Sleeping bags

[trail blazer]

I don't know if taiga quality changed or not over the years but myself and three friends bought ours more than 20 years ago and still using them, lots of backpacking also. Not a single problem and very warm. don't know how anything could be much better. My son just bought one so I guess we will find out about the quality of them now.

[AgSilver]

I'm about to experiment with an Enlightened Equipment -10F quilt (but, because we're not backpacking, I'm going to take a WM or Nemo bag as a backup). I have a WM Terralite (-4C) that is awesome if you're a side sleeper. Went on a trip last year and lent that to my step-dad and I used the Nemo Riff -9C. This thing is phenomenal....I can sleep on my side and have my lower arm under my head and up into the hood while still staying warm. It may be the holy grail of bags for my weird sleeping habits.

Paired with my new MEC Reactor 10 sleeping pad...I might as well be in my king size bed at home!

[SaintSix]

My first bag for back packing was a mountain hardwear Ratio, which I believe is a -7. The temp rating was fine for the mountains in sept even dropped down to -10 and the water in my nalgene froze. I had a fleece shirt, long johns and a balaclava on and I was cold but still able to get some sleep. If you can sleep in a mummy still it’s a good bag. But I’m a side sleeper so I wasn’t very comfortable. This year I bought the WM Terralite and it’s a -4 rating. I can sleep easy in the prone position with one arm up but I find you want to wear a balaclava because the hood opening is a fair bit larger. But I’m definitely better rested and wake up less. As for temp rating I’d aim to get something around -10. My -4 works but I also carry a high quality down hooded puffy I can wear inside it if the temp drops to much.

[twoSevenO]

Has anyone used a Marmot helium (-9) or Phase 20 (-7) bags?

I'm curious how they hold up since they fall in the lightweight category and the material they are made from does seem rather delicate.

It might be time to retire my aging Mountain Hardwear Spectre SL bag for next years alpine opener for something a bit lighter and more packable.

[AgSilver]

So I tried out the EE quilt this past weekend and only used it the first night and switched to my bag for the next night...I'd forgotten the straps to attach the quilt under the pad, so it slid around and off of me more than my thrashy sleep patterns enjoyed.

Slept better in my Teton Celcius XXL the second night. Funny how, in those conditions (admittedly, not backpacking, so not entirely germane), my $60 CAD bag was better than my $540 USD quilt. I can think of many scenarios where that wouldn't be the same, but in these circumstances...I slept much better in the bag. But neither as well as when I had my nemo.

A decent tip to improve the temp rating of any bag is a liner. I've used the Teton cheapy liner from Amazon a couple of times and it's okay but apparently the silk ones are quite light so may be good in colder conditions.

[twoSevenO]

MEC sells fleece bag liners for $50. I have one. That thing must take your -7 bag down to -20 ... crazy warm. Wouldn't wanna pack it though.

[Arctic Lake]

I have a Taiga down bag Semi Rectangular if I remember right. Gortex on the outer fabric . Mummy bags are just too restrictive for me .It's probably 30 years old, washed it a few times and it's held up just fine . It's probably not classed as real backpacking bag though . Not sure if Taiga still makes a good bag or not but my old has treated me real good ! .
Arctic Lake

[Biggestfish]

Sleeping on therm-a-rest pad will really help you stay warm. When it is really cold I even place a cheap old blue foamy matt under the therm-a-rest.

[mod7rem]

Has anyone used a Marmot helium (-9) or Phase 20 (-7) bags?

I'm curious how they hold up since they fall in the lightweight category and the material they are made from does seem rather delicate.

It might be time to retire my aging Mountain Hardwear Spectre SL bag for next years alpine opener for something a bit lighter and more packable.

ive been using a Marmot Helium every year for around 10 years on all my sheep and goat backpack trips. It has a 3/4 length zipper and I haven’t had any problems with it at all. I don’t use it on any trips other than backpack and always store it lofted so hopefully it will last a long time. I have other bags for when weight isn’t a concern. I’ve never used a WM or Valandre so I can’t compare.

[g2mike]

Don't overlook MEC bags. They make some pretty decent ones for a very reasonable price compared to WM or other top of the line brands. Especially if you're going to try out back pack hunting and don't want to fully commit.
I've had a -2 mec bag for over a decade now. It's nearing the end of it's life but has seen many, many trips all year round. For winter stuff a sleeping bag liner will boost the temp rating by a few degrees.

Agreed on the MEC bags. They get overlooked but you get alot of bag for the money.

I've been running a Mec Draco -9C bag this year and have slept in it in just underwear with no baselayer down to about -4 comfortably. and with a baselayer on, im actually too warm at 0*C. I was sceptical on it enough to pack extra stuff to throw on if I got cold, but Im very confident in it to at least -5 or colder now. It doesn't have great specs on paper being 650 fill duck down, but it performs fantastic, regardless of its price point. Im 6' tall and got the Long, and it is wide enough that I can just about sleep on my side with knees bent 90*, it also has a long wide version available.

A friend of mine has a Mec Talon -10 800 fill goose down bag that hes used a ton down to -10* and swears by it. For under $400, you probably wont get a better bag unless you spend $650+ from a 'name' brand company