Cheap, Light weight Sleeping Bag

[Kai Larson]

Kelty Cosmic Down 20 Degree sleeping bag. These are the best lightweight scout bags I know of.

20 degree rating (I can say from use, that it's a good, conservative rating.)
2 and 1/2pounds

$89

http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___43185

[Paul Johnson]

I recently bought these for my kids. The short fits to size 5' 4" and only weighs 2lb 3oz. $75 online.

You are making me think I need to buy another one.

[Jon Leinen]

I bought my 16yo son a 20 degree Cosmic for $95 and it's ALMOST as nice as my Western Mountaineering 10 Vistalite (which cost $475). I'm recommending these to all of the parents in our troop who are getting their sons ready for philmont.

[Walter Underwood]

I advise Scouts to get a regular length bag, rather than a short or youth bag. They'll outgrow it for sure. With a down bag, that bag should still be in great shape, but will be too small.

[M B]

Backwoods has the Montbell super spiral down #5 hugger on sale for $125. Get 10% off with Mr. Rebates and you can get it for $113. 1.5 lbs

Only a 40 degree bag, but with good sleep clothing choice, and in tent it ought to work.

[Tony Ronco]

Another possibility is the Eureka Silver City (30 degree rating)which weights in at 32 oz..
It can be had for $50-70 on-line. It is a popular bag among our scouts.
A few made the bag into a quilt (which was relatively easy enough, and also provided a extra measure of pride in being self sufficient with lightening up their gear). Typical weight of the quilt conversion 1-1/2 lbs.

[John L Collins]

I recently purchased a couple of lightwieght US Army Patrol sleeping bags on eBay for ~ $25 each. They are rated to 30 degrees, scrunch up much smaller than the intermediate cold weather bag I was issued in '89 and weighs about 2 pounds. It is a nylon shell with nylon batting. I can stuff it down into a 7" x 12" stuff sack from OR (the green one in the set of 3).

My son used one on our last campout with nighttime lows around thirty and windy as all get out. 30 mph sustained winds with gusts to 40 mph. He was toasty warm but he hadn't figured out how to use the drawsting around the head to keep himself warmer but he did put on his wool hat!

I haven't tried the other component which is a black bag rated from 30 F to -10 F and then there is a gore-tex bivy sack that goes over it all. If you put both bags together it's good down to -50 F according to the tag.

I am going to try mine out on an upcoming Venturing Crew campout. Looking forward to a good night's sleep.

John

[f b]

Hello I am bringing this thread up again, I have seen those military slipping back on eBay and they seemed like a good deal. What are other alternatives for in and sleeping with a rating of around 30°?
I have seen some sleeping bags on gear trade for around $100, one is a lafuma 800 and I'm not there is a stoic, both weigh around 1 pound and 14 ounces. Are there any advantages that these two might offer over the military sleeping bag? To me the military sleeping bag sound like a no-brainer.

What do you guys suggest?

[Luke Schmidt]

If the military bag has synthetic insulation it won't last as long. Now if its still that cheap I'd say go for it. If its in "used" condition I would not expect it to keep you warm below 40 degrees, you just don't know how well its been taken care of.

[Author]

Posts