Some good quality advice from da peeps here!Snow_Dog_frassati wrote: ↑Thu Sep 15, 2022 10:10 pm Somehow I don't feel like I've seen a lot of threads on winter camping here but maybe I just haven't been around long enough.
What do y'all think is an appropriate sleeping bag temperature rating for Colorado? I'm considering a Western Mountaineering 5° bag as an in-between for my -25 and my 20°. I have had fantastic experiences with westie as far as warmth and build quality but I'm curious what others use
Right now the plan for my core gear items is a Black Diamond/Bibler Eldorado tent, the Westie and a 50L touring pack from Mammut. I'll primarily be doing overnight ski tours.
Personally, when I'm considering winter gear, with sleeping bags, there's only two things I pay attention to: fill rating and temperature rating. Anything else imo is just static.
Higher quality down can capture more air pockets and hold onto it longer creating a more enveloped cocoon of warm air. Lesser down-rated bags (550+) won't perform as better as 850+ rated.
Down is rated by measuring its 'loft' in a tube. So a lower rated REI piece at 600 will fill 600 cubic inches of 'loft' in the tube for every cubic inch down cluster. A more expensive option from Mont Bell or
Western Mountaineering at 950, using the same down clusters, will fill 950 cubic inches. On the microscopic level, the down feathers branch out more with more branches being able to interlock and interlace
providing a greater ability to trap those miniscule air pockets.
Having said that, buying a 800+ rated bag from say Columbia vs. Feathered Friends or Mont Bell, I'm spending the extra money & buying FF or such. Down-rating aside, when comparing different brands (well or top-shelf
), you'repaying for better construction, better stitching and more intelligent baffling (which is the third important thing you should pay attention to).
AND, in Colorado, most of the time, a super low-rated bag like -20° is going to be overkill. Granted it gets cold here, but it's not the norm.
If you're an average cold-weather sleeper like most folks, buying a 5° bag with wearing light, night time sleeping apparel will be enough. I use a WM Kodiak bag for the cold nights and an old MH Phantom 32° for the other times.
And of course, don't skimp on that pad. You can lose as much as 60% of your body heat to the ground if your pad isn't insulated enough/proper thickness/material.
Tent.....That's another topic. But in general for winter tents, the Cliff Notes I use for shopping is: Denir value, Ripstop and # of poles. Anything else like: thread count, coatings, internal features, vestibules etc. are fluff.
While they can sway me on deciding between 2-3 similar tents, they're not what I base my decision on. I base my decisions on worst case scenario, not creature comforts or bells/whistles.
I use a Nemo Chogori for winter camping.
