Smallest compressed sleeping bag setup?

Just get a down bag rated as high (or is it low?) as possible. 32 degree bags will pack pretty freaking small if you want them to. Western mountaineering makes great ones. For extra compression get a quilt instead of a sleeping bag. Why do you need it to compress so much? I just put my bag in the bottom of my pack and let it loft out to fill any space I may not use. This way it fills nooks and crannies rather than creating them.

For a tent get a single wall tent from any of the makers. Tarptent, Six moon designs, and Gossamer Gear all have good ones. The smaller the tent, the better. Also, no poles helps it take up less space.

Quilts are going to compress smaller than bags…I dunno if you're open to these. The less warm GoLite quilts (ie. the new 40F quilt) use high fill power down and compress rediculously small.

Nunatak Arc series, AT in particular. I recently used the AT with a Montbell Alpinelite jacket. The whole thing compressed to less than the size of a traditional lightweight sleeping bag, with two uses for the jacket, so a very low volume combination.

I also have the WM Highlight which just disappears in the pack–very light and low volume. Warm, too.

It's not what you asked for but I'd think something like a Heatsheets blanket would be the smallest, lightest and cheapest option. You said temp rating isn't an issue so why even use a bag/quilt?

For the tent, see the Homemade Tent thread in the Philmont section – uses the same blankets.

I have a large Western Mountaineering "Highlite" that compresses down to the size of a kids Nerf football– 18.5oz w/ stuffsack and is rated to 35 degrees. With a good layering system you can take the degrees down a little bit more if need be.

I've got my Big Agnes Lost Dog 50 to about the size of my small neoair. I talked with Tim Marshal about a quilted version of this bag using row cover. That should be very small too!

Jack

For sleeping, I would say pick the style and temperature that suits you and then find it in 850 or 900 fill down and you'll be happy.

For a tent, I suggest you look at the Hennessy Hyperlight Backpacker hammock. Its base weight is a few ounces more than the lightest single wall tents, but if you factor in other features I think you come away better and maybe lighter. for example, you never need a ground cloth. That in itself will get you down to the weight of most single wall tents which require one to protect your significant investment. If you carry any sort of camp chair, you can throw it away because you can sit on the Hennessy. The Hennessy can be set up high enough so you can work and cook under the tarp out of the weather. You can pack it and unpack it under the tarp so only the tarp gets wet. It has no rigid parts or poles. If you don't use hiking poles you may need to add tent poles to the weight of your tent. Not so with the Hennessy. In warm climates, you won't need a pad with the hammock.

I have a Mont Bell #5 for summer hiking and it is very low volume. I don't like to compress my insulation items to the extreme and would caution you on trying not to go too far with it.

Mont Bell gives the stuffed size of their bags along with other specs: http://www.montbell.us/products/disp.php?cat_id=28&p_id=1121732

Down bags can get very tiny especially if you use a compression sack. I just got a Lafuma 600G 40 degree bag for warmer weather and it goes down to 5.5×7 very easily. The included compression system works quite well. I really like what I see from Montbell but I couldn't justify 3x the cost. I did a ton of research so I don't think I will be disappointed with this bag. One thing to note on the Lafuma 600G is the fill weight is only 5.2oz of 650+ down. The baffles are H channels so that may help a little. If you are shopping price REI Has a synthetic Lafuma Extreme 600 45 degree for $44.93 and only 20oz. If you really want cheap and not so warm check out the Slumberjack Minaret 60 degree bag. I have seen this one for $40 at campmor.com even less on eBay.

At the risk of getting flamed:

Don't compress your sleeping bag, especially if you're using a down bag. My Nunatak Specialist goes at the top of the extension collar of my BP in a large "stuff" sack. It's hardly stuffed at all, and I compress it as little as possible. Synthetic fill springs back pretty well, but you're going to lose precious, warmth-holding loft every time you compress a down bag.

Think of down as tiny, little feathers. Be gentle with it. Compress/ stuff something else.

But that's just my opinion. I could be wrong.

Stargazer

Actually I have to say that as a rule of thumb down retains its loft much better than synthetics. All my expensive synthetics have lost loft to noticeable degree, while none of my down bags have. And they have been used, a lot.

I store all my bags uncompressed, and carry them in their stuff sack. Set up your shelter when you get to your camp site, fluff up your bag and redistribute the down as desired and as the sewing allows, and you'll be good to go.

To answer the original question, I agree that any quality made warm weather (40 deg.+) bag with 800 fill+ down will compress very nicely.

>Actually I have to say that as a rule of thumb down retains its loft much better than synthetics. All my expensive synthetics have lost loft to noticeable degree, while none of my down bags have. And they have been used, a lot.

I agree with you wholeheartedly,Bruce, but notice what the original question was. Colin wanted to know about the minimum-volume bag/ compression bag combo. Compression bags/ sacks are deadly to down bags (and synth bags, as well), but they will crush the life out of down. In my misspent youth, when I was carrying 65 pounds, I killed both down pillows and down sleeping bags that way.

You put your bag in a stuff sack, not a compression sack, and you leave it in the stuff sack the minimum amount of time that the actual hike forces you to. That's the right thing to do to protect the loft of any bag, but it will lengthen the life of down considerably.

Cordially,

Stargazer

I'm with Stargazer on this one….only compress clothes.

I'm w/ the above two posters- down, and especially syn, will be more "happy" the less it's compressed- sometimes you don't have much of a choice, given a choice though I'll opt for slightly larger stuff sack or no stuff sack at all (does a good job of filling voids)