Critique my sleeping bag choices

I have a WM Versalight and it is probably my favorite piece of gear. My daughter kept borrowing it so I gifted her one too.

I don't sleep real cold but my clothing insulation layers tend to get appropriated as dog sleep systems. It gets used year round with an over quilt.

See Adam Kramers post about prolightgear.com having a 25% off sale with coupon code: GAMBLER.

Edit to add: Lori in her post below is right on, a warmer bag will NOT compensate for inadequate pad insulation underneath. You will still be cold. (lessons learned the hard way) A warmer pad will compensate for an underrated bag to some extent however.

All I can say is I don't think you can go wrong with a Versalite. I love mine.

I own a Montbell #3 and can't find a more comfortable sleeping bag although I do look from time to time. I don't have access to any Western Mountaineering sleeping bags to try out so can't say anything about them. I tried out the Marmot Plasma and thought it was like a coffin.

There's a GoLite on sale here, Long-Wide
New model

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=93772&skip_to_post=797026#797026

I'd change out the pad first. The BA IAC is rated to 35F. Cold pad, cold sleep. The Q Core is rated to 15F – a better single pad to pair with a 15-20F bag.

Or, throw a Z Rest or other CCF on top of the IAC, and see if it improves the situation – bet it does.

You can't go far wrong with WM bags.

I have about 30 nights in an Alpinelite and Puma and they are
well worth the cash outlay.

Good insights on the sleeping pad.

The BA IAC has an R value of 4.1, and the Q-Core 4.5. I wouldn't think that there would be much difference in warmth with that little difference in R-value. Seems that the Q-Core's major advantage over the IAC is weight.

I did get a chance to lie on an X-Therm last night at REI, and wow was that thing warm (R=5.7)! Felt like it was heated. I laid a sleeping bag atop it and the crinkling sound was effectively deadened. Another "wow" on the X-Therm is the price @ $220. But, I might just suck it up and get one.

I also looked at a Versalite last night and realized just how much more loft it had than my Sawtooth.

I guess my question now is if a Versalite + X-Therm would roast me in temps above 40 degrees.

"Another "wow" on the X-Therm is the price @ $220. But, I might just suck it up and get one."

Since winter is a ways off, take the time to watch for sales. I got my large xtherm last fall at EMS for about 170 or so. A lot of online coupons often exclude thermarest, but this deal was spend over X amount of money and get Y dollars off. I think the 200 dollar mark was 50 bucks off.

It is a great winter pad and well worth the investment. It will allow you to get all the warmth out of your bag. The extra bonuses are that it is very comfortable and light too.

"I tried out the Marmot Plasma and thought it was like a coffin"

I'm surprised to hear someone say this about the plasma. Did you try one of the newer 15 degree plasmas? I have one and it is super comfortable. It is also very generously cut and nothing like a coffin IMHO. If you look it up on outdoor gearlab, they rate it as one of the most comfortable bags.

I also found the temperature rating to be accurate. I slept warm in base layers in the high teens and was comfortable in single digits with some layering. YMMV

i used to have a versalite – was an awesome bag (left it behind in china for a friend) true to its rating, comfy and what you would expect from WM (i dont have 1st hand experience but i assume FF is also on to look at )

re the pad – you MUST change to a warmer one. xtherm is indeed pricey but its way above the rest in warmth to weight and warmth to volume. im not a big hardcore winter person (ie i dont go below single digit F night temps)- but that seems to be what you are looking at as well.

i ended up getting two custom Nuanatk bags you can take a look here:
minireview

as an aside – i would make it a point to NEVER go on a long cold trip with just an inflatable pad – i always carry a thin 1/8″ CCF pad to use as protection – but also if something really bad happens to my main pad (the xtherm) i could plausibly survive a night with 1/8 pad folded in half or 3 + rucksack+ clothes under me

You might want to consider adding lighter items to what you currently have, so you are ultimately creating a more versatile system.

In other words, perhaps consider a lighter (40d/50d) quilt you can use as an overbag to your Marmot, and a thin closed celled pad to supplement your air mattress. Make sure the closed celled pad is on top of the air mattress, maximizing the total R value of the system (higher R per inch should be closer to you.)

Also consider a down jacket as well. I believe (just a strong hunch) that wearing a good fitting down jacket can add a lot to an existing sleeping bag's warmth & comfort, since there is usually enough air space in a sleeping bag to not compress the down in the jacket while sleeping.

Western mountaineering bags are conservatively rated. I don't think the marmot bags are so much. You would be well suited by the 10 degree versalight.

I am a Big Agnes bag guy. (Although I do love my Stephenson Warm LIte.)I have a zero degree Big Agnes Pomer Hoit(probably more like +10 to 15F)(Long: 3 lbs. 2 oz. and a Big Agnes Horse Thief, when appropriate, (12 oz.) 35F that supposedly adds 25 degrees as an over bag.I am going to order the pie shape bag extender since if things really hit the fan, both bags, me and all my outer wear will not fit. I wear a Stephenson Hooded VB jacket against my skin- soft just like my Teddy Bear. Columbia Omni-heat mid weight long john pants and Columbia hooded Omni-heat lite-weight fishing jacket (go figure, it was cheap). The feet get 0ne or two pairs of -40 or there abouts wool blend socks and down boots are usually stuffed in the bottom of the Pomer Hoit. Thinking about Stephenson VB socks and gloves.
I have a Klymit Static V insulated 23" X 72" X 2.5 " R 4.4($90 and 24 oz. air mattress that is much lighter than what you have. I have slept on this over 45 night with out needing to add a puff of air. Only problem is that Klymit is too wide for the Big Agnes Pomer Hoit mattress pocket (I wanted that on purpose. I have extra project Down coming out of my ears (planned for hammock quilts) and thread injectors a plenty so I know I will be able to make that work when I get to it. I also carry a Thermarest Z Lite and a 1/4" closed cell sit pad just in case. Just for kicks, thinking about testing a small test of aluminized paint on the Z lite and the sit pad although no real need because of the VB and Omni heat.

I have slept out on a pad wearing the VP Jacket plus the Omni Heat top and bottom in an OMni-heat bag liner in 40 to 45 F comfortably and I am a cold sleeper so the VB and OMni heat seem to be getting me at least 20 to 25 F degrees.
Regards,
Paul

One more for the Versalite. Good for me, a cold sleeper, at your suggested temps with mid weight base and a fleece cap. Get one on the prolite gear sale, you cant go wrong. I'm going to pick up a set of summer quilts though for the wife and I for temps 40 and above. Or make my own if I have to.

jimmyb