Gear Review - Sleeping Bag

Well you have to sleep if you are going to stay out all night. The review I am doing today is for 0 F sleeping bags, that I end up using for my hikes. I will walk you through the mistakes I made before I chose the right sleeping  bag.

I will try to bust some myths and also talk about sleeping bag liners and when I use them. Further before we get into the details, I will call out you are better with a mummy shape bag for the kind of hiking I do where it gets quire cold.

Synth vs Down

I guess we can agree without debate you need a sleeping bag on your hike, blankets are not practical.

So the debate is between Synthetic and Down. However before I go there I want to close the topic of half sleeping bags the ones that come up-to waste-line  and expect you to wear your jacket while you sleep. Just stay away from them they are not comfy and you need a warm night sleep.

Back to down vs Synth. The argument for down is that it is lighter while the one for synth is that it is waterproof. When we will talk about jackets I will be in favor of Synth, but as far as sleeping bags are concerned we need to understand that any bag if wet will be miserable so you are better off using a down bag. Down bags has a layer of waterproof fabric on them so they are not so bad further you may put them in a compression sack and a garbage bag to make them waterproof.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBcMBrTnmUo

I have tried both Synth and Down and have not found problems with there performance however down is much-much lighter and easier to pack as it compresses much more. Having said that, this is not a good reason to pack down to a small size, you will destroy it. The way I do things is I pack it in the bottom of my pack and let the weight of other goods compress it as required.

How to store a sleeping bag

In India we use boxed beds which means inside your bed is a large storage compartment and my sleeping bag lays there protected from elements without any compression on it. This extends the life of the bag. Many people store there bags in a large plastic bags under there beds.

How to pack a Sleeping bag

To pack a sleeping you... well lets just see how to do it.

How to wash a Sleeping bag

There are a bunch fo ways to clean your bag, I prefer to wash a bag with a sponge manually.

However I prefer to use liners with my bags as they give extra warmth (silk ones) and keep the bag clean. I own both cotton and Silk liners

Which ones have I used

I will conclude this debate with the sleeping bags and liners I have used along with my final tally.

I have used the Cosmic Kelty 0F Synthetic and the Mountain Hardware Phantom 0F down. Both have performed great. However I am partial towards the MH 0F because it is the lightest bag in the world.

I have used the Cacoon Silk Mummy liner if I do not need extra warmth (they add around an extra 5 degrees) or the Cacoon cotton travel sheet 

Parting though

I am partial towards my MH Phantom primerily do to weight savings I get. I also carry with me a liner when needed.  I want to try one of the -40 F bags like the Northface Inferno when I get a chance.