mark

great - and I won't need the space in the bag to warm up boots on a -20 degree morning either. I think I'm going to pull the trigger on the Versalite Reg if they have left zipper. Web site does not state such detail...

[markskor]

Fish,
When I finally pulled the trigger and ordered from Tent Trail, I called first and asked about right/left zipper availability, and pricing...as the exact price was not quoted -(said call -"too low to print") in the "close out" ad at that time.
I was/am still impressed - great customer service on their end. Got my left zip, regular Badger 3 days later...shipped solid... unstuffed in a large WM bag with all trimmings...stuff sack included too.
Their toll free number - 800-237-1760
Mark

[fishmonger]

I'll call tomorrow - they are closed today. Price is posted, since the Versalite is not a closeout, but even then, at $340 for regular size far better than anywhere else for WM bags. They have Antelope, Apache, Badger, Dakota, Kodiak and Puma on closeout. Badger may be the closest to what I need, but it isn't much lighter than my current bag being extra wide cut. The winter bags are too warm, and Antelope is a bit heavy for the 10F performance. The Apache is about the closest I can come to the specs I am looking for, but the bag is cut a little narrower than the Versalite and has less loft. I'll ask them about the price just in case it's a real steal, but I'm pretty set on the Versalite.

[oldranger]

I have both a subkilo and an alpinlite. The alpinlite has much more loft after more use than the subkilo. Subkilo is fine for less than 9,000 in midsummer but I'll almost always use the Alpinlite.
I'm much smaller than youse guys. 5'7'' and about 162. I really liked the Badger but opted for the 9 oz. lighter Alpinlite. I really like the extra space as I roll around a lot. One thing I don't like about the Alpinlite is that the draft tube doesn't cover the zipper adequately when the zipper ends up at the top as it seems to often do when I flounder around in my sleep.

mike

[fishmonger]

I just ordered the WM Versalite in medium (6'0") from Tent and Trails; $340, free shipping

will report back when I get it. Thanks for all the help.

[markskor]

Great buy Fish ...I am sure you will not be disappointed with your new WM bag.
BTW, excellent use of our HST resources...another example of what makes this a great site...all due to Eric.
Mark

[fishmonger]

can't wait to get the bag - apparently it won't ship until Monday (hmm - so you sell something, get it from the supplier, then ship it? low inventory means low prices). I don't mind, just need it by summer.

Been using boards a lot lately to tweak my gear. Last few days there's been a huge thread over on backpacking light following my almost heretic post about my gear (they just about chewed my head off when they realized I actually wear REAL BOOTS :-))

if you're bored - it also has a link to the current spreadsheet with my gearlist which is still evolving. When done I'll have to compare that to my '08 pack

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin ... d_id=19421

[freestone]

After many years of backpacking, I now realize I spend as much, or more, time on my back, in a bag, as I do walking, fishing, and climbing. This personal reality has resulted in my favorite pieces of gear to become the Western Mountaineering bag, (of which I have two, the Ultralite regular, and the Versalite long) and my Exped Down Air Mat 9 (DAM). I purchased both bags used (yuk! "Isn't that like sleeping in a motel where they don't change the sheets"?) The Ultralite is rated to 35 degrees and REALLY confining ( I am 6-1/2, 190# with size 13 feet). I used it last weekend on Santa Cruz Island, and at 38 degrees, with no long underwear, I started to feel a tad chilled, so the rating is right on. When the coastal evenings warm up, I use it as a quilt on the DAM to minimize the confinement. I just recently acquired the Vesalite and used it once last year at Cottonwood Lakes. Wow, what loft! The weather pattern was rainless, so I left the tent at the trail-head and slept underneath the stars on a breezy evening in complete comfort.
I switched from the Thermarest Prolite to the DAM three years ago and have used it ever since. To counter the increased weight and bulk, I now take less clothes, more concentrated, quick cooking foods, and weather/bugs permitting, no tent.