High Sierra Topix

Well, it had to be done.. so I dunned it.
I pulled out a crowbar and pryed open my wallet to fork out some serious coin for a new bag:
The Ultralight by Western Mountaineering 20 degree 1lb 10 oz. I am in love!

But first let me tell you about the Old Timer Bag and my sole reason for buying (another)Western Mountaineering sleeping bag.
My previous bag(for the last 16 years!) was also a WM. A Goretex Antelope 0 degree 850 fill down 4 lbs. The poor old thing has thousands of miles on the odometer. The only wear on it are a few micro holes from sleeping without a pad or ground cloth(I am bad I know) and a wrinkled outer skin from being set to close to the fire to dry(Bad also.. yep I am dumb).
Other than that it still sleeps warm as an oven right down to it's rated temerature. Indeed, I have never slept a cold night in it.. ever.
I can remember the day back in 1993 at Mel Cottons on a lunch break with a co-worker. I was tired of sleeping cold in other bags and decided to throw down the gauntlet.
I remember Owen's face (co-worker) when he saw the price tag(even back then I believe it was almost 400 bucks) then he started to laugh hysterically as I proceded to climb into and out of each and every bag they had on display.
I remember zipping myself into that sky blue Antelope and the instant feeling of being cozy and a little hot! It was love at first fit. To this day That bag is as warm as the day I bought it.. 16 years later!
I have never washed it (gross I know.. but it's my kind of gross) for fear it would lose it's loft or mojo or whatever...
That bag survived being layed on the bare granite, left in the sun too long, too close to the fire, sap, soup spills, being thrust into a tiny stuff sack and left forever.. all the things you arent supposed to do to a down bag. There is not one stitch missing nor ounce of fabric abraded on the entire bag. The cord lock hood cinches still work perfectly as does the zipper. Even the velcro tabs around the draft collar are intact and hold fine.
I love that greasy old sleeping bag and If the house burns down right now, that would be the one thing I might cry over losing.. until now.
Along comes this new bag.
This WM Ultralite model weighs 1 lb 10 oz and it is a dead ringer for my old antelope except for weight and bulk. I know we are gonna be friends.
I suppose there is no point to rambling on and on about a sleeping bag I haven't even slept in yet (tonight on the front porch,concrete,& no pad!)
And why I feel so sentimental about a piece of gear like a sleeping bag, I dunno. And I am afraid I will have to get back to you on the endurance testing. Which judging by it's predeccesor.. might be another 16 years!

Does anyone else feel sentimental about a sleeping bag or a favorite piece of gear? (It's O.K. to just tell me I am nuts)
Would love to hear about it! Cheers, Hetchy

I'm with you on grabbing it if the place caught on fire. In my case, I have more than one WM bag. I have heard the 'lite' series is a little tight, let us know. One of my bags is a Antelope Super DL, the Dryloft is a little noisy, kinda crinkly. It was very pricey, but the summer I bought it, I had been working so much overtime, I sprung for it. I have only used it a few nights in the 8-10 years I have had it. For a five degree bag, it sure is nice when the tempermental zip-o-gauge shows minus seven. I know it is cold, when the nose hairs freeze and the lip hair gets stiff from breathing.

For a little more room I bought the WM Alpinlite that is rated at 20 degrees and comes in at 1lb 15 oz. For 2 or 3 more inches Marksor just bought a WM badger that comes in at about 21/2 lbs and is rated at 15 degrees. I loved the Badger but didn't want to carry the extra 9 oz. and according to Mark he outweighs me by 60 lbs or more so I think he needs the larger bag. On september trips I carry about 9 oz extra in sleeping clothes to make of for the difference in the warmth of the bags--also provides a little more comfort for extra frosty evening and mornings in september.

My favorite alltime most used bag? Northface Unimog, semi rectangular, can be paired with zipper around the outside. My ex has the other bag. My true love and I manage ok, nonetheless. Northface replaced the down in the first two tubes for free so the bag still works fine, but weighs nearly 4lbs and that is more than I care to carry any more.

Cheers,

mike

Mike,
You aren't insinuating that I fat are you? lol...maybe just beefy.
Call me crazy, but last night...35° here in Sacramento, I had to try out the new WM Badger out in the backyard.
Slept out under my covered Gazebo, in the rain...warm as toast, and with it partially opened up too/unzipped at the feet...just a great bag. Possibly a lil too warm maybe for the conditions, but plenty of room, and soft as a baby's backside.
The wife did mumble something in the morning about my being a bit off kilter, but who listens.

While I am rambling away, I might mention that I just called up and reserved this summer's wilderness permits today...two Yosemite trips scheduled so far:
July 8...Tuolumne - up Lyell to Donahue and then ?- 10-days solo - intend to visit Catherine, Marie, and 1000 Island, and whatever else pops up along the way.
July 19th, Mono Meadows to Ottoway/ Reds Peak and then, another stab at Obelisk - just another 10-day solo adventure. I smell another tale somewhere here.
Hike safe and dream big,
Mark

markskor wrote:While I am rambling away, I might mention that I just called up and reserved this summer's wilderness permits today...two Yosemite trips scheduled so far:
July 8...Tuolumne - up Lyell to Donahue and then ?- 10-days solo - intend to visit Catherine, Marie, and 1000 Island, and whatever else pops up along the way.

Hmmm... so how're we going to find you as we navigate the JMT south from Tuolumne after starting from the valley on the 10th? Sounds like you might be in the 1000-Island Lake area? Shall we all wear white carnations on our shoulder straps?

-B²

B²-
Yup, that will do it...well, maybe you should sport a red boa too ...might help.

Arranged my first trip with you in mind actually. Thought I would meet you at 1000 Island or somewhere along that stretch, do some fishing, and swap a few lies. I was planning to/could stay a few days in the Valley before too; (Yosemite has free watercolor classes daily - world famous artists... intending to take a few classes and hang in the Valley), so I thought we might/could cross paths when you first get there - pre-trip. When do you get there exactly? The last time, you mentioned that your plans are still up in the air arrival-wise, and I am flexible as to trip dates, but wanted to have a fallback permit, just in case.
Plan on hooking up in Valley Backpacker Camp, (or do you have a real campground reservation?) and figure the rest out later. BTW, I am not walking up from Happy Isles with a loaded pack...not the first hike of the season anyway.
You can tell me all about it though, on the high trail, a few days later.
Stay in touch,
Mark

Hi Hetchy

I've had the Antelope MF for ever and bought the Ultralight back when it was
introduced and have not looked at another bag since.
I too love this bag!

How much more comfortable/large is the Alpinlite over the Ultralite? I'm looking to upgrade my bag for this summer and recently tried a Marmot Helium, which on paper appears pretty well sized, but it felt like I was put into a glove. I'm 6'2" and about 190lbs and the long sized Helium felt too tight.

The bag I am using now is an old The North Face Superlight - about 3lbs 6oz, and rated for about 5 degrees. Plenty warm for the coldest nights I've experienced in the Sierras, very durable, roomy, nice long zipper. The drawback is the weight and the large pack volume. I'm hoping to shave off one pound at least, but I don't want a bag that's as tight as the Marmot I tried.

Here's the thing - Marmot claims the Helium has a shoulder girth of 64" - how do they measure that? My old TNF bag measures 29" across the widest part, maybe 30" - doubled it would mean a 60" girth? How can the much tighter Helium be 64"? Compare that to the WM bags - Ultralite is a 59" and Alpinlite is rated 64". Given I have no idea how these numbers translate to real space, can somebody give me some personal comparison experience with these bags?

Theoretically, the Ultralite should fit me fine, given my TNF measures about the same width. Is Marmot just inflating numbers? Or was my test bag a "special edition" super light version (it had the silly short zipper and unusual 900 fill down, which I can't seem to match up with any offering online to get exact specs for that model). Bascially, I'd rather buy the WM Ultralite which on paper matches the TNF bag in size. There's no place where I live that carries these bags, so I have to buy online untried.

The third bag I am looking at is a rare Valandre Mirage 3/4 zip - anyone have personal experience with that bag in the Sierras? Apart from the 3/4 zipper which may be less than what I like for ventilation, the bag gets extremely good reviews. It is at the top end of my price range, though, and it better be superb at that price. It sure is the lightest of the bunch.

Fourth bag in the running is REI sub Kilo (or the new model that replaced it) - tight, snug, but it is very light. Not that well made, but it can be had for much less, especially with the 20% off coupon and divident from last year's REI buying spree... My son has this bag and it worked very well for him last summer.

back to my morning coffee (hey - I hear Starbucks is rolling out a really good instant coffee... heard about it on another ultralite hiker forum)

How much more comfortable/large is the Alpenlite over the Ultralite?

…Just enough to make a difference when camped above 12,000 in June.

I'm looking to upgrade my bag for this summer and recently tried a Marmot Helium, which on paper appears pretty well sized, but it felt like I was put into a glove. I'm 6'2" and about 190lbs and the long sized Helium felt too tight.

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

Theoretically, the Ultralite should fit me fine, given my TNF measures about the same width. Is Marmot just inflating numbers?

(Ya think?)

Or was my test bag a "special edition" super light version (it had the silly short zipper and unusual 900 fill down, which I can't seem to match up with any offering online to get exact specs for that model). Basically, I'd rather buy the WM Ultralite which on paper matches the TNF bag in size. There's no place where I live that carries these bags, so I have to buy online untried.

I would go with the WM Alpenlite…IMHO – you won’t be sorry – sight unseen.

The third bag I am looking at is a rare Valandre Mirage 3/4 zip - anyone have personal experience with that bag in the Sierras? Apart from the 3/4 zipper which may be less than what I like for ventilation, the bag gets extremely good reviews. It is at the top end of my price range, though, and it better be superb at that price. It sure is the lightest of the bunch.

God, I hate anything that does not have a full zipper…just limits the bag’s use in any warmer weather.

Fourth bag in the running is REI sub Kilo (or the new model that replaced it) - tight, snug, but it is very light.

POS bag – Good for summer only…also too tight/not warm enough…you want a great bag that will last forever…never have to buy another bag again.

Always buy the best – never compromise…you will always regret if buying a lesser bag.
(What will you save …$50?)
Mark

This was a timely thread. I bought all 4 of my bags in the 80's/90's. They were selected for different purposes. I tend to go either early season or late season. I'm not a skeeter fan. I'm 6' 3" at 210lbs. My bags are becoming a little tight, but i'd like a recommendation for a 10-15 degree bag with room.

The WM discussion seems like there might be a recommendation you all could make based on your experience. This would probably cut my weight a bit for trips. I swear by a full zipper as well. Is there a good source from which to purchase WM?

Russ