850 or 950 for a winter bag

I love my sawatch, but i want something a bit wider and warmer. Moisture hasnt been enough of an issue for me for the extra weight of a synth overquilt solution.

@porosantihodos I went with a zero degree 950 fill enigma with 3oz overfill (EE says it would make it a -10)

<span class=”profile-data”>@porosantihodos</span>

Its a great quilt, eh.

For headwear I usually just have a buff with various hoods layered over that. In cold winter, I’ve got a micro-grid hoody, with a nano air hoody, and montbell mirage hoody layered over that, with an eye mask or sunglasses and sometimes a quarter buff over my nose. I own a down balaclava, but its def not necessary with all the hood layers mentioned above. The mirage hood is sized to go over a helmet, and cinches down to a small peep hole, so it ends up being a lot like a sleeping bag hood. For a winter parka especially, its good to have a hood with extra coverage to hunker down from the wind and trap a little air when sleeping.

To get back to my initial thread. I ended up sleeping on the divide in the northern winds at the front end of a blizzard this april. We dug out what seemed like sheltered platform into the side of mountain, but somehow spindrift was funnelled right into the tent. Each gust would blow spindrift in, which promptly melted onto my bag. I was pretty amazed at how quick my bag was losing loft and warmth. It ended up being fine, but I have a better understanding of why people opt for waterproof shells on their bags in winter. I doubt 850-900 would make much of a difference in this situation. Overall, I’m still happy with my purchase, since the majority of my backpacking is still 3 season, and this setup basically gives me the warmth of a 0 degree bag with the weight of a 20 degree one. My backpacking partner also owns an EE,  and we both noticed that the shell material breaths noticeably better which gives a broader comfort range in warmer temps and faster drying times.