0* Or Lower Womens Bags?

Have you considered combining bags? I think Brett or someone else who uses Montbell bags discussed combining them. And wear puffy pants and puffy jacket (down or primaloft), or wear the pants and drape the jacket over the bags for more warmth. I'm considering that myself to make everything modular, so the lighter bag can be for warmer temperatures, a warmer one for cooler weather, the combo for Cold, with and without puffy clothing for more fine tuning, to get more mileage out of everything. And of course, use a GossamerGear insulation pad. Plus insulated inflatable mat for more warmth and cushiness. Plus handwarmers in strategic places. The possibilities are endless.

I usually wear a down jacket draped over my core inside my 15* bag early in the evening, year round. I also wear down socks or booties nearly year round, along with wool/ploy long underwear, hat and liner gloves.

Winter trips are: 2 mats, one is a blue pad, other is a Prolite. I can't wear tons of clothes to bed, if I sweat, I get clammy.

I take meds that leave my unbearably cold in cold weather. I cannot get away with a 15* bag in snow camping. For me, due to the dumb meds, I have few choices besides a heavier bag. I don't get cold in normal spots, I get cold in wherever there is fat on my body and my feet/hands and face go white and numb.

So yeah, unlike a couple years ago when I could do the doubling up I can't anymore. Sigh.

Sarah, I don't know what temperatures that you expect to encounter, but I have a down 0* bag from LLBean (2 lbs. 11 oz.) that seems true to temp but the main difference I've noted in winter camping is the addition of an exped downmat (9, in my case). I have been below zero and comfortable with this combiination and I am a cold sleeper. This year I've added a 20* down quilt to use over the bag for extreme temperatures. It may not be necessary but once I'm cold, I'm cold……….and miserable.

At the Bean women's one. The only thing that got me bummed was it was 650 fill. I have always liked Bean down items though and stay warm in them.

As long as it comes under 3 lbs I am ok (I am thinking the short womens zero was 2 11 for weight?).

I figure temps will be 15* to maybe -5*, with wind. Not a ton of snow yet, but it will be there.

Sarah:

I highly recommend that you take a look at the MontBell Superstretch bags. These bags are ultralight because they are ultra-efficient — and not by shrinking the bags uncomfortably or lying on the specs.

Light weight and accurate warmth ratings aside — the superstretch bags allow you a wide range of movements. Also, while the regular bags are sized to 5’10” — all of them have a “foot adjuster” which allows you to narrow down the last 3-4″ of the foot section for a snug feel around your feet — or even close off the section entirely for folks who are 5’6″ or under.

Hmmmmm. After looking at their website (LLBean), it appears that the weight has gone down, along with the price. I'm not sure if that is a good thing or not. My bag is 3 lbs. 11 oz. and cost around $260 I think.

I agree with ben check out the UL super stretch line of bags. They have a broad selection of models for different temp ranges and you can get a good custom fit with their adjustability

Can you really tell a differnece in the men's and women's? Because if you can't, I'd look at mens bags in a short length. I'd be interested to know anyway, just because I always figured gender specific sleeping bags were just a marketing ploy. Maybe not.

Take a look as Ben said. My girlfriend is a very cold sleeper and at a height of 5 ft, it's tough to size a bag for her. I ended up going with a Montbell #3(via Brett), and it has worked out very well. I believe the rating on that is -3 or something like that, but you can get the one that has the temp range you require. A "neat" feature that she likes is the fact that you can push the footbox up into itself and cinch it off with the drawstring (I'm guessing maybe 8 inches from the bottom of the bag). This lets her snuggle her feet in a "pile of down". The weight specs were very accurate and the bag is high quality.
Steve

Some women's bags are just a marketing ploy. I hate it when they take a men's bag, make it pink or some other "girly" color, and call it a women's bag. But other manufacturers (Sierra Designs, Mountain Hardwear) change the cut of the bag to be narrower at the shoulder and wider at the hips, since women are more of a hourglass and men are more of a triangle. Women also tend to sleep colder than men due to generally having a higher percentage of body fat. Obviously this isn't true for all women, so YMMV, but many women's bags have extra insulation in the foot and torso.

I recently purchased my third MontBell SuperStretch, a "0", which happens to be the temperature range you're looking for. I do sleep a bit warm, but have found that the MontBell SS keeps me warm at temperatures a full 10* colder than listed. The SS feature is so great that it's difficult to go back to a constricting bag.

Sarah, like a fish irresitably rising to the bait I had to answer your post.. I agree with Ben and Steve; Montbell is also my recomendation. I don't care for much of their gear, especially the packs, but their bags and jackets are great IMO.
Why SS bags..
1.The internal baffles lightly hug the occupant thus eliminating most dead air space which would otherwise need to be heated with body energy.
2. The footbox section can be stuffed up inside the bag then cinched off; making a down footrest and further reducing internal volume for shorter occupants.
3. Due to the stretch system whenever you feel the need to stretch out or re-position the entire bag stretches with you, out to 70+ inches at the shoulders for a long bag (a few less for the regular). You can actually sit up crosslegged with the bag around your torso or over your shoulders.

For 0'F Id go with a #2 rated to 5F, then wear your insulation layer in the bag. Or.. a #1 (-7F)

To save money try to get the 2006 750 fill from an outlet in Japan or watch the web for sales. I have compared the 750 and 800 and really cant tell the difference. They are both like "crawling into a cream puff" to quote a female hiker friend who uses a #3..

What I do to watch for a low price is program a google product search for the item Im watching, have it open in firefox every day, and then sort by price. Eventually it will payoff… but I know you are on a short fuse for this purchase.
PM me if you want my help looking for a 2006 model.

Sarah,
Montbell bags are 20% off on selected models at http://www.modernmountainman.com, including the #0, rated to 0F. BTW, the #1 is rated to 15F and the #2 to 25F, so I am not sure about Brett's ratings in the previous post (?)
Best,
Sven

Ok, here is the defining question on the Montbell one you guys mention….is it cut tight? I don't like the whole stretch fit, where the bag is snake skin like but stretches. I like a little wiggle room built in.
But if it isn't cut super tight…by all means!

As for womens bags..yes, sometimes it is a rip off, but I can say that my 15* bag is much warmer than the mens version of 20* in that brand. It is cut to fit a lady as well. (no huge toe box, hips wider, narrower shoulders).

I truly get cold in winter so I know I will have to carry more weight (even if I don't want to!!).

Off to look at the Montbells though!

So, any chance the deals from Japan, do those models ever pop up over here in the States? As I noted, I have er, um, less than 2 weeks till I need said bag.

It was on Sunday that my friend Steve announced (That'd be Hoosierdaddy, Ben) that we were going snow backpacking on the 17th).

I guess if I don't find anything I like I can always drive into Seattle and go to FF and see what they have as well?

It looks like you'll need to go with the 800 fill if you want to keep the weight under 3 lbs. A couple of places have the 0* 800 fill for around $350. A Western Mountaineering bag would be considerably more but they make an excellent bag as well.
If you go with the Montbell I would be interested in hearing how you like it after your trip.

No, the bag is nothing like snake skin. The elastic is actually very gentle — and stretches along with your body movements/positions.

Brett is the resident MontBell pimp (as is Miguel Arboleda). Satisfying MontBell gear whores is their life passion.

I would echo Brett's point that there's really no practical difference between MB's 800 and 725 fill power bags. Both are excellent and true to rating. I would recommend that you ask Brett to check on prices for you. The guy loves taking the subway to the Tokyo MB store — getting pressed from all sides by commuting office ladies. Strange if you ask me, but there it is.

Ben, ok, I went and looked. Gorgeous bag. Very nice. Buuutttttt…..why red? Ew! And I am short.

Do they make anything NOT in bright red? I just don't like red at all :-( Not a peaceful color.

is NOT my favorite color either — but at least the sleeping bag stays inside the tent — and not worn on the trail.

The MB bag is great for people of shorter stature. Thinking about it, most UL bags are constricting as heck — and the shorter size even more so! But the MB stretches in all directions — and even better — they have the "foot adjuster" feature! You can close off entirely the last section of the bag — and thus have a short but wide bag for your sleeping comfort.

So, it appears they only make 2 models at 0* ratings? And that none of those two are under 6 ft? Sigh :-(

They do it seems make a -10* bag for short heights, but that seems overkill. Any one with experience with the Lynx models?

Why not go for the 5F Antelope in the short size??
S.

Sarah:

Did you read about the "foot adjuster" feature? I think this bag is perfect for you — except for the color.

I think Ben, when I get back from work this morning, I will do more research on the Montbell's :-) They do look very, very nice.

Maybe it will always be dark when I sleep……

It gets dark mighty quick up in the northern latitudes in winter! Isn't it nice how 'everything' works out? :)

Have fun with your research — don't forget to look at WM and FF bags as well — you know, the usual suspects. They all make first rate bags.