Light Down sleeping bag rated 30s that will do the job in 20s for $250 or less?

To clarify, my only issue with the Zissou 3S is the weight 2.13lbs….otherwise solid.

https://www.rei.com/product/896280/sierra-designs-zissou-3s-plus-sleeping-bag

How about the hammock gear quilts?  I think they run $250.  Shug just uploaded a video using them on the ground.

Not into quilts, already tried an EE quilt and return. Great product but I need to be inside a bag. :)

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They seem to be more than happy to customize.  The quilt 20* weights just 1lb 6oz, I’m sure you could get them to sew a zipper and a “back” on for you.  If not it would be easy enough to do it yourself.

The bag you have seems pretty good and the weight is not bad.

Zpack has some in their bargain gear between $280 and $300 and weighs around 1 pound even.

Nope. With a 700 fill bag, give or take a couple ounces, you are looking at around 2 pounds. Keep it if you are happy with it. It is NOT a cold weather bag, but will work, for most of the country, into fall and start in spring.

WM is very true to temperature ratings, they go more by subjective (that means a LOT of testing) than the EN standard. It works. But, they charge a LOT for the quality. An equivalent bag is a 4″ loft at 1#8. This means it is well over a half pound lighter. Lighter down (like 850 fill) and lighter materials coupled with fussy manufacturing makes them a very good bag.

Now, there are ways to stretch a 40F bag into the mid 20’s. A set of mid weight long johns, dry wool socks, a down jacket, and a dry fleece will do it. This means you can leave your hiking cloths out to dry if you happen to be wet or sweaty (or both.) Don’t forget that this is UL trail travel. So, it happens often enough in the ADK’s, that I use everything in my pack in fall and winter to sleep fairly comfortably. I am sure you can do the same with a warmer bag. Corse, my bag weighs about 1#11 and is only 800 fill at 3.5″.

The newer quilts can easily hit about 20F at 1#2 to 1#6. But, you need a good pad. An Xlite usually will leave you a bit cold at lower limit due to edge bleeding and/or low R values. Often at those temps a second pad or another, warmer, pad is used. Some of the weight savings at the 20F limit is a false savings since you need to carry the weight in extra ground insulation, or, for hammock users, and extra under quilt.

Any fans for Marmot Hydrogen? I have read good things about it Googling around….

I got my hands on a Zissou 3S which is a fine sleeping bag,,,,,I havent used, may return it.

with just the above to go on here and your desire to (comfortably) push a 30 deg bag down to 20 I have to assume you sleep on the warm side or that you have an accurate idea of what you need for supplemental clothing to get you there. If so realize what most have discovered here the hard way or by taking the advise of others, and that is when shopping for a bag you can pick two of the following three…reliable warmth ratings, light weight, inexpensive.

Now if you sleep cold like me you simply have to carry more insulation,  supplemental clothing and/or pad efficiency for any given situation…but the above rule of pick 2 out of 3 still applies. I wanted warm and lightweight so I had to put a good dent in the wallet to get it. Keep in mind spending money wisely on quality stuff will get you good performance, longevity and if kept in good condition reselling that gear is actually less expensive in the long run.

Sebastian, just curious, what pad were you using at what temp. when you tried the EE quilt?

For EE I was using the Z-Sol. The EE was warm but Im just not a quilt guy. I need to be wrapped burrito style

Im def aware that WM bags have all the factors going for them. However, I looked at them over and over and they are too claustro for me. They have one that’s wide but its ridiculous like 68 inches wide. Plus I dont wanna spend like that, period.

I would like to try to push with clothes/layers on me.

 I need to be wrapped burrito style

A compromise may be the Enlightened Equipment Convert.  It has a full length zipper, much like a traditional sleeping bag.  It’s $300, but it has the other aspects you seem to be looking for.  For what it’s worth, I also think that money spent increasing the temperature rating to the temps you’ll actually encounter is money well spent.  I think you’re either going to have to increase your budget or be more flexible in your weight expectations if you want to be comfortable.

Marmot makes good bags and they have the best prices of late. They aren’t quite WM or FF quality but the next tier down.

I do know at least one poster on here said his marmot was under filled so you may have to keep an eye on the QC.

The weight given above as 2.13lbs for the Zissou would be a very decent at that price, but it’s 2 lb13 oz, which is 2.8lbs, and therefore not so good by UL standards. And probably not very compressible, either.

I would keep an eye on the gear forums for something like a lightly used Marmot Plasma. I have owned a couple of Marmot bags over the years and found their temp ratings consistently reliable. HERE is a website that I’ve purchased from in the past that has some reasonable prices for Marmot bags. Their search filters are very good and useful IMO.

Find a used Marmot Hydrogen or Marmot Helium. It’s really the only way you can pull this off with that price point of $250…

They have “continuous baffle” construction like the Western Mountaineering bags do. I have the Hydrogen and have used it in summer and winter in temps like you mentioned. I just shift all the down fill to the top baffles and rely on my sleeping pad to insulate my back. Mine is a regular length half zip and weighs 1 lb 7 oz. For an UL bag it has a good hip girth. Much better than those claustro REI bags!

In life there are things where quality supersedes all other factors. Some quality items just work better and last for decades. This kind of quality, that lasts for decades, is often an investment because when it is dollar cost averaged over its lifetime, it is the least expensive option. WM is one of those quality items.

I think most outdoor gear is overpriced and you DON’T get what you pay for.

A major exception? Sleeping bags or quilts.

Buy the best you can afford. You won’t regret it.

I bought a Feathered Friends Hummingbird back in 1997.  It has been used a fair amount over the years.

It is still lofty (once I cleaned it) and very functional.

I switched to a quilt in recent years, but that FF Hummingbird has many bag nights on it.

The cost was the equivalent of almost $500 in today’s money and it was worth every penny.

If you are more constrained by budget than by choice, the Kelty down bags have received good reviews including on this site.

https://www.rei.com/product/896029/kelty-cosmic-down-20-sleeping-bag-mens

But, again, if you use a bag/quilt on a regular basis may be worth spending the most you can afford IMO.

https://www.rei.com/product/862532/rei-igneo-sleeping-bag

or the flash if you truly want a 30 deg rated bag:

https://www.rei.com/product/862529/rei-flash-sleeping-bag

Well ok, what do you think

Sierra Designs Zissou 3S at $160 weighs 2.15 lbs  – Probably warm enough for my needs.

Worth the spend for 10 oz less??

https://www.rei.com/product/896280/sierra-designs-zissou-3s-plus-sleeping-bag

vs

Marmot Helium at 2.5 oz for $300-$400 (depending on deal i can find)

https://marmot.com/products/details/helium-new

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A lot of folks will tell you that the loft of the bag is the most important gauge of how warm a bag is. Weight is a very rough measure because it doesn’t necessarily tell you anything about the cut of the bag or the fill power of the down used.

Going back to Nick and Paul’s comments, Western Mountaineering and Feathered Friends are two of the most respected brands out there. Their temperature ratings are universally understated, so you get more than you pay for. As for WM cut, take a look at the Megalite (30F) and the Alpinlite (20F). Both are wide without being enormous. Both are top notch, and with proper care will last you a decade or longer.

A word of caution when shopping: the European EN ratings are often misapplied by retailers in the US, so you can be comparing a comfort rating on one bag with a limit rating in another and not even realise it.

Also consider that you can extend the comfort level of your bag considerably by using your clothing to add insulation. Beyond that, +1 to Nick’s comment about WM. I took my WM Summerlite down to ~20 degrees on a recent trip by wearing a Berghaus Vapourlight Hydroloft Hoody and an extra pair of socks over my baselayer and hiking socks. That is ~12 degrees below its rating. Let it be noted that I do not carry much body fat, and that a full 1.5 liter platy froze solid overnight. Yes, +1 to WM.

This link is provided to give readers an idea of what the Vapourlight Hoody is. I am not promoting it, nor do I have any financial interest in Berghaus. But I will add that it is a superb piece of gear, IME.

https://www.backcountryedge.com/men-s-vapourlight-hydroloft-hoody.html

You are going to have to ADD a down jacket and long johns to get a 30 F. down bag to 20 F. I’ve done it with my WM Megalite bag to 15 F.

I had my Megalite overfilled and it’s now a true 20 F. bag. the Megalite’s continuous baffle is now non-functional due to the overfill. It’s simply too full to shift down from top to bottom. But it’s sooo warm.

In summer (W/night temps above 50 F.) I unzip it all the way, stick the foot of my mattress in the foot of the bag and use it as a quilt. In that mode it feels like being in bed at home.