Sleeping bag recommendation

[Snake Eater]

I have eight Webelos who will be crossing over in a year. I'm telling them to ask for a good 20-degree bag for birthday/xmas before they become scouts. The troop that they will be going to camps at least 11 times per year.

 

Can any of you recommend a bag that costs less than $100, $100-$200?

 

Should the boys get a boy-sized bag?

 

Should it be a mummy type bag?

 

 

[EagleInKY]

Snake Eater - I'm going to challenge your assumption just a little. You're a few miles south of us, so I assume you're also a few degrees warmer. We normally go camping 10 times a year. Of those, probably 3 of them require a sub-40 degree bag. In those cases, you can double-up your sleeping bag or add a fleece liner and stay relatively comfortable.

 

So, what I encourage scouts to do is first get a lightweight comfortable summer bag, and then consider a winter bag for a Christmas or birthday down the road. They'll get much more good out of it.

 

For a 40 degree bag, I love my Slumberjack Quest. You can usually find it online in the $40-$45 dollar range. It's lightweight (2 lbs 12 oz.) and compresses into a very small space. If the nighttime temps get down in the 40s, I'll add a sheet or fleece throw and be cozy.

 

As for a cold weather bag, you want a mummy style. This leads to another reason for holding off on buying it. The boy's eventual height will determine what size bag you want to get him. If he ends up 6 feet or taller, he'll need a taller bag. Unfortunately, a tall bag will do him very little good right now, due to all of the wasted space.

 

For me, I still use my 25 year old North Face Cat's Meow (20 degree, $160). In very cold weather, I'll still throw in a fleece blanket for additional warmth. I haven't shopped for one in a LONG time, so I don't know what's a good value.

[Sir_Scoutalot]

I've purchased a couple of nice bags from Campmor for well under $100. Just christened a new zero degree Slumberjack on this past weekend's campout.

 

I find mummy bags to be too confining and prefer the rectangular bags. In terms of size, a good bag should last awhile. I'd suggest buying an adult size.

 

Hope this helps ...

[packsaddle]

I'm located at nearly the same latitude. 1) get synthetic fiber only, you're going to be wet, possibly a lot. Forget down unless you're going to travel to a much northern location. Better yet, just forget down bags. 2) a 20-degree bag will be miserable in the summer unless they merely sleep ON it and even then it may be too hot.

Unless you plan to do some very serious backpacking, I agree with EagleInKY: get something like the inexpensive Slumberjack design.

Mummy is more important in really cold situations and where you need to cut down on weight. They usually cost a little more as well, depending on construction.

They will grow out of boy-size in a couple of years so unless the troop wants to invest in some communal bags that can be used over generations....consider a full-size bag. More to choose from as well.

As Sir_Scoutalot says, Campmoor is a great source but there are others as well. Shop around. And then have a lot of fun camping.

[Snake Eater]

I made my recommendation thinking that it's easy to sleep on top of a cold weather bag with a light blanket thrown over in warm weather. But it is difficult to keep from being miserable when it is cold and you don't have the right gear. Am I wrong? I'm not an inexperienced camper but most of my camping has been a bit different than the type that scouts do (military, fishing camp, rock climbing)

 

The troop that the boys will most likely join does most of their backpacking when it is cold but they camp all year.

 

 

[KoreaScouter]

North Face makes a pretty good 20 degree bag, full size, mummy style, synthetic, that you can find on sale for under $50. I've got three of them, paid $39 each a few years ago, and they're performing very well.

 

Just like with gas mileage claims, number of people who can sleep in a tent, and how many servings are in a single snickers bar, the temperature ratings of sleeping bags are also a very subjective undertaking. I'm with you, Snake, I'd go for a lower temp rating on the bag; you can always unzip it a little or lay on top of the thing.

 

KS

[packsaddle]

Hey, if it works in Hawaii it works for me. I defer to KoreaScouter. Better yet, I think we all should head out there for some sleeping bag research. Sound good to anyone?

[Snake Eater]

In the military I've slept tentless on the ground during a rain storm on the jungle floor wrapped in a poncho with my uniform and equipment still on. I was warm and only a little wet and slept like a baby. On the other hand I spent miserable nights on the top of bare mountains in Turkey and longed for a warmer bag. Hot good - cold bad.

 

The military issue bags served me well but tend to be heavy and bulky. Having grown up in the South without air conditioning I can handle heat just fine. It's difficult to sleep while you shiver. Most of the boys went out and got poncho liners after they saw mine so I think they'll do fine in warm weather lieing in an unzipped bag with the liner as a blanket.

 

Thanks for the advice. I'm putting your advice together with advice from local scouts to pass on to the parents.

[orennoah]

IMHO, the best source for information on what kind of bags your Webelos should be getting is the Troop into which they plan on entering.

 

Surely the SM will have a very good handle on what criteria are important for way that that Troop camps. For instance, sure the rectangular bag mentioned above is more comfortable, but if the Troop does any serious backpacking in, say, the Sierra Nevadas, it would be way too bulky and heavy, especially for a young Scout. As an example, I posted my Scoutmaster Gear Tips on my Troop website and we hand them out to new Scouts (and their bill-paying parents). You can check it out, if you're interested, at http://www.scouttroop14.org/T14geartips.html'>http://www.scouttroop14.org/T14geartips.html

 

After you get the criteria, shop the internet like a fiend. There are tremendous deals to be had, ONCE you know what you are looking for. Try http://www.rei-outlet.com, http:/www.sierratradingpost.com, http://www.killerdeals.com and http://www.outdoorlet.com. A "froogle" search will give you more places to look.

 

Good luck.

 

- Oren Noah

Scoutmaster

Troop 14

Sebastopol, CA

http://www.scouttroop14.org

 

[KoreaScouter]

Poncho liners are awesome! Plus, they scrunch down to almost nothing when you pack them.

 

Hey Pack: You ought to consider coming to Camp Pupukea for summer camp -- you'd be surprised how many out of council Troops we get. Nothing like earning Oceanography by snorkeling in Shark's Cove on Oahu's North Shore!

 

(Aloha Council Oahu Service Center: 808-595-6366)

 

KS

[orennoah]

KoreaScouter: I've been trying to figure out how to beat the high cost of airfare and bring my Troop to Camp Pupukea, ever since our trip to Oahu around Christmas. A week there, with a day at Pearl Harbor and Waikiki and another day at the Polynesian Cultural Center would be awesome.

 

Have you heard of any price breaks for Scout Troops on travel costs? (We'd be coming from the S.F. Bay Area.)

 

- Oren

[packsaddle]

Do we have to bring the troop?

[anarchist]

Snake Eater,

(by the way they taste like chicken)

 

I like EagleInKy's methodology...most of out boys now have 20 degree bags and nice fleece 'liner' bags...they use the fleece bag for late spring, summer and early fall, (sometimes with a sheet as a topper in sticky heat. the 20 degree bag is fall winter eary spring and the fleece is used to 'pick up an extra 10 degrees' by using the two bags together as a "system" on reallty cold treks...

But if its too hot for the 20 degree bag...leave it home! Take a lighter bag (a sheet or second fleece blacket as needed) and a pad...less bulk!

 

size/style bag? One son likes mummy, one likes rectangle...I like my 20 degree coleman nylon and synthetic rectangle...depends on how warm/cold blooded you are (take less body heat to warm up the mummy bag)and how much you like to move around in your 'bed'. Bought both regular adult (not tall) sizes and it has worked well.

[le Voyageur]

For bargins, I like to shop the web at Sierra Trading Post...

 

For my self, I use three bags to cover all four seasons. A super light weight Hagloff LIM +5 rated around the high 40's, low 50's. And a down bag that works around the 10 to 15 range. In winter the Hagloff is used as a liner letting the down bag handle temps around minus 10 easy....if I'm river running, then the down bag is switched out for the syntheic bag (primaloft) that has the same temp rating as the down.....

[Cutter]

I live in Minnesota and I think the 20 degree recommendation and a mummy style bag makes a lot of sense. I just went through this with my youngest son and spent about $80 on a Slumberjack Ultimate(?)which would fit the criteria. We now have 4 Slumberjacks in the family and they seem to work well. I have a Sierra Design and a North Face that is about 30 years old and still works but is a little heavy compared to current models. I would go with an adult size. The 20 degree models work well here most of the year except for about 8-10 weeks when it can get really cold then you need a second sleeping bag or liner to get you down to -40 or so. In the summer, just open up the bag. Try to keep the weight down to around 3 pounds or so. This makes it good for backpacking. Synthetic filling is the way to go too because it insulates when wet. Keep the washing of them to a minimum since they are only good for maybe 15 washings before the insulation starts to breakdown. Hang them or store in a big bag when not camping never in the stuff sack as this compresses the filling too much.