Montbell ULSS Down Hugger#0

Sven:

I don't have the 0, but I do have two other MB bags — the #3 Alpine down hugger and the Thermal Sheet — which is basically a hoodless, down No. 7.

MB materials and workmanship are first rate. I consider myself an average sleeper (neither sleeping overly warm or cold) and I find MB's "comfort ratings" and weight specs both accurate.

Sven:
I have the #2 SS rated to 24 degrees F as well as two other MBs. I agree with Ben; the rating on their bags is spot on and the comfort and compressibilty is second to none on the SS. I would caution you about size differentials when comparing the SS to the Alpines. The Alpines are cut much slimmer and are not as long as stated. I am 6'3" and 175lbs and fit with plenty of room in my SS Long but am a very tight fit in the Alpine Long. Keep that in mind if you are tall and weigh more than 180, especially if you are buying a 0 bag and may need to augment your sleeping arrangement with the wearing of clothing in the bag to add additional warmth.

Thanks for your comments. I am 5'6 and 140lbs, so do you think that the Alpine one should cut it, even if I want to add a bitof extra clothing?
Thanks,
S.

Hm, the Alpine down only goes to 15F, so I guess that will not work anyway … :-)

Sven:

The Alpine down huggers will fit you beautifully. You may already know this, but the regular size Alpines (which are what I own) fit to 5'10"… but you can close off the last section for a snug fit around your feet!

I'm 5'9" and 150lbs and the regulars fit me perfectly, with a bit of room for moving around. You may wish to consider getting the Alpine Down #1 (15F) and the Thermal Sheet. This way, you have a UL summer bag good for 50F, a three-season bag good to 15F, and a 0F winter bag when you combine the two.

The Thermal Sheet is sized to fit inside the regular Alpine bags — and provides a good/honest 15F boost.

Sounds like a great idea. I will check it out!
Best,
S.

Hey Benjamin,
would you combine the thermal sheet with the Alpine or with the superstretch? Or is it goind to compress the superstretch too much?
S.

I have no problems with compression when I fit my Thermal Sheet inside my Alpine No. 3. The SS will work too, especially since it is stretchier than the Alpine.

Since we're talking about combining Montbell bags, a question.

I have a UL SS Down Hugger #3 Long (last year's 725 fill-power and really like it) and have thought about getting a #7 Long for summer use with the idea of putting the #7 inside the #3 for cold weather. BTW, I'm 6'1" and about 200#.

Will a long SS nest inside a long SS OK or will that not work well? I assume a regular might but it is too short; the Montbell web site also shows only a regular Thermal Sheet available. What combination of bags will give me summer, cool, and cold capability as Ben has suggested by nesting bags? Anyone actually nested long bags?

Ben, is the general rule of thumb with the montbell nesting to put the less lofty bag inside the more loft bag?

I have certainly considered using my Monbell #7 SS inside of my 2 oz overfill FF Winter Wren. Should be plenty of room. However, I'd only consider this option when I wasn't planning to wear the Wren.

Joshua — Yes, you should place the smaller/narrower/less lofty bag inside the bigger/wider/loftier one. To do otherwise would constrict the wider/loftier bag unnecessarily.

Siegmund — Given the SS's elasticity, I am guessing that it should be OK to put one SS inside another. However, you should call MontBell and ask directly. Nels, the MB customer service manager, is very knowledgeable.

Sven,
Do you need the #0 enough to justify a dedicated 0'F bag? If not I echo Ben's comment about TWO bags. Thats just what I did. I have a #3 and a #7 (and a #7Alpine I picked up for $100). the #7 inside the #3 would probably get me down to 0'F, and having two lighter bags is more versatile for year-round camping.
Alpine Down Hugger #5 is $165 here,
http://www.prolitegear.com/cgi-bin/prolitegear/montbell_alpine_down_hugger_5
and a #7 alpine is $100 more from an outlet in Japan(I can get one for you). (on older models some have zippers some do not)

Ah, life is complicated.
I don't think I will really be using a zero degree bag more than 2-3 times a year. Right now I have a 30 degree bag. From my understanding, a 50F bag will get you an additional 15F. I was thinking about the Montbell thermal sheet as an addition to my existing bag, but am not sure whether it would compress the down too much, since the Wester Mountaineering Summerlite is pretty snug (?). That would get it down to 15F and if it gets really colder I could wear additional insulation (i.e. synthetic down pullover or VB clothing) for anything under 15F. Or buy a 15F bag and (a) add a 50F bag/liner to get it down to 0F (the combination would be significantly heavier than a pure 0F bag though)or just get a 15F bag and rely on additional insulation (see above) to get it down to 0F. Or try and fit my 30F bag into a new 15F bag, but that would again be much heavier than a pure 0F bag. Argh!
S.