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Thread: Sleeping bags

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Location
    Port Coquitlam
    Posts
    127

    Sleeping bags

    So looking to get more into pack hunting.. What are you using for a sleeping bag??
    What ratting would your recomend when it comes to temperatures?

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  3. #2
    Join Date
    Jun 2015
    Posts
    7

    Re: Sleeping bags

    Hey Fudge. If you end up really getting into backpack hunting then I imagine you’ll have at least a few sleeping bags. For your first one, it really depends on the time of year and places you are planning to hunt. If it were me, I would probably get something that could take me into mid season and worry about a heavier bag later. The big thing when looking at the temperature rating of a bag is to remember that it’s not based on comfort but keeping you alive. I have a Kifaru Slick bag and love it. I’m perfectly fine a few below zero and could stretch it further if need be. The Kifaru bag is synthetic insulation, which I like because it retains its heat retention capabilities when wet. Down filled bags are lighter but you can get yourself in trouble if they get wet. A down bag would be a better purchase once you have figured out your seystem and have some trips under your belt.

  4. #3
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Posts
    1,676

    Re: Sleeping bags

    All I can say is do not cheap out on a bag. One of the most important pieces. I almost froze two seasons ago haha. Buy once cry once.

    Also keep in mind the bulk and weight of your bag. You will pay more for a warm light and small packed bag. And as said above, remember to look at the comfort level not max temp .

  5. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2016
    Location
    Alert Bay
    Posts
    534

    Re: Sleeping bags

    I use a down bag, kept in a water proof stuff sack. Works from september through to end of november here in Alberta. What type of tent you plan on using will change what bag I'd recommend.

  6. #5
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    Port Alberni
    Posts
    14,047

    Thumbs up Re: Sleeping bags

    Best damn bag I've ever slept in.
    All conditions.
    Packs down to nothing.

    http://www.valandre.com/sleeping-bag...king-blue.html

    Cheers,
    Nog
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVNNhzkJ-UU&feature=related

    Egotistical, Self Centered, Son of a Bitch Killer that Doesn't Play Well With Others.

    Guess he got to Know me

  7. #6
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Location
    Port Coquitlam
    Posts
    127

    Re: Sleeping bags

    I have the hubba bubba

  8. #7
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Location
    Abbotsford, B.C.
    Posts
    3,620

    Re: Sleeping bags

    Buy a 0*F rated Valandre or Western Mountaineering bag and a Borah Gear bivy in eVent plus a light siltarp and you are set for about everything during hunting season.

  9. #8
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Location
    3-20
    Posts
    158

    Re: Sleeping bags

    the advice from others about the insulation when wet or damp is bang on. make sure whatever you buy is suited for conditions if the bag isn’t perfectly dry. I like a bag rated for colder temp because it’s always colder in the mountains. i just got home today from a few nights on the mountain in the central interior and it was below zero at night and this was season opener in my zone. i’d rather unzip to cool off than shiver all night. like others previously posted look at the kifaru, valandre, taiga, and other quality mountaineer brands.

  10. #9
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Location
    Abbotsford, B.C.
    Posts
    3,620

    Re: Sleeping bags

    No offence intended, but, Taiga bags are not even close to Valandre or WM in quality and Kifaru Slick bags have lots of negative reviews on various sites concerned with such issues.

    Yes, I HAVE owned/used gear from all of these and base my opinions on many years experience.

  11. #10
    Join Date
    Aug 2017
    Posts
    63

    Re: Sleeping bags

    Or you can take a slightly different viewpoint - no sleeping bag. I do yearly back pack hunts and gave up on sleeping bags many years ago. Now I just pack an extra layer of clothes that are warm and dry. Put them on before bed, have a fire all ready to go, and curl up and go to sleep. When the cold wakes me up about 2am, I start the fire and it makes me nice and warm and I'm back to sleep in no time. And then the fire is still going when I wake up in the morning. Works well for me for nights down to -10 or so.

    So why the extra clothes instead of a sleeping bag? I was already packing an extra jacket for glassing in the mornings anyways and figured I could just wear it to sleep in. I realized that I wasn't dying from cold during the early mornings so no need to think it would happen at night, especially with a fire. So I tried the no sleeping bag approach and it worked and has stuck.

    As you may have guessed, I also do the no tent thing. Just a tarp and a rope to make a lean to for staying dry. Radiates the fire heat back at me. And it all comes with me when I break camp in the morning so I am not beholden to go back at the end of the day. Wherever I end up is my camp for the night. Plus, if there are bear problems in the night, it is way easier to deal with from a lean to than a tent.

    One other learning - get a good balalcava. Keeps the nose and cheeks warm, which is the first clue to sleeping through the night. Boots off, warm dry socks and you will be fine.

    So take the plunge, give it a whirl. This approach to backpacking gives you way more room to pack the important stuff - like good food, and a mickey of rye!
    "You will never reach your destination if you stop and throw stones at every dog that barks." - Winston Churchill

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