Cold and restless newbie needs some sleeping bag/pad recommendations

Consider a "Palisade" Katabatic Gear, WIDE version (58"), that is coming out in June. The quilt weighs about a pound but is fixed to the sleeping pad, which should allow you to roll around without disrupting the quilt. You can get the Alsek instead if you think your going to be too cold.

Also new out is Pacific outdoor equip Peak Elite AC pad or try Kooka Bay pads. Both are are much lighter than what your looking at POE will be the cheaper of the to their 2/3 mat is around 10oz

I sleep cold also.

I have the Montbell UL Super Spiral Down Hugger #3. And I would have a lot of trouble calling it a true 30 degree bag. It does not have a draft tube on the zipper, and if I am not in a tent, the wind does cause some drafts.

Having said that, I love the bag for 40+ temps. I am a big guy and move around a lot. It is the only UL bag that I have been truly comfortable in. I liked it so much I got a MontBell Super Spiral Burrow #0 Synthetic Sleeping Bag for winter (I don't like down in winter), and I will most likely get the SS UL #1 to fill out my collection.

I don't think you can go wrong with Montbell as long as you go with a little warmer rating than you expect.

As for pads, I get cold on the bottom side very easy, so right now I use a BA IAC, and it works fine down to 30 or so, and in colder weather I add a thin CCF pad.

I have tried the NeoAir and was cold in 40 degree temps. Everyone is different. I am waiting for the Neoair all weather, I think that my be perfect for me.

Good luck in your search.

For me this has proved to be the best possible combination. My bag is 800 fill down, with a 40F rating, and weighs only 17.7 oz. For my sleep system I combine it with the following pieces:

Western Mountaineering Flash Vest 3.75 oz., Western Mountaineering Flash Pants 6.75 oz., Montbell Inner Jacket 6.7 oz.

My whole sleep system weighs just barely over 2 lbs (34.9 oz).

This combination does keep me warm at night. But where it really pays off is in camp.

Since my down garments are inner garments, I carry an ultralight set of rain gear for camp (that I don't EVER wear on the trail) to act as a chill/rain stopper. Recently I went on a trip for which my companions all carried heavier bags. All of them were cold sitting around camp (except when they built a fire and huddled close to it), but I was toasty warm.

Edited to add: All four of these pieces (including my sleeping bag) fit inside a large cuben fiber dry bag (the one sold by LawsonEquipment.com). The large dry bag weighs only 1.4 oz., and keeps my down dry even when I need to open my pack in rainy conditions.

I would look at kookabay pads.

I just ordered a 44x24x2.5 pad with an R3 insulation rating and it is only 10oz.

I'm a fairly restless sleeper, but I tend to sleep a little warm. I use the Montbell UL SS #3 with an Exped Synmat UL pad. You might want to try that pad, unless you're sure you need the 25" width the Neoair offers. Otherwise, I'd choose option 1 for a pad because of the reliability and warmth of the foam.

For the bag options, I think I would choose option 1 because the insulated clothing is useful if you want to sit around camp too. I think I would be warm enough down to around 20 F. I tested my bag for a few hours at 28F wearing only light pants and t-shirt, and I wouldn't have been able to sleep very well without adding a jacket and maybe fleece or insulated pants.

I'm a cold and restless sleeper too. I also +1 the advice to go lighter in your bag and supplement with insulated clothing since the clothing is dual use. It also helps make sure you go to bed warm instead of cold to begin with.

One of the best decisions I've made is upgrading (from a Prolite) to an Exped Downmat 7. My size short (w/integrated pump) weighs a full 23 oz. which was tough to swallow but I was shocked at how much better/warmer I slept with a warmer pad. The Exped plus a 32 degree bag (I use a Phantom 32) keeps me warmer at sub 32 temps than a 20-deg bag did with the Prolite, and the combo is lighter and more flexible. I never knew I could sleep without icicle-buns!

This alone made the Exped worth it to me, but I also now have flexibility because I can drop to a lighter pad in warmer temps. The absolute bonus is how amazingly comfortable the pad is! This helps me with the restlessness too.

thanks for your comment. Do you think the #3 with a down inner jacket would be adequate down to freezing?

Sorry, my last comment was directed to Brett Ayer