Ultralite Weight Sleeping Bag

[Chad Webster]

I am looking for an Ultralite Sleeping Bag recommendation. I would like to be as close to 1 lb. as possible. I am trying to be close to 30F rating for temp. Please share what you use and what you would recommend.

I am just getting cracking on lite weight gear for me and my son. We just bought GoLite Jam packs and ready to fill them with LITE weight gear.

thx-chad

[todd]

Hi Chad,

Western Mountaineering's Highlite is what you want, unless you decide to go the quilt route.

[Franco Darioli]

30f is a bit more doable with the WM Summerlite and some clothing. (about 3 oz over the pound)
The given temps are assuming you wear a base layer and on top of a corresponding mat, that is one designed for that temperature.
I can do 30 f with the Summerlite with a light wool base layer and wool hat (gloves and sock at the start) and go down to 20f with a light down jacket and pants.
Do keep in mind that it is ideal for my size 9150lbs) and should work for most up to 1870 lbs or so but probably no more than that.
Franco

[Bob Gross]

I got a 30F sleeping bag with stuff sack, for slightly under one pound. Zpacks.

Some important caveats:
1. This is not exactly a quilt, and it sure isn't a mummy bag. I got mine with an underside zipper and draft tube, but there is no hood end.
2. I normally get my head down somewhat inside a sleeping bag. In order to do this, I had to get a long one instead of a normal regular length one. Zpacks does not say what the actual length of the bag is.
3. The supplied stuff sack is larger and heavier than necessary. I got another one that is large enough and saved a half-ounce or so.
4. It isn't cheap.

Otherwise, it meets my needs. I've had it out for only five nights so far.

–B.G.–

[Chad Webster]

Western Mountaineering sounds like it is the bag…. do you have a recommendation of where to buy it. Looks like you can't buy directly from their site. Where i live there are no dealers within 200 miles

After looking at both I wonder if the summerlite would be a better buy for the extra 3oz. What do you guys think?

[Ryan C]

For 3oz more, the Summerlite is baffled vs sewn through, has more down, packs roughly the same size, and has a draft tube on the full length zipper. Although it is rated for 32 degrees, some find it is more of a 40 degree bag (myself included sometimes) but that has much to do with your full gear system and metabolism. The Summerlite is my go-to 3 season bag for temps down to freezing.

[chris Mcfarland]

I just got my 40 degree revelation quilt with 30% overfill from enlightened equipment. It is exactly 16oz, 2 inches of single layer loft (spec ~ 1.95"), to replace my 1.75" of loft for the high-light 35 degree bag. The high-lite was cold for me around 40degrees and I am a warm sleeper. I am really impressed with this new bag and will be taking it on its maiden voyage this weekend to the Cascades (read wet and cold.) With how thick this quilt is it should be warmer than my old high-lite and an oz and a half lighter! (cheaper too)

good luck on your search :)

[Christopher Yi]

Another quilt user here. Currently using a Katabatic Chisos w/ 2oz overfill bring the total to 9.1oz of down and weighing in at 16.7oz. Bought it off a member here. If I had to do it again, I'd probably opt for a Katabatic Palisade w/ 2oz overfill and in wide as the Chisos is a bit narrow for a side sleeper. When I'm on my back it's perfect.

Best bang for buck quilts right now would probably be Enlightened Equipment's Revelation X, and EE has been getting great reviews on their quilts.

[Ken Larson]

Have you checked out ZPacks™ 40, 30, 20 and 10 Degree 900 Fill Power Down Sleeping Bags??

30 Degrees (-1* C) – Medium Length, Regular Width – 14.4 ounces (408 grams) $325

http://www.zpacks.com/quilts/sleepingbag.shtml

[todd]

I'm a quilt user, but to answer your question about stepping up in weight for the Summerlite and will see 30deg more than 35, then I'd definitely step up to the Summerlite.

That said I've seen Zpacks bags on Gear Swap here lately…

[Daryl and Daryl]

Bob,

I'm also considering a Z-Packs "long" for some head tucking. I'm 5' 8", 185 lbs with broad shoulders and a large head.

How do I compare in size to you.

Daryl

[Bob Gross]

"How do I compare in size to you."

I'm about one notch more compact, and I ended up with a Long.

My guess is that a Long would let you get about half of your head tucked inside. It kind of depends on what you do with your feet and knees. Some people stretch out to the max, and others fold up a bit. However, if it doesn't fit, we can get you surgically altered. The broad shoulders might get you into trouble.

–B.G.–

[Daryl and Daryl]

Bob,

Thanks for the info and humor.

Daryl

[Rusty Beaver]

"For 3oz more, the Summerlite is baffled vs sewn through, has more down, packs roughly the same size, and has a draft tube on the full length zipper. Although it is rated for 32 degrees, some find it is more of a 40 degree bag (myself included sometimes)…"

Re the temp ratings, I have found the same with my Summerlite. I haven't had a thermometer to check exact temps but if I have woken to frost while wearing micro-fleece inside that bag, I've been uncomfortable. I've also been uncomfortably cool in this bag when there's no sign of frost…or, in temps I believe were in the high 30's or maybe even low 40's. To be fair, I have noticed over the years that I don't sleep as warm where ever I'm at. I like the bag otherwise. For reference, I've experienced this primarily when sleeping on a Neoair inside a Meteor bivy under a Hexamid.

[James Marco]

Chad,
Get the best down filled bag you can afford. There are several categories of down filling. Generally, <500 fill is about the same as a good synthetic. 500-650 is medium quality, 650 to 800 is good quality. (I am using EN ratings, maximum is 800, US ratings go up to 900.) Eider down is best, very expensive, around $3000. Wild Canada goose is second best, difficult to get as is many duck species. Graylag or domestic goose is third best, but most down comes from these birds as a result of meat processing. Eider down is usually rated at 800+ on the EN scale because it traps air better than greylag down and is more water resistant.

Temp ratings are not absolute. Get one that will keep you warm. Some will do fine with a WM summerlite. Some will get cold under the same temperture. And this will vary between male/female and ages. Personnaly, I use a 40F bag down to about 25F alone. I wear a down jacket that does double duty as camp wear, also.

A good bag will also have a good down/water resistant/breathable shell and a soft down resistant/breathable lining. Maintence is the key. Wash them every 14 days of use to maintain loft, or warmth (loosly speaking.) Special down wash, never a detergent (hence, never buy one used) or in a commercial machine that has any residue. Run a rinse cycle first. Never handle the bag wet, the baffles are very fragile. Dry carfully, so as not to damage the liners (inner and outer.) Use tennis balls, not sneakers…better is to use the purchased dryer balls. They take work to maintain. Drying in the air is recommended for a couple days before storage. Ideally thay should be hung and covered with a sheet, but put in a larger cotton bag is good.

Suggest a week or so of study before any purchase. Marmot makes good bags, lots of features, but a bit heavier. Do you need this? A cuben quilt is simplistic and adds a vapor barrier…do you always sleep at 30F and below? Several gimmicks out there too. Waterproof down, difference in baffles (sown through, angled or square, continuous or not) difference in fabric covering and inner linings. If you don't know what I am talking about, are you ready to drop $500-600 on a high quality bag? You don't need to be able to make one, but you should understand the differences, and why there ARE differences.

Then you will be ready to buy.

[Michael Cheifetz]

Chad

apart from all the good advice Marco gave above re down quality….
you didnt mention if you are looking for a quilt or bag …..

I have recently done extensive research for the same exact product (circa 30F super light) an contemplated bags and quilts from zpacks, katabatic, enlightened, nunatak (i also hear that ruta locura and ben from goosefeet are doing bags now)

In the past I have used WM versalite, MLD quilt and have a 10F nunatak alpinist…

Here is the gist of my research results (disclaimer – this is just information gathered from the web, talking to ALL the suppliers, talking to owners and doing some math. YMMV)

1)quilt vs bag – this is a heated debate. suffice to say that at 30F both options are reasonable. I would, however, include the weight of a good down balaclava in the math since you would never take one along at these temps if it were not for the quilt
I opted for a full bag
2)Shell material – assuming you are aware of the limitations I would go with the lightest possible. I went with SevenD from Tigoat..its about 60% of the weight of the comparable fabrics when finished with DWR
3)down – as per what was said…I didnt shell 3K USD for eider…but took the 950FP option from nunatak (barring that the 900 form the rest). there has been talk about resistance to humidity in the lower loft down…but my aggregated thoughts are that this phenomena is yet really understood and will not be a problem on most of my trips (i would however look into the waterresistant down now on the market…but that is a diff matter
4) fill weight: assuming its all say 900FP down – you need to be very cautious with the ratings of the cottage mfg. I took FF and WM as a conservative standard and extrapolated to other designs taking girth, length and taper into account. Essentially for a 30F (without extra clothes) in 6' length you prob need 11~11.5oz in a mummy and maybe 9.5~10oz in quilt. NOTE – this is not to say you cant have less…but this IMO compares well to the WM golden standard
5)details: all the bags are continuous baffles approx 5" spacing. HOWEVER not all makes have good structured footboxes, and not all hoods are made equal….I would look into such details when choosing a bag
6)hardware – if you want an UL bag you need minimum hardware – that means zip, toggles and cinch cord. there are many options here but i went with 21" center zip with YKK#2.5 which is just adequate for core venting (as opposed to say no zip at all) but weighs very little. cord was dyneema
7) baffle material – in this kind of bag the baffles are pretty simple hence the diff in weight btw the traditional 0.7 material or 0.3 cuben is REALLY negligible….so I would not go crazy about this part (which IIRC only zpacks uses)

I went with a custom bag from Tom at nunatak:
1.75" continuous baffles
7D fabric in and out
21" center zip (so this is above the chest area)
Nunatak shaped hood (which is made possible by the center zip)
950FP down
dyneema cinch cord
normal netting material for baffles

weights:
length 6'1"
Girth 59/50/36 (shoulder,waist, foot)
355g down
200 g shell
total 555

Mike

[Chad Webster]

you guys have really given me a lot to think about. so now i can't hardly make a choice!!! Thanks for the input and please keep it coming!

-chad

[Ben C]

It would be a mistake to no at least consider the Enlightened Equipment quilts if you have any interest in a quilt. Mine is very well made and they are priced very nicely.

[Chad Webster]

So after (what I consider) a ton of reading and research I pulled the trigger on an Enlightened Equipment Quilt. I can't hardly wait until it gets here. The weight is just what I was after and I am a stomach sleeper, I am really hoping this helps me have a better nights rest. I'll keep you posted on how much I like it. To be honest I am nervous and excited, I had never even heard of a quilt in my life…super excited

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