New Sleeping Bag – MB vs WM vs Others

In the mild conditions you are likely to encounter, you might look into a double quilt. It allows you to spread out while still sharing your heat with your wife. It would also be the lightest option for two people.

To build on what Lynn said, the WM bag you referenced is the MityLite, a semi-rectangular sewn-thru bag. It unzips all the way around the footbox and lays out flat–covering the entire floor of a 2-person tent. In effect, you have a two-person 40*F bag for a pound and a half. Not bad. Might also check one of the Nunatak double quilt or backcountry blanket?

I actually edited the conditions a bit as I looked back through my journal. I think we take more trips than I thought down into the low 50s. Any insight based on the edited data?

With the quilt idea as an option, which brand would go if you went with 2 separate bags?

With temps in the low 50's you should look at the BPL Quilts even the UL60 would work.

Ok. If we did not go with a quilt, what brands/temp ratings would you suggest in the bag style?

You wouldn't need much, unless you are a very cold sleeper. At 50 F I could easily sleep in just my insulated clothing inside a bivy bag, so I am not familiar with other bag-style options. The lightest wide WM bag for you mated with a slightly warmer WM bag for your wife may work??? As long as the zippers are the same length and weight, and on opposite sides, it will work.

Dropping the zip together requirement, any specific bags that anyone would recommend?

RH,
You can't go wrong with WM or Montbell. Both companies make great products with Montbell being the less pricey option and WM being pretty much the cream of the crop.
Most of the really light bags are cut relatively tight, so if you really want to know which one you can use with your funky sleeping technique, you're going to have to try them. That said, my girlfriend has a MB #3 SS and it really does stretch a whole bunch. If you need more space then that, either go with a large quilt or cut your leg off. ;)

I'll just add that both companies are known to rate the temperatures of their bags accurately, so you can pretty much go with their rating. A couple of WM Highlites would fit the bill for you guys…but they are a snug fit for a sprawler so give them a try first.

Get a right and a left caribou from western mountaineering. They have a 64" shoulder girth so they will be plenty roomy but they only weigh 1lb.4ozs.They zip together fine.You can even zip a long and a regular together if you are taller than your wife.On cold nights you can stuff a jacket in between you as a draft stopper at your necks.Hope this helps.

I'm still wondering about the "down allergy". If you want to stay on the safe side and want a light weight synthetic bag you may to look at the Marmot pounder. I don't think they zip together, but are light at 1.0 lbs and would probably work well in your temp range.

Thanks Steve.

Just remember RH, if you do cut your leg off, I can do you a nice replacement in Carbon and Titanium, at half the price those prosthetists in the US charge!!

RH,
I didn't realize the caribous could zip together…I would definitely check into Joshua's suggestion.

Rod,
In tough times like this, I'm always looking to drum up more business for my buddies. :)

Do all WM bags have the option to unzip fully and zip together with another like WM bag and create one large comforter? I am starting to think, as we get into backpacking more and more, we will probably take some trips in some colder months, or in higher elevation areas that are cooler. So, maye we could get a colder weather bag, and use it as a comforter for most of the year, but have the colder weather bags if needed.

How does this sound? If this sounds feasible, what bags WM bags would you go with? Also what is the feedback like on the Summer Coupler from WM?

"Do all WM bags have the option to unzip fully and zip together with another like WM bag and create one large comforter?"

No. Most are mummy bags, so they wouldn't make a big rectangular comforter in any case. Some unzip only half way.

I think I have narrowed it down to the Caribou and the Megalite. We will be unzipping these to use as a comforter in warmer months. I would assume the coldest trip we will take is around a time which averages 30-35 degree lows, so take into account a possible 10 degree swing and I think the coldest we would ever see is 20-25 degrees. I have heard lots of reports of people taking the Caribou down into the mid to low 20s with some extra clothing on which is not a problem for me especially since I am a warm sleeper. It also is the lightest at 1 lb 4oz. The Megalite is a little warmer bag than the caribou but you only gain 5 degrees and its 4 ounces heavier. It does have a draft tube and a bigger hood though. It is also not the microfiber line.

Can you zip 2 caribous/megalites together and use them as one large comforter? If you do this, what do you put between you and the pad (we both have BA IACs)?

I have two WM Ponderosas (15F) that we zip together when my honey and I do Colorado's shoulder seasons. Heavy, yes, but such warm luxury. These will easily do 10F. Of course, this is overkill for your apparent needs. But you might consider this option: Get a Mitylite (40F), and also an Alder (25F). Both are semi-rectangular and should zip together. If it's warm, put the Mitylite on top of you; for colder temps, invert the setup. This gives you plenty of flexibility for different temp scenerios. Sorry to suggest a heavier pack weight, but this would provide you with options (Hmm, does this qualify as "multiple use?") For really warm nights, you could just bring one bag, and use it as a quilt. I'm not a big fan of their summer coupler, but it does sort of work for warmish nights.

> Can you zip 2 caribous/megalites together and use them as one large comforter?

I don't know how thin you and the missus are, but my lady and I share one long ultralight as a quilt. That's one of WM's narrower mummy bags. You could get an Alpinlite 5" wider at the top with the same temp rating. I'm 6' 8" 196lb and she is 5' 3" 120lb.

Hi RH, one thing to consider between the Megalite/Caribou is the construction. The Caribou is built like the Highlite, so partially baffled/partially sewn thru. The Megalite is a continuous baffle bag, so the down distribution is adjustable. The Megalite also has a collar, which IMO helps alot in cold weather.

Another thing to note as far as zipping together an WM Extremelite bag to a MF bag are the zipper weights. The Extremelite bags use #5 zippers, the MF uses #7.

You saved me a return thanks. Knowing the zipper #s, that leaves me with a few options.

I have narrowed bag choices down to the following:

Caribou
Megalite
Alder
Sycamore
Summerlite (Wife only, too narrow for me)

I know I know, thats most of the 25° to 40° bags but I am making progress! There are just so many options..Anyhow here is what I am thinking

We can go:

2 Alders
2 Sycamores (only advantage is the hood)
2 Caribous
Sycmore to Caribou
Alder to Sycamore
Alder to Caribou
Summerlite to Megalite

Anything else would be a zipper mismatch, too narrow, not warm enough.What are the advantages of rectangular bags if the mummy style bags can unzip fully and be used as quilts as well?

Specs on each for easy reference:

Caribou – #7 zipper – 35 deg – 1.4oz – Mummy
Summerlite – #5 zipper – 32 deg – 1.3oz – mummy
Megalite – #5 zipper – 30 deg – 1.8oz – mummy
Alder – #7 zipper – 25 deg – 1.15oz – Rectangular
Sycamore – #7 zipper – 25 deg – 2 lbs – Rectangular

The mummies do NOT unzip all the way around the footbox so they lay fully flat; only the semi-rectangulars like the Sycamore and Alder do that. There are two zippers on these bags – one down the side, and another one across the foot.

This gives you tremendous venting options as well as the option to open them both completely and use the bag like a quilt. My wife and I have a pair of Sycamores, but we've often used just one to cover both of us. We wanted the hoods so we can use them as separate bags, as I do with mine every summer on the PCT.

Conventional wisdom suggests that two bags are the way to go – one rated to 40° and another rated to 20°. I've always found the 25° Sycamore, with its multiple possible configurations, more than adequate in the Cascades and Sierras. Plus, I want the microfiber shell for wind and splash protection under my ponch tarp.

Like you, I'm a side/belly sleeper who rolls a lot and find the Summerlite too confining. Now if only WM made the Megalite with a microfiber shell, I'd be all over that little sucker!

RH,

My wife & I use a WM Alder with a WM summer coupler. Very comfortable and much lighter (and less expensive)option than zipping two bags together.

BTW – WM must have reduced the weight of the summer coupler. The size long coupler I have weighs 12 oz., not the 20 oz posted on the WM web site.

Dan

So why is it that they claim full zip if they dont zip all the way around the footbox?

"So why is it that they claim full zip if they dont zip all the way around the footbox?"

Full zip on a mummy bag just means something different to full zip on a rectangular bag. Full zip on a mummy is a relative term to compare it to a partial or no zip bag. For instance, I have a WM POD30 which only has a half length zipper, compared to my POD15 which has full length zipper.

How exactly does the coupler work? Is it essentially a mat to slide your air pads into and then you zip the alder to it to form a pocket for you both to sleep in?