Sleeping Bag Conundrum

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"I'm fairly new to backpacking…"

Dave,
Consider using your "sitting around" clothes as supplements to your sleeping system. If temperatures are in the 20's you'll probably have insulated tops and bottoms to keep comfortable while doing camp chores. They can extend your bag range by 5° to 10°, provided the bag is big enough, which as a ' skinny 5'10" ' I think would be the case. Especially in a Montbell Stretch.

If you've got'em, use'em.

Another possibility would be to make a simple overbag. I'm playing with 10 yards of row cover and a light nylon sheet. I reckon it would add 10 degrees of warmth for 11oz. Would only cost a few dollars to make.

If I were you, I'd also extend your search to a quilt. That's how I'm going to replace my 3.5 lb Marmot sawtooth for next years winter camping.

If you have until September, and you are willing to spend the money to get a Western Mountaineering bag, Nunatak quilts are also something to consider. It just takes a couple months since they're custom. For a 0-10 degree bag, it's maybe $50-100 more to go with a Nunatak, and $100 or so less to get a Jacks R Better quilt. You'd probably save 3-4 ozs in weight as well.

The advantage of the other manufacturers you mentioned (besides the fact that they make good bags too) is that their bags go on sale, whereas WM only does once in a blue moon, or if somebody's selling one on Ebay.

I have heard a lot about quilts but honestly haven't spent much time researching them. I'll have to check that out.

Add Feathered Friends to your list of very good [and expensive] down sleeping bags. I have one and it's a very nice 20F bag. I'm thinking of making an overbag to extend its temp range.

Row cover for overbag?? what is that? Something from farming?

Row cover for overbag?? what is that? Something from farming?

Yes. It's known as horticultural fleece in the UK. It's a thin spun polypropylene matting. Only a few dollars for a 10 yards long 4' wide piece. I've been experimenting with folding it in a concertina fashion to make airspaces and I'm considering spotting it to a nylon sheet with sprayglue.

Light, cheap, effective.

Get a WM Ultralite and you won't be disappointed. It's a conservatively rated, narrow 20 degree bag, but you can wear you insulated clothing inside it to push it a lot further. Add a bivy bag for even colder conditions. You can use it as a 'quilt' in warmer weather. It was my favourite (and only) bag for, like, 20 years until I (ahem) outgrew it.

Lynn, I love my ultralite too, but it is a bit narrow for wearing much clothing inside, and I'm a slim guy.