Climashield XP or Down Bag?

[ccathcart72]

I found a sale on some sleeping bags and wanted to know what people's thoughts are on Climashield XP vs. Down insulation. Here are the specs for each bag.

Synthetic Bag Down Bag
Temp Rating ---- 20 Degrees (F) 20 Degrees (F)
Insulation ------ 26oz Climashield XP 23oz 600 Fill Power Down
Weight --------- 2 lb 13 oz 2 lb 14 oz
Pack Size ------ 9" x 15.5" 8" x 15"
Original Price --- $164.99 $209.99
Sale Price ------ $52.49 $70.49
Shipping ------- Free Free


Let me know your thoughts

Thanks,
Chris

[Bradley]

If those #'s are right
looks like Climashield XP is the winner in my book

PS. besides; synth will not compress as much and the insul. value under you should be greater
I am thinking

[bigbamaguy]

At those prices I would go with the Climashield XP bag. It will serve you well and packs practically as small plus you save twenty bucks in the process!!!!!!

[Knotty]

Both look like good choices. I'm impressed that the climashield compresses almost as small as the down bag. So the question becomes one of insulation philosophy. The long life of down vs. synthetics handling wetness better.

[inspectorguy]

I just want to know where you can buy bags for that price. : )

[ccathcart72]

Thanks for the quick reply folks. I was leaning toward the Climashield bag but wanted to know what others thought.

Knotty,
I also wondered about the compression of the Climashield vs. the Down. I always thought that Down was far superior to synthetics when it came to compressibility, but the web site info shows only 1" difference in the diameter and 0.5" in the length.

[pgibson]

XP is a great version of Climashield and will compress very well, if the down bag was 800 or 900 fill then there would be a bigger difference in pack size and in weight. XP versus 600 fill I would pick the XP. I love the quilts we have made from it.

[Bradley]

XP is a great version of Climashield and will compress very well, .

But isn't the XP a little stiffer that the normal Climashield
more for clothing and the like ? ? ?
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[Dylan]

At what temp ranges do you plan to use the bag? If you want to use it into warmer temps (40s, 50s and 60s), the down might be more comfortable/forgiving than a synthetic. Just a guess since I've never slept with Climashield XP. I just know that I tend to overheat more with my synthetic (other-than Climashield) bag in warmer temps.

Higher FP down bags compress better because less down is needed, so less to compress. I have a 600 FP jacket, and it does not compress very well.

[pgibson]

But isn't the XP a little stiffer that the normal Climashield
more for clothing and the like ? ? ?
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It depends on the weight of it some (and I am not sure 100% why) But the 2.5 XP is fairly stiff and coarse to the touch, still warm for the weight. But the 5 oz XP is very soft and plush, and very very warm. The HL that I am getting most of the time is changing to be more like XP but at a little greater loft. The 5 oz would be a bit much for any clothing applications so that is probably where the 2.5 gets the XP a reputation of for being better for that.