Hi jags!
I found myself in the same dilemma, needing a winter bag to stay warm as I cross often-snowy mountain passes on my way to the high desert in shoulder seasons...and not wanting to carry much weight or bulk ("much" and "weight" being relative terms when talking about a winter bag).
Like Pete said..."Warm, compact, cheap - choose any
two".
But...I found a way to cheat.
If a fellow isn't too large and will still fit inside...give some very serious thought to buying a sleeping bag designed for women.
I did just that, and have been happy as can be. In warm or hot weather, I spread it as a quilt. On torrid nights, I leave the bag stuffed and sleep in my silk liner, using various combinations of clothing, all on a really good, warm (and heavy) pad. This is the only overall strategy I have found that will consistently handle day/night temperature variations of 80F/27C and trip variations of approaching 100F/38C that include the coldest nights in the mountain passes and the hottest afternoons in the desert, all in one trip.
I bought an REI women's Halo bag, size Long, which fits me at 5'11'/180cm and 172lb/78kg like it was custom-made. Not cramped, but no excess empty space to have to heat up. This thing is efficient by shape alone, but it gets better. For it's weight and stuffed bulk, it is warmer (carries a lower-limit EN rating of +1F/-17C, which so far has been pretty accurate, given other factors like a decent pad or two and the still air of a shelter) than the equivalent men's bag, and has added fill (in my case 90/10, 750+ goose down) in the head and feet, right where I also get cold. If I keep those places warmer, I feel warmer overall. Mine weighs in right at 3lbs/1.36kg, which is decent for the warmth. The Halo is no longer made, but the Mountain Hardwear Phantom series is close. See:
http://www.rei.com/product/795986/mountain-hardwear-phantom-0-sleeping-bag Velandre (
http://www.valandre.com/eng/Sleeping_Bags_and_Outerwear/sleeping_bags/bloodymary.html ) also make good bags, but they're roomy 'cos they're designed for wearing extra clothing inside. If you're spending that sort of money, also look at Feathered Friends in Seattle (
http://www.featheredfriends.com/ ), Salewa, Mammut, Sea to Summit, MontBell, RAB, Western Mountaineering, and others in that class. I don't think it would ever get cold enough in Ireland to need most of these, but you would surely be warm, and some people "sleep cold" and need more insulation to stay warm where others get by with the equivalent of a bedsheet. Metabolisms differ!
Here is my published (self-submitted rather than under contract, so I can share it) review for the women's Halo I bought. When I test gear for manufacturers, my evaluations start something like this, with additional quantification of my observations and then supplemented with photos and data from digital temperature loggers placed at various points in the bag, correlated with time and body temperature as well as ambient temperature readings, wind-speed, and wet-bulb hygrometer readings for humidity. Though the REI Halo bag is no longer available, this bare-bones published review might give you some things to keep in mind:
I made a decision — as a man — to buy the REI women's long Halo +10 bag. Why? I am a solo adventure cyclist who takes trips through alpine passes to high-altitude "cold" deserts like the Great Basin during shoulder seasons, and it is common to experience temps in the single digits (F) at night and find it well over 100F by day's end. Because of this, I needed a good, warm, cold-weather bag that was as light as possible and easy on the budget while packing reasonably small.The REI Women's Long Halo +10 fits my 5'11?, 165lb. frame perfectly, and I appreciate the extra warmth included in the hood and foot areas compared to the men's version, which is not nearly as warm (the men's Halo +10 is EN 13537 rated at +12F for the men's lower limit, while the women's +10 is rated at +1F for men).
I am a fit 50 and not overweight, so the 58?/58? shoulder/hip dimensions make for a tight, straight column and practical performance fit I can heat without feeling cramped. The men's was wider than I wanted to heat at the shoulders (59?) and tighter in the hips (55?), which inhibited easy turnover in the bag when wearing extra layers.
My bag may not be typical, but measures out repeatedly at 4.5? of top loft and 3.75? of bottom loft after fluffing and sitting for an hour after it has been removed from the included stuff sack. The baffles on mine vary in width from a tight 5? to an even tighter 4.5?, and are corner-blocked to prevent the down shifting that can occur with continuous baffles -- the bag has a distinct top, bottom, and sides and the down cannot shift between them. While I cannot deliberately shift down for greater temperature range as in a continuous-baffle bag, I gain by having a warm back when turning with the bag and no cold spots on top in the really cold nights I commonly encounter, even in mid-June. The bag drapes well and edge-seals nicely for use as a quilt in warmer weather and is comfortable as a quilt on 62F nights, making it effectively as useful as if I could shift the down. Tip: The hood drawstrings can be pulled slightly to shape the bag for a draft-free closure around the neck when using it as a quilt.
The combination of 750-fill, 90/10 down/feather content and a thin shell means the bag breathes well and doesn't feel clammy or wet-out inside like some of my other down bags. I commonly wear only a short-sleeved wicking top and shorts or thin tights with CoolMax quarter-socks and a thin balaclava, the zipper open at the foot and the hood and chest collar open in 26-degree weather on exposed ground with no tent atop a ground cloth and 1.5" self-inflating mattress. Rigged like that, I am dry inside and cozily, comfortably warm without chilling or overheating.
Best of all, it weighs in at 3.0 pounds exactly on my precision scale, and the cost made it a tremendous value in a light cold-weather bag. Compared to my cheaper Marmot Never Summer 0F bag, the Halo has 750-fill down (vs. 600-fill), with a 90/10 down cluster/feather ratio (vs. 80/20) and has a much thinner shell and weighs 9.25oz. less for the same amount of fill (31oz). To match the Women's Halo +10?s male EN rating/weight in a Marmot bag would require a Lithium 0 or a Mountain Hardwear Phantom 0. Both of those bags cost considerably more than the Halo +10 and neither of those bags have corner-blocked baffles like the REI, but weigh about 2-3 ounces less. REI's designers put a lot of thought into producing a bag that doesn't miss a trick to keep you as warm as possible for minimum weight and price:
1) Minimum 90% down content, according to the attached consumer tag.
2) Minimum 750-fill down, according to the attached consumer tag.
3) Corner-blocks to minimize down shift by further compartmentalizing down to top, bottom, and sides.
4) Each baffle gets optimum fill/weight.
5) "Performance" fit (narrow but still comfortable; straight taper at 58"/58" compared to the more common 62"/58" at shoulders/hips).
6) Narrow foot section for warmth, yet generous height for larger feet.
7) Narrower baffle spacing minimizes down shift and cold spots. Mine varies from 4.5" to 5"; many quality down bags use a wider 5.5".
8 ) Offset baffle ends prevent down shift.
9) Overfilled chest collar that passively deploys in two stages (top- or top and bottom flipped up) or actively with a drawstring and hook/loop tape. The hooked part of the tape can be folded over to prevent clothing snags, yay!
10) Overfilled perimeter around hood makes for a tight and comfortable seal and nicely pads the hood drawstring.
11) Stronger elastic lower hood and chest collar cords to ensure sealing; flat nylon tape for upper hood. Non-captive cordlock makes releases quick and easy.
12) Ultra-thin shell and lining allows full down lofting with minimum weight and feels wonderful to bare skin.
13) Durable Water Repellent (DWR) finish effectively repelled spilled water, dewfall, and accumulated surface ice in my use; bag stayed dry inside and dried quickly.
14) Outside vertical stash pocket with sturdy lining located on side panel minimizes down compression when full.
15) Two-way zipper for ventilation with separate insulated triangular over-baffle at foot-end of zip.
16) Effective, oversized zipper baffle with generous anti-snag guards of stiff nylon tape sewn to facing interior sides.
17) A true ground-level zipper that lies under the bag, preventing drafts and allowing for a good seal at the zipper baffle. Mine works snag-free so long as I pull the zipper parallel to the zipper tape. Pull at any other angle, and it will stop short, simulating a snag. If you use a finger as a plow, the zipper will never snag the thin outer shell.
18) Retractable zipper "garage" at the top to protect cheek from cold zipper pull.
19) Sleeping pad strap attachment loops to keep you on your pad at night. Unlike other bags, these are sized and located in a way that allows smooth zip operation when the straps are attached to a 20" wide pad.
The bag does not have a glow-in-dark zipper pull, chemical heat-pack pocket in the foot, or inside tabs to attach a liner. I have not missed these features. It might have been nice to have an inside stash pocket to warm batteries, but the outside pocket works fine or I can put batteries in a sock inside the bag with me. The bag comes with a large cotton storage sack and a plain, heavy nylon stuff sack that is a bit larger than it needs to be at 9"x20" stuffed, but won't overly-compress the down. A compression sack is not included. If I sound enthusiastic about this bag it is because I am. I went through a number of bags looking for the right one for my needs before stumbling on the idea of looking at a women's bag with an appropriate male EN lower limit. As a bonus, I get extra insulation in places where I, too, tend to get cold. The only drawback is the women's long Halo +10 is only available in a right zip. In the last 20 years, there has been a move toward left-zips in both bags and tents and left-zips are convenient if you are right-handed. REI advises me there are no plans to produce the women's long Halo +10 in a left-zip, so I guess I will have to continue to pile into it from the wrong side when entering my left-doored solo tent. Ah, well…a small price to pay when 'most everything on the bag — including the zipper! — is "right".
Look also at construction, jags, and decide if your needs are better met by open baffles or closed ones or closed with side-blocks. Open baffles mean you can "chase" the down around and rearrange it to where it will do the most good and allows one to adjust the temperature rating to a degree. Unfortunately, open baffles also allow down to migrate on its own, and you can get cold spots in the night when pokey thinks like your elbow punch through the down to let the cold in. I chose closed baffles with side-blocks, since this bag has to work in cold weather; it keeps the down in place on the top, the sides, and the bottom without letting it migrate between. Either construction is good, it just depends on preference and application.
And, some bags differ in fill by example. The fill machines are computer-controlled by apparent volume, but if the down hopper happens to run dry or there is clumping due to humidity the baffles fill with more air than down. If a person could choose, the ideal bag is one that was filled when the down hopper is about 90% full. That way, each baffle gets its fill. I've seen some really well-regarded bags recently that had *no* fill the entire length of some baffles. That's going to make for some mighty cold "stripes" on a sleeper.
You may not need a new bag, jags, if you change how you use yours.
Give the bag 15-45 minutes to loft fully after it is unstuffed. Shake it well and pretend you're giving it CPR. When I reach camp, the first thing I do is put up the tent or lay out my groundcloth (if I'm sleeping open). Then, I unstuff the bag and let it loft while I unload the rest of the bike, start dinner, and do my chores. When I'm ready for bed, the bag is ready also.
If it has a hood, be sure to use it. That often means closing it right down. In real cold, I draw mine almost completely shut well over my eyes and face and center the ping-pong ball sized opening over my mouth. It makes a tremendous difference to your warmth.
Try to eat something when you're in the bag and just before you roll over to sleep (apologies to any dentists who are reading). You will sleep warmer if you take in a shot of food just before nodding off.
Sleep on your side to minimize conductive heat loss through your pad to the cold ground below. The fetal position helps, too, as does sleeping with your hands in the fig-leaf position, between your knees, or stuffed in the opposite armpit. Make sure the zipper opening is down (below you) to minimize convective heat loss up through the zipper.
Toilet (urinate)
just before bedding down. It not only minimizes the need to get up and re-cold, you'll sleep warmer. Some people (not me) bring a bottle to urinate in so they don't have to leave the bag or tent. If you can do some mild calisthenics as well, all the better. Simply waving and windmilling your arms ups your heart rate and you'll go to bed warmer. I usually take a little walk around camp and wave my arms vigorously as I do.
You can take almost any sleeping bag and make it warmer by using a different, denser pad. Pads are getting lighter and roll smaller because manufacturers are making bigger cutouts in the foam. This is fine for warm-weather use, but can get
awfully cold when it is frigid out. I have concluded there is not a (down) sleeping bag made that can make up for a cold pad. If you use a synthetic bag, the fill compresses less under body weight and you can get away with it to a greater degree, but the overall weight remains very close. I settled on the lightest "heavy" pad I could find...a Numo Tuo with dual air chambers. The bottom one-third is solid foam with its own valve. You fill it hard to smooth out rocks and such. The top two-thirds is cross-cored, so cold cannot take a direct route to your backside, and you can adjust it soft for comfort. When temps are around 5F/-15 and I'm on exposed rock in ice or snow with wind, I take
two of these things and stack 'em. They weigh right at 1kg each, but I'm warm and they have the virtue of compacting to a very small cylinder. The other nice thing about this pad is, you can get a puncture in the bottom chamber and still fare okay till morning, 'cos the top chamber will be unaffected.
Be sure to wear a good base-layer in the bag, too. I often go to bed wearing a dry jersey and either my lycra or light wool tights (sometimes both) and a pair of dry socks. When it is really cold, the spare socks go on my hands as mittens. Avoid cotton, and make sure the tent is well-ventilated. It is natural to close it down to try and stay warm, but the build-up of condensation will raise the humidity in the tent, cause condensation, and make you far colder than if the air circulates. The increased humidity wil also reduce the free loft in your bag as the fill absorbs moisture from the wet air.
If you have extra clothing with you and you are still cold at night, wear it! I have gone to bed in really cold places wearing my wool tights covered with my lycra ones, socks on my feet and hands, two jerseys, my nylon-faced wool wind jersey, my fleece jacket, and covering it all with my rain jacket and rain pants
inside the bag and tent. I did that in the YouTube video (
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AISuUrSM74Q ) showing me on the desert floor in Nevada after my tent coating failed in 70mph+ wind-driven rain. In the video, my bag is still pretty wet. Air temperature was 19F-7C, and the ground temp was 15F/-9C. I was warm and happy as could be with everything on inside the bag including the wind jacket. If you carry a space blanket and don't mind sleeping nekkid in it so your clothes won't get soaked, use it as a vapor-barrier liner (VBL); that can help keep a bag's insulation lofting high in sub-zero F temps.
A silk liner adds a measure of warmth, too. I went with the hard-to-find but ideal Cocoon Expedition series after trying a half-dozen others that fell far short of what I needed. The Expedition silk liner has a true hood with adjustable elastic opening and is sized proportionally in length and width to match your sleeping bag. The stuff sack is captive and forms a chest pocket for goodies like your alarm watch or an LED headlight inside...where they are handy and near-zero cold won't affect the batteries.
I also carry and sometimes wear a microfleece balaclava in the bag. It helps to cover your head, especially if you're bald as an egg like me. Think about it -- the coffee won't stay warm if you leave the cap off the Thermos. Works the same for peeps.
Chemical heat-packs help, too. A couple tossed in the foot of the bag or -- far better -- placed in a sock (avoiding burns) on the inside-upper thighs or in your armpits do wonders (close to major arteries and blood flow). Lacking those, if there's any hot water left in the kettle from the evening tea, pour it in a water bottle that is securely capped and take it to bed with you. That hot water bottle really takes the initial chill off the bag and give you a jump-start on warming the bag's interior.
Hope this helps.
All the best,
Dan.
