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does your down sleeping bag have continuous baffles?
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Home › Forums › Gear Forums › Gear (General) › does your down sleeping bag have continuous baffles?
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Mar 27, 2012 at 2:54 am #1287886
If yes, do you ever move the down from top to bottom or bottom to top to adjust the bag for anticipated temperatures? How important is/was this feature when using/buying the bag?
Mar 27, 2012 at 6:10 am #1859883I have a Western Mountaineering Megalite that has continuous baffles. I have on occasion moved more down to the top in anticipation of a cold night. For me personally, I would just rather have a bag without continuous baffles so I didn't need to worry about where the down was. If you only wanted 1 bag to take you over a large range of temps, I can see the benefit.
Ben
Mar 27, 2012 at 6:10 am #1859884Mine does. Though in practice the issue has really not arisen. It does work as I can see a noticeable difference when I work to arrange the down in the baffles. But in reality I adjust with a leg out if I am using it like a quilt. Or unzip more of it when using as a regular bag. WM Mitylite currently.
Mar 27, 2012 at 6:29 am #1859890I have a megalite also it does have continuous baffles. As a back/side sleeper I would be happier to NOT have the down able to shift. I want it as even as possible
Mar 27, 2012 at 9:26 am #1859946I'm a side and back sleeper and would rather not have continuous baffles. I have a WM Ultralite bag. Rolling from my back to side to other side at night, I noticed I can unintentionally shift the down and cause cold spots. I've had my bag overfilled, which helps because there is less extra room for the down to shift – which I like.
I also rarely camp in warm climates. If you did, I can understand the appeal to moving down from top to bottom.
Mar 27, 2012 at 3:52 pm #1860155Yep, my megalite has continuous baffles. During cold weather a lot of down is on top, the loft of just the top layer is substantially more than with it evenly distributed. 3+ " Id say.
Mar 27, 2012 at 5:07 pm #1860191Yep here too–WM Ultralite. I also have the problem of being a side sleeper who does a lot of tossing and turning during the night. I'd love to have non-continuous baffles with an equal amount of down on all sides, but nobody seems to make a bag that way.
The overfill sounds like a good solution, though! Thanks to those who mentioned it!
Mar 27, 2012 at 5:35 pm #1860202I have a enlightened quilt with karo baffles and I actually kind of share the similar sentiment that I don't want to deal with down moving BUT it is kind of cool that in theory that I could use the bag for a wider range of conditions but in BPL reality, who wants to carry a heavier bag for warm/summer conditions?
Mar 27, 2012 at 6:07 pm #1860223I just bought a Marmot Helium with "stretch tricot baffles". I'm kind of embarrassed to admit that I'm not sure what that means. I hope that someone here can inform me. However I really like this bag out of the box. And I've owned the Hydrogen for years and like it a lot.
On a related note: some of us are stomach sleepers, some back sleepers. As a stomach sleeper, I'm curious: is there a good reason for sleeping with your bag hood pulled over your head versus cradling your head from underneath? Especially with this Marmot bag? Always remembering that your whole bag will be "upside down" depending on your decision. And this last bit is how my question ties in to continuous baffles.
I know that I'm really splitting hairs here.
Mar 28, 2012 at 1:00 pm #1860537I have not learned to appreciate continuous baffles. I so love our WM Caribou and POD30 (but recently sold). They are box stitched and thus I never had to worry about the down shifting during the night. I felt no cold spots where it was sewed.
-Barry
-The mountains were made for Teva’sMar 28, 2012 at 1:19 pm #1860544Between me and my wife 2 bags have continuos baffles and 3 have split top/bottom baffles. I never think about the baffles on a trip, but only at home when airing out the bags.
Surprisingly the only issues with the down shifting were for the split baffle bags where the top down would shift to the sides (Rei Subkilo 40, MH Phantom 32, REI Downtime 20). At least in my case, the bags with countinous baffles (WM Ultralite, Rab Quantum 800) are higher quality and warmer, which might explain it. One might think lower quality bags use split baffles so they can get away with using less down.Mar 28, 2012 at 3:27 pm #1860613Same as Zorobabel
I have a couple of WM with continuous baffles, the down seems to fill them so it does not shift much at all unless I shake them.
Shifting to the top does not work for me either because I do toss and turn however in emergency I know that is there…
FrancoMar 28, 2012 at 3:48 pm #1860618i have never had a problem with down "shifting" that so many are either experiencing or afraid of.
My down has no ability to turn a tight < 45 degree corner and flow under me all by itself with me lying in a bag.
When you shift it to the top, it stays there.
Mar 29, 2012 at 6:38 pm #1861251Yes, use both WM bag and JRB quilts with continuus baffles. In both I find it a useful feature to be able to shake the down to be more above me when its cold and more on the side of me when its not so cold.
Mar 31, 2012 at 3:59 am #1861790I must admit that I am continuosly baffled by the idea of continuous baffles.
My Katabatic Gear 30F Palisade quilt has them, but I've never used them.
Mar 31, 2012 at 8:09 am #1861820Count me as one who does not want continuous baffles. I see them as a negative and would pay extra to avoid them.
My sleeping movements or my size somehow move the down downward and I end up cold in the middle of the night.
My wife now uses my continuously baffled sleeping bag and has no problems. She is smaller than me.
The bag I currently use does not have continuous baffles and it works much better for me.
If I'm too warm in a bag I'll just stick out a leg or use the bag as a quilt. I would never even consider moving down downward on purpose.
Mar 31, 2012 at 10:18 am #1861857The cynic in me says that the whole sales spiel about moving down around is a con. It means that they can market a bag as a 30 degree bag when it is really a 40 degree bag. I am not saying they are over charging for their bags, down is expensive and I know it needs paying for! I just want to know that when I get into my bag at the end of a hard day is that I will be warm enough without having to think about whether I need to somehow try and shake the down around whilst inside the tight confines of my ultralight Shelter!
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