Sleeping bag question!

[sprout]

Definitely, I am probably going to have someone back home hang onto it for me so I can swap when winter hits again.
I think I found something I can settle with off of Amazon. This time of year I can't imagine I am going to need anything rated lower than 20F, especially since we are staying pretty far south until April.

 

[GutterGrayse]

I had an excellent Eureka! bag, 15+ degrees, which is all I needed, and I paid 70 dollars for it 'cause it was on sale. I just check for sales in each town and usually find some pretty good stuff.

 

[beermilkshake]

So, I've never had a good sleeping bag. They've always come from thrift shops and aren't particularly warm, don't have particularly, what you would call functional zippers and are generally all around crap. I am thinking about changing this, but have a couple questions about those 80-100 dollar bags before i off and go waste money on something I don't want.
So here's the issue: I see all these bags that are supposedly able to keep you warm in i duno, lets say negative 20 degree weather. What does this mean if its like 70 degrees? Will you be boiling in a bag that is that insulated? I just want to know if a really cold enduring sleeping bag will still be bearable in warmer weather. Thanks ya'll!

Yeah Im sure if you used a zero degree bag in 70 degree weather it would be hot. Sleeping bags are usually good to ten or 15 degrees plus their rating. So a 15 degree bag is more like a 25 or 30 degree bag. I have a 20 degree north face bag that I scammed from dicks sporting goods for cheap. Its about 3 pounds, synthetic (down is too fragile for me but is much warmer) and packs down fairly small (like one and a half footballs), but not as much as down. If its hot just use your bag as a blanket or sleep on top of it.

Think about when you travel, if its three seasons get a 20 or 15 degree bag. When its cold use a sleeping pad and hand warmers or something. But if you travel in winter get something warmer

 

[Ivy]

What about those reflective space blanket things? Would it be possible to wrap up in one of those in a lighter sleeping bag (40F for example) and still stay warm?

 

[connerR]

Please do! What did you get it for? A quick google makes them seem to go for pretty steep..
Are sleeping bag degree ratings in fahrenheit unless otherwise noted? Or if their a US product?
Online, it says my "zero degree bag" will keep you comfortable as low as 15o F.
Is this rating system not as simple as I thought it was or is that just a flaw on the site?

Well, I was never anywhere outrageously cold on my last trip, and when I was, I was inside. But all in all, I think the liner was awesome. I felt noticeably warmer than I did last summer in my sleeping bag. The liner is in a mummy shape, so it fits well, and you can cinch it up around the head, too.

It's tremendously light and easy to put away. While waiting in Portland for a train, I crawled inside of it and while it was cold, I feel that the liner managed to keep away most of the cold air by itself. I wound up falling asleep at one point. And due to it's size and weight, it's only a few seconds to put away. I think it's a lot better than waking up to your train rolling by and (for me at least) getting out, shoving it into the compression sack, putting it back into the pack, etc.

Another thing I like about it is that when it's bundled up in the stuff sack, it makes a nice little pillow.

It's expensive, as I said, but if you have the money, I suggest looking into it. I think with a foam pad, I wouldn't have had a single bad night of sleep.

 

[fordlover58401]

I go to old boy scout stores and pick up cheep cold weather military sleeping bags in great conditions!

 

[ruther]

I would recommend getting a sleeping bag that would be a little cold for the coldest nights you'll have. That way, you can just layer up in those colder nights, but when it's hot outside, you could just leave the bag unzipped or strip down to your skivvies.

 

[Myechtatel]

if you've got a "homebase" or a friends house you can leave a sleeping bag at, the best thing to do is get a 40 degree bag for the summer. I have a sleepcell bag which has vents on both sides that unzip. it's rated is only good to around 50 til you gotta start putting pants and a shirt on. it's not quite a mummy bag either, it's got more room which i like but only weighs about a pound. i got it for $30 from some sporting goods store in Athens, GA. i couldn't ask for a better 3 season bag but my point is that you should have a 3 season bag and then a winter bag. After sleeping in 15 degree weather(in north florida mind you) i decided i need a winter bag next winter. 0-20 degrees is good unless you plan on being up north for the winter(but why the hell would you do that?!). i'm gonna get a Eureka Casper 15 degree bag. it's less than 3 pounds, and around $70! you're not really gonna find a winter bag under 2-3 pounds unless you really want to pay top dollar for it so 70 bucks for a 3 pound 15 degree bag is a sweet deal.

 

[Myechtatel]

oh and as with all military gear... heavy and uncomfortable. dish out a couple extra bucks and go with hiking brands. not trying to sound pretentious, i've just had nothing but bad experiences with military gear. and reasonably speaking, it's just not designed for comfort.