Trimming down my sleeping bag?

[Jonathan Whitney]

I'll apologize in advance because I'm sure this has been done to death, but all of my google-fu is failing me.

Basically, I'm looking for tips on how to cut a few ounces from a stock sleeping bag. For instance, my zippers currently have a metal pull AND a string attached. I'm thinking that one of these will be lighter than both. Opinions?

And what is the point of the strap at the top of the bag near the end of the zipper? It comes over the zipper and velcros on to the other side of the bag. Is this to hold down the zipper? Keep the zipper from popping open during the night? If you're stuffing yourself into a bag that tight, I don't think velcro would help.

So is there a guide somewhere I'm missing that goes through all this?

[Mary D]

I'm pretty fumble-fingered, but still manage to get along with only the metal zipper pull and without the extra ribbon. You can always replace the ribbon if you find you need it. However, on mine, the ribbon didn't register on my scale, even when set to grams. In other words, no measurable weight saving. The same is true of removing labels that are sewn all the way around–definitely not worth the trouble. You can, of course, remove the stupid "Do Not Remove Under Penalty of Law" tags. I saved mine in the storage bag just in case I need to sell the sleeping bag in the future.

The velcro gizmo at the top of the zipper–I share your dislike! Either my chin snags on it (ouch), my hair or my clothing gets caught on it, or it picks up hair from my perpetually-shedding dog so the "teeth" get clogged. Removing this probably would shed a tenth of an ounce, maybe 2 tenths. However, before you try any surgery, it might be a good idea to try using the bag a few nights without fastening the velcro gizmo to be sure your zipper doesn't pop open when you toss and turn. Mine, unfortunately, does. Also, be extra careful not to put even the tiniest cut into your sleeping bag shell when attempting any surgery.

[Mike M]

this would be a drastic way to shave a little weight- I had a Marmot Atom bag (Long) that weighed ~ 24 oz, I had Tim Marshall (enlightenedequipment) convert it into a quilt, the quilt now has more down on top (where you want you down) and weighs in at a svelte 17.4 oz

I've seen several threads on trimming a pack's weight down, but short of something drastic as above- I don't see much in the way of weight savings for a sleeping bag, but hey a couple of grams here and a couple there……… :)

[William Johnsen]

Take it from someone who's done similar things in the past, don't do it. The weight savings isn't worth it because if you're thinking that minimalistic you likely will eventually move to a quilt and you won't be able to resell your bag for nearly as much if you've hacked it up. The string is usually pretty easy to take off and put back on so you can see if you like/need it and save it. The velcro (mine has two snaps, which prevent the issues Mary brought up) helps keeps the zipper from coming down when thrashing around at night.

[Jonathan Whitney]

Well, against better judgment, I went for it anyway. I actually cut off the metal zipper pulls and replaced them with the string. And then for the heck of it, made them minimally short. Long enough to fumble with using gloves, etc. but still short. This also means no playing jingle bells on your sleeping bag.

Once I had done this, I zipped up the bag, cinched the hood tight and thrashed around to see if I could get the zipper to budge. It didn't. So I went ahead with that, too.

Total weight savings? 10 measly grams, ha! Absolutely ridiculous. Definitely a waste of time, but I like to tinker and now I like my sleeping bag more than I did before. So that's a nice bonus.

[Henry Blake]

How much does your bag weigh now (all that's left)?

[Henry Blake]

I'm 5'8" so have often wanted to trim the bottom of a bag to make it a bit shorter. I have a used REI synthetic long bag that I paid $10 for. I like it, and it's fairly light (for warmer weather). I've often thought of trimming the bottom, below the area where the full length zipper starts.

Can you shorten your bag?

[Jonathan Whitney]

I guess if you were to cut a bag down it would just come to the question of your sewing skills. If you or someone you know is handy with a sewing machine, it should be easy to come up with a good game plan.

As far as the weight of my bag, it was kind of heavy to begin with. It's a Kelty Cosmic 20 down bag. I got it for a steal for 55 bucks on campsaver and this is the reason I didn't mind minor surgery just to play around. The regular size is a claimed 2 pounds 8 ounces, my scale said 2 pounds 7 ounces, and after removing 10 grams, it still says 2 pounds 7 ounces.

I needed a warmer bag for a trip I'm doing next week and this just fit my budget and was reasonably light for the purpose (bicycle touring). In the future, I'll probably go full on and make myself a quilt for backpacking.

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