Sleeping bags..Down vs Synthetic

[Carolinahammockhanger]

:confused:I need a new sleeping bag and I'm new to hammocking. I'm looking for a 40 degree bag for spring/summer/fall use in NC. I've been told while in a hammock down bags will compress more on the bottom and leave me cold while a synthetic bag will not, or at least not as much. I have a thermarest prolite4 and ridgerest. Not sure which of those to use as well. Does anybody use a down sleeping bag w/o underquilt in moderate conditions? What are your experiences? Anybody who has used both a down and synthetic and could give me differences would be ideal. I like the idea of down because I do the ultralite thing, but I would rather be warm. If I should get a synthetic no problem, just wanna know. Thanks in advance. This form site is the best!

[RevoRunner]

I've been through both syn and down bags and have been cold either way. I leave the under-insulation up to my pads not my bag. As a matter of fact, I prefer to use a quilt than a bag.

Because of this, my criteria for a bag purchase was, compressibility, weight and can it unzip to be a quilt. I went with the Western Mountaineering Mitylite (35*)... not sure if it's made anymore. Works pretty good with my prolite4 in and around 40*. YMMV

[Rushthezeppelin]

Ya down or synthetic is still going to compress enough underneath you to possibly make you cold. Not saying it will....there a select few "icemen" here who seem to be able to get sometimes into the 20s without bottom insulation but they seem to be few and far between. I suggest using a pad or investing in a UQ. Also don't worry about synthetic if you have the money to get down. Synthetic bags, especially polyfill, are extremely bulky and will eat up pack space. Only exception I have seen is Primaloft which can be decently pricey stuff (I don't think quite as much as down). I got a primaloft bag at an REI garage sale for cheap the other day though and I have to say I like it. It's almost as light as down. It's packable almost as well as down. I got a 35* bag and I was pleasantly surprised when I took it down to 35* and was still quite toasty. One thing it beats down on is that it looses very little insulating properties when wet where as down becomes almost useless when wet.

[Heber]

:confused:I need a new sleeping bag and I'm new to hammocking. I'm looking for a 40 degree bag for spring/summer/fall use in NC. I've been told while in a hammock down bags will compress more on the bottom and leave me cold while a synthetic bag will not, or at least not as much.

Both type of bags will compress under you and leave you cold. Synthetic is not perceptibly better than down in this regard. That's true on the ground or in a hammock which is one reason ultralighters prefer quilts, even when they sleep on the ground.



I have a thermarest prolite4 and ridgerest. Not sure which of those to use as well. Does anybody use a down sleeping bag w/o underquilt in moderate conditions? What are your experiences? Anybody who has used both a down and synthetic and could give me differences would be ideal. I like the idea of down because I do the ultralite thing, but I would rather be warm. If I should get a synthetic no problem, just wanna know. Thanks in advance. This form site is the best!

I always sleep without an underquilt because I use a pad. Works great. Some people like the feel of the underquilt better.

I think the ridgerest is the better pad for hammocking, at least for the weight. The prolight may have a higher R value but it has a weight penalty associated with the need to be airtight. But the purpose of the air is to make the pad comfortable, not warm. In a hammock you don't need a comfortable pad because there are no rocks or roots under your back.:) IMHO you are better off with closed-cell foam pads in a hammock. You can use more than one when things are very cold.

However both pads are a little narrow for hammocking. You may need a SPE (segmented pad extender). Check them out on speerhammocks.com

[Carolinahammockhanger]

thanks for the info. The majority seem to use ccf pads, guess I will try that. Herber , I see you use a golite poncho for a tarp. How does it work? I alreay have one and love it! Thanks to all the replies! Keep em coming. I seem to be leaning toward sythetic just is case I get wet. I had a bad storm experience where my tent was destroyed to wind any I was wet. Still a little cold in my bag but thank god I wasn't in down. With a 40 degree bag and ccf pad would ya'll think 50-55 degrees should be low as I should go temp wise? In general (and I mean general) would the majority say a hammock takes 15 or so degrees off the rating of your sleeping bag? Thanks again folks!

[lori]

With a 40 degree bag and ccf pad would ya'll think 50-55 degrees should be low as I should go temp wise? In general (and I mean general) would the majority say a hammock takes 15 or so degrees off the rating of your sleeping bag? Thanks again folks!

I slept in 32F with a blue ccf in my hammock and a synthetic RayWay quilt. I suspect the quilt would be good into the mid 20s and the pad was adequate; butt was a tiny bit chilly. It's the thicker egg crate ccf from Walmart, fifteen bucks as I recall. I am a cold sleeper. The quilt was more than warm, it was toasty, and I didn't realize it was freezing until I had to take a pee break. :scared:

[Rushthezeppelin]

The thicker stuff from wally world is only 10 bucks when I got mine. There is a 7 dollar version that is thinner and not as wide.

[Take-a-knee]

I slept in 32F with a blue ccf in my hammock and a synthetic RayWay quilt. I suspect the quilt would be good into the mid 20s and the pad was adequate; butt was a tiny bit chilly. It's the thicker egg crate ccf from Walmart, fifteen bucks as I recall. I am a cold sleeper. The quilt was more than warm, it was toasty, and I didn't realize it was freezing until I had to take a pee break. :scared:

I did about the same with the Rayway Alpine quilt on two 1/4in evazote pads. I was wearing silkweight long johns, zip off pants, an army polypro shirt, and a wool balaclava. A DIY Jardine bomber hat, BPL balaclava, or a JRB hood would push that system lower, IMO.

[plowhorse]

Ya down or synthetic is still going to compress enough underneath you to possibly make you cold. Not saying it will....there a select few "icemen" here who seem to be able to get sometimes into the 20s without bottom insulation but they seem to be few and far between. .

I must be one of these "ice men". my 50 dollar coleman 20 degree bag has served me well into the low teens while snow camping in a tent without a pad under me. actually I was colder with an air mattress. saturday night did my first over night hang in my backyard with same bag and no top or bottom insulation other than the bag. was nice and warm with some polypro bottoms and a lightweight hoodie. that night it got down to 36 with windchill, and bag got damp from dew. I'm not advising this as a regular practice, but like I was told by everyone here experiment a little and find out what works for you. If I had been anywhere but my backyard, I would have used considerably more insulation.

[Rushthezeppelin]

Lucky you....I wish I had that anti-freeze for blood :D Ohhh well I do great in my current setup so I can't really complain but it would be nice to not have to worry about bottom insulation.

[Preacha Man]

When its below freezing, I usually use my 5oz. Climashield XP quilts that my wife made. I always wear my mid-weight thermals and my wool socks to bed, and my windproof fleece with hood and a beanie. I keep very warm with this setup, and have been down to 15*F, sometimes I put my windshield reflector in too. I keep my tarp doors closed too. I really want to go to down, but its a want, I really do not need it for any reason. Climashield compresses well for synthetic, and when my quilt wears out, I will beg for down again :D.

Dwight

[plowhorse]

Lucky you....I wish I had that anti-freeze for blood :D Ohhh well I do great in my current setup so I can't really complain but it would be nice to not have to worry about bottom insulation.

depends what you consider "bottom insulation". I am by no means a small man:lol:

[Rushthezeppelin]

depends what you consider "bottom insulation". I am by no means a small man:lol:

Ahhh that might explain it....I'm like a freaking string bean so I have no "natural" insulation :D

[MacEntyre]

...a select few "icemen" here who seem to be able to get sometimes into the 20s without bottom insulation...
I can't do without bottom insulation, but all I need is a KAQ at 20 degF.

Don't need much for top insulation, although I climb in fully clothed. I have never used anything but an unzipped Speer Frog Sac, which is a light summer bag, and a Wiggy's poncho liner quilt. They kept me cozy to 10 degF, while Ed Speer hung his PPod in the next tree, just shaking his head in wonder... :)

If I were to use any goose feathers at all, I would be more inclined to get an UQ in down, and stick to synthetic for a top quilt. Generate the heat at the bottom, and let it out at the top. :cool:

What I lack for really cold weather is proper boots and clothing. :scared:

[Cannibal]

No iceman here, but I can go pretty cold. I get excited when the temps are zero and below. I am currently in transition from a synthetic UQ solution to a down solution. You can't take my down topquilt away at gunpoint (I point back:glare:), but I've been leery about using it below and outside of the hammock. I, like most, was concerned about it getting wet. However, after several months of really putting it through the ringer, I've discovered I like it outside too! Any small amount of moisture that occasionally gets past my tarp defenses is handled quite easily by the UQ's shell. You can't beat goose goodness! :D

[Yosef]

:confused:I need a new sleeping bag and I'm new to hammocking. I'm looking for a 40 degree bag for spring/summer/fall use in NC. I've been told while in a hammock down bags will compress more on the bottom and leave me cold while a synthetic bag will not, or at least not as much. I have a thermarest prolite4 and ridgerest. Not sure which of those to use as well. Does anybody use a down sleeping bag w/o underquilt in moderate conditions? What are your experiences? Anybody who has used both a down and synthetic and could give me differences would be ideal. I like the idea of down because I do the ultralite thing, but I would rather be warm. If I should get a synthetic no problem, just wanna know. Thanks in advance. This form site is the best!

I had this same debate with myself this winter and I went with a down bag. I haven't gotten it out to the field yet but have had some time to do some back yard testing. I also use a CCF pad but when its not going to be real cold I can make do with just a piece to put under my hips. It sounds like you are a summer hanger and I would think if you want to save the weight you will do just fine with down. Most of my summer trips I don't bring a pad and before this bag I had a 35 degree old cheap synthetic bag.

The reason I chose the bag I did was b/c it was windproof. I tested it in some heavy winds a few weeks ago and it seems to be true but it was a warm night. I am anxious to get it out on the trail and really give it a test.

http://www.rei.com/product/731790

[stretch]

If you are trying to stay lite, you might want to have a look at the Stealth or similiar down quilts that JRB produces.
http://www.jacksrbetter.com/Wearable%20Quilts.htm

[warbonnetguy]

it should also be pointed out that all synthetic insulation is not the same. a coleman synthetic is going to compress much less under you than a high end synthetic which will be alot more compressible. you're not going to get much bottom insulation out of primaloft or climashield wheras you might get a noticeble amount from a coleman-type. but the bulk/weight of the coleman probably makes up for the bulk/weight you save by not having a pad, and i'd say most would still need something else underneath in cold temps even with a really bulky synthetic.

[2Trees]

Have you considered a Speer PeaPod?
http://www.speerhammocks.com/Products/PeaPod.htm
Hurry... Sale ends soon.

A goose down bag that wraps around you, but you don't lay directly on the down. So this retains loft underneath. This concept works very well and keeps me toasty warm in +10*F weather. Add some extra layers of clothing and I find you can get into subzero temps just fine.

Just a thought. Hope this helps.

[NorseAmerican]

I bought a 40degree Mont-Bell super stretch from http://www.backcountrygear.com/sleeping_bag/ultralight_down.cfm
It weighs next to nothing, so amall I did not even try to compress it, and it was only 135.00 on sale. Nice thing about it is it stretches to fit my fatness:lol: I bought a 60in x 6ft Volara foam and cut to 30in carving a bit from head and foot area at angles. Fits in hamock nicle and kept me true to the 40degree comfort mark last weekend(yes it can get sort of cold in FL). The bag I use as a quilt opened up, it worked great.

[Carolinahammockhanger]

Thanks for all the info. Keep it coming. This site has been so helpful!