Help me make a decision on bags… please!

I agree, according to my excel spreadsheet and the arbitrary ranking system I created an EE quilt is the best option for me. However, I need a new bag before March 19th and the other bags are only within a few points (arbitrary rankings) away from the EE. Not having the best bag I could of had is not going to hurt my feelings.

I appreciate all the feedback & valuable information you guys have provided. You have really helped make my decision much easier. Thanks!

You've provide me enough prospective and I've come to realize that for all the years prior & for everyone else in my group the $100 – $200 bags have worked perfectly well. I'm the only one in my party that doesn't buy my gear at gander or academy and is even concerned with lightening up. Also, let be real… I'm not a backpacker, much less an ultralight backpacker. I'm a car camper who occasionally backpacks less than 30 miles a year over 3 days. I'm not sure why I was even trying to lighten my gear when the cheap Academy stuff will work great for me for years to come and I'll have plenty of money left over for the 30pack of Keystone we will load into our packs. Since we rarely have room left over to carry trash bags & pack out our trash I kindly ask that you pick up after us on your next adventure.

edited to add emphasis on the sarcasm.

You want us to pack out your thrash?

"Since we rarely have room left over to carry trash bags & pack out our trash I kindly ask that you pick up after us on your next adventure."

sure why not, you wouldn't be the first prick I had to pick up after, wont deter me from being the last. Enjoy your pitiful existence man. By the time you come to regret it its too late.

Do I smell a very crooked sense of humor? Or a troll?

Yes, it does sound like an under the bridge dweller.

"Do I smell a very crooked sense of humor? Or a troll?"

…or Maybe I'm just a "crooked prick"?

I thought the sarcasm was thick enough to be obvious.

either way, I'm the last guy you'll have to worry about picking up after.

EE. Spend the extra money if you can. I doubt you will regret it. Last time I ordered, there was an expedited option. $25 to have it shipped within 10 days.

Get the revelation, long and wide, and you can justify the expense because you can undo the zipper and use it as a super-warm comforter around the house. Turn down the heat and make your money back. It will make you smile every time.

Also, with the extra width, it will drape around you so the strapping/tucking thing won't be an issue.

I'm also a side sleeper. I hesitated and ultimately made the plunge to quilts about 18 months ago. Great decision.

The temp ratings are generous. I'd say for your situation, get the 30 degree, and for that once in a blue moon when you are cold, add clothes.

Otherwise just stick with what you have and make it work until you can spend a little more. The compromise options are… compromised.

Good luck…

I will pick up your trash. But for the love of God, please do not drink Keystone!

Yep, don't even joke about trashing the woods with this crowd. ;^)

This one checks almost all your boxes (it's 44 oz): http://www.campmor.com/Product___41019

My earlier comment was based on the fact that I did what you're looking to do and bought a cheap bag (Kelty Cosmic Down 20) to start with and regretted it. I'm not made of money, but buying a used WM bag has worked out well for me. But I'm stuck with that first bag because no one wants it, so that money is just wasted for me. My WM bag I could sell later for what I've got in it. So if you don't like wasting money, buying quality makes sense.

My suggestion on any gear you're looking for is to keep a close eye on the Gearswap. I have found every single item I wanted at one point or another on Gearswap. Sometimes right after I bought it new, or paid more at another site. I know you said patience isn't one of your virtues and neither is it mine…but it's worth developing some patience to score the deals off of Gearswap. I also keep an eye on Fleabay, which is where I got my WM bag. There's a lot of good quality bags that you can pick up used for half what they cost new (so, in your price range). Give it a downwash and fluff it in the dryer and it can be good as new.

I was asked (by Jimmy, I think) how low I've comfortably taken my Versalite- I haven't found it's low comfort temp for me, yet. I'm a cold sleeper, which is why I bought that particular bag. Usually I shoot for a bag rated 20 degrees colder than any temp I plan to sleep. I've slept in it down to the mid 20's and didn't get cold in it.

Thanks Dena, as another cold sleeper who went with a Versalite for added insurance I have had similar results to yours. Coupled with a better pad recently I will hopefully be pushing a little lower.

jimmyb

I own an HG Burro 40, long, with 1oz overfill. Love it to pieces. It's light, warm and if I sleep with all my layers, can take it to 30F with a light down sweater, thick socks and a base layer.

But I *think* I'm a warm sleeper. Wouldn't know how to compare.

It is the only bag I've bought. Knowing what I know now I'd have gotten it wide. As a turner/side-sleeper it's very easy to open drafts in a quilt. But I solved that problem be putting buttons into my CCF pad to attach the quilt.

It has horizontal baffles. So the down can shift to the edges making cool spots. Fluffing the bag and shifting the down around before sleep is a good idea.

The EE bags have vertical baffles which handle this problem differently. Still, I suspect, fluffing and shifting are good ideas but not as important.

My next quilt will probably be an EE 20f with the footbox sewn shut (Enigma?). I think this kind of down control makes more sense in colder weather.

The other option I'm playing with is getting a nice thick puffy and a synthetic half quilt to add to my sleep system.

In my neck of the swamps it doesn't get down to 20 very often but I'd like to venture north with confidence.

Good point about the HG horizontal baffles vs EE vertical.

What I like about my HG's horizontal design is that before going to sleep, I can fluff it up and get as much down as possible on top of me, and very little at the edges that will be tucked under me. It gets me nice and warm instantly before I fall asleep, and very little insulation is wasted when I tuck the edges of the quilt under me.

My next quilt will probably be an EE 20f with the footbox sewn shut (Enigma?). I think this kind of down control makes more sense in colder weather.

Richard, if you need help talking yourself into an Enigma, I'm here to assist. ;^)

I got mine (20F rated) for colder weather so, as you correctly surmise, no need for opening the footbox. I'm 5'9" but I got the long/wide to keep stuff in the footbox when needed, such as water bottles, electronics, etc., and I want to be able to pull it up over my head with plenty of room to spare. This has turned out to be a good idea. I also sleep in my EB StormDown hooded jacket and Montbell Down TEC pants to take the rating even lower.

I'm a toss-n-turner and even wearing all my layers and puffies I can still turn over easily without having any drafts thanks to EE's clever system that uses elastic bands around the sleep pad (or pads, in my case) with clips to attach the bag. The clips can be adjusted to tuck the edges of the quilt almost completely under your body, or all the way out past the sides of the sleep pad, or anything in between.

For sleep pads, I use a Neoair Trekker short/wide (47" x 25") combined with a Ridgerest Solite, and the elastic bands keep all this together as a unit. I was out with it a couple of nights ago and was totally comfortable down to the high single digits…

The incredible thing is this bag – with elastic straps – weighs in at 22.07oz (1.38lbs)!

Richard, if you need help talking yourself into an Enigma, I'm here to assist. ;^)

What are friends for if not to walk you the edge and give you a little nudge, eh? LOL

It's my pocket that need convincing. I suspect that by fall my aspirations will be better aligned with my finances and then the nit-picking will begin.

For now, I'm engaged in the Great Shoe Debate.

It's worth it! Save yer pennies!!

The Great Shoe Debate

Richard,

On the shoe front…

I tried a few different trail runners (Inov8, Fuji, Asics) and finally settled upon Brooks Cascadia. I have models 8 and 9 and find them to be fantastic. Super comfortable and long wearing.