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Hi folks,
I'd love to get my hands on a sub-2lb bag as I'm trying to lighten my load. I'm not picky on brand, as long as it's at least 30 degrees (and warm) as I'm a cold sleeper.
At 5'2", I'm also short, so long bags aren't really necessary.
Thanks in advance.
HI Andrea,
Welcome to BackpackingLight!
Sorry- I don't have a bag- just a quick bit of advice:
My wife is also 5'2" and she's found that even "regular" sized bags are cold because of all of the extra space she has to heat up. Even more important than having a 30 deg bag would be having a bag that actually fits you.
She's had great luck with the size small bags by Feathered Friends…so much that she's getting this bag for her birthday this week: http://www.featheredfriends.com/ProductDetails.aspx?productId=93&CatId=1&ProductName=Grouse%20–%20Womens
Out of your range at just over $300 but it's also one of the few that is an almost-exact fit at 5'3". The REI bags such as this http://www.rei.com/product/746385 are cheaper alternatives.
Anyway, these may be a couple to get your search underway. Don't accept a medium height man's bag!
Again, welcome to BPL!
DougAndrea,
My GF is 5'4" and uses Montbell bags. The inner elastic baffles hug your body to remove most deadspace, stretches to let you sprawl out (71" circumfrence largest of any bag), and the dual baffles constantly maximize loft along the length of the bag. (I used my 50'F bag at 25'F for example)
A drawstring around the last baffle allows the last 6" to be cinched off (after that baffle is stuffed back up into the bag to act as a foot pillow). Many other features such as neck adjusters, neck baffles, etc..Last year's 725 fill power models can be had for about 60% of current 800 fill power model prices.
For 2 lbs you can go as warm as a #2, -4'C/25'F and 30 ounces.
http://www.montbell.us/products/disp.php?cat_id=28&p_id=1121726If after your research you decide to go Montbell; I can send you a 2006 from the Montbell outlet store here. (I keep the member points, so it helps me too.)
Then again, there's always the SelkBag..
Thanks for your feedback and welcome guys, much appreciated. I've been lurking for a little while…
Doug – Living in Seattle, I am aware of FF's reputation. A good friend of mine (who is shorter!) got a FF bag for her Everest climb last year and loved the fact that it fit her perfectly…if only I could afford their prices. And they rarely set out seconds that match my size. :)
Brett – Oh, lucky you to live near the Montbell Outlet!! What would the price (including shipping) be for that very bag you mention (25 degree). In my research, I've been looking at WM and Montbell… Thanks for the offer!
Andrea,
Montbell makes great sleeping bags as do the others mentioned. If Brett can get you one at a steep discount it is definitely worth going for.
My only suggestion beyond the scope of your specific search is a bit of philosophy I have come to accept after buying many items based primarily on cost savings. The top three items in your hiking kit will be the pack, bag, and shoes. You will go back to buy something else if you don't start with the "perfect fit" for these items right from the start. Take longer to save to buy them if you have to….but spending 33% more, for example ultimately saves money over the re-purchase when you conclude after 12 or 24 months of use that something is not perfect for you. And the nice thing about equipment is there is so much quantity/variety, you really should be able to get the perfect piece of equipment for you.
Good luck and enjoy the lighter side of backcountry exploration!
Hey Andrea,
I just had Brett get me a Montbell Inner Half Sleeve from the Japan store, and it ended up being cheaper and shipping was faster then if I had bought it from the US – I'm located in Canada. So, he is definitely recomended…although, I thought he just absolutely loved doing favours for complete and total strangers, never knew about the Montbell points;)!he he.. Montbell gives me 3% back in 'points' on all purchases; so my stuff ends up being a little cheaper.
I do like doing random acts of kindness; and spreading the word about products I believe in due to personal experience. On the other hand, if something is junk, like the Montbell Versalite 50L; I would certainly say so and discourage its purchase.
That purchase I made for Steven saved me a few Yen yesterday when I bought a different mat to go with my Montbell bag. This is a 127cm inflatable with 6 INDEPENENT chambers. 340g, 5cm thick, and a repair kit and stuffsack included. This is for alpine trips when Im sleeping above the treeline on a 'bed' of fist sized talus(this weekend). No foam mat would work; the only relief is to have a thick inflatable to 'float above it all'.
My GF's been using one for a year; unlike most inflatables if one chamber leaks (hasn't happened yet); the other 5/6 will stay inflated.
I think this mat is 'Japan only'? PM me if you want one.
180cm available at 470g. 120cm here;
http://webshop.montbell.jp/goods/disp.php?product_id=1124207
I have one of these, too. Pretty nice, the separate chambers do require some getting used to with the double valves on each end of each chamber. One thing I did was to buy some synthetic insulation fill, cut it into strips the length and width of each of the chambers, cut open the end of the mattress where you let the air "out", and slid in the insulation strips. I ironed the cut end back shut, and the mattress worked perfectly.Now I have an insulated mattress that is wider than the POE mattress. The only thing that gets to me is having to blow up each of those chambers. In cold weather my nostrils, lungs, and head begin to hurt!
(Not to steal your side of the street, Brett, but if Brett ever gets overwhelmed by requests from abroad for Japanese goods, I'd be glad to fill in. However, I'm not located in Tokyo so everything would take a little longer. I get into Tokyo about twice a month. Just let me know. I go to a lot of different stores looking for unusal goods. I just bought a wonderful pillow (though a little heavier than the MB UL Pillow, it has insulation inside so it is comfortable even when half inflated, and warm…) made by Isuka, a company that is not as well known as MontBell (their specialty is sleeping bags… called "Schlaf", a Japanese word for sleeping bag, coming from the German word "sleep") but makes some really nice, light sleeping bags. Here is their English product listing page. Check out their Ultralight Poncho (actually a cagoule).
Miguel,
Did you add the insulation because the mat was not keeping you warm enough? I currently use a downmat 7 short for my winter trips, and find it to be extremely warm and cozy. But, at 24 oz I wouldn't mind getting something lighter. That is the only inflatable mat I have used, so i can't comment if the insulation inside actually does anything. I would think that the trapped air inside would be enough?Brett,
Any comparison betweeen the two?3 bucks on a hun ain't bad….plus beer money, of course!
Steve
Please excuse this hijacking of this thread about buying a 2lb bag.. Steve, the trapped air is not as good as filler material because of convective currents in an inflated mattress. Foam limits the motion of the air; stagnant air has quite a high R-value (double paned windows as a practical example)
Miguel, that was an amazing mod; I don't have the skills or DIY confidence to cut open any of my pads!! More power to you.Hi Steven, I've used other air-only airmats and in the alpine regions that I've spent most of my time walking in I've often felt cold on them. Maybe it's just me, I don't know. I haven't really used this mat much either way. Just too bulky for what I' trying to do.
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