Summer sleeping bag

Looking at the Big Agnes Nugget 45F sleeping bag. Man, this thing is a pancake. Only has 6oz of insulation. I know these sleeping bags have no insulation on the bottom, sleeve for the pad, little bit wider, etc. But it still seems paper-thin. Anyone have any experience with this bag? Opinions on this or other 40F or 45F bags? Thanks. big agnes nugget 45

dvbl said:

Looking at the Big Agnes Nugget 45F sleeping bag. Man, this thing is a pancake. Only has 6oz of insulation. I know these sleeping bags have no insulation on the bottom, sleeve for the pad, little bit wider, etc. But it still seems paper-thin. Anyone have any experience with this bag? Opinions on this or other 40F or 45F bags? Thanks. big agnes nugget 45

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I have a BA Lost Dog 50 degree summer bag. As long as I take it out in reasonable seasons I've never been cold. Actually I rarely zip it up and so it performs more like a quilt. A lightweight liner (I use silk) helps a lot to give you variable covering options. I sleep in a hammock, so bottom insulation is more important in this case. A hammock or small tent traps a lot of warm air over you, in spite of it being mostly netting above.

Consider what you sleep under at home in bed on a cool summer night with the windows open and you'll realize you don't need much of a quilt. Any extra clothing you bring in your pack can always be brought into service if absolutely needed.

I have a Western Mountaineering Iroquios. It's rated to 35F, with a spec of 3" loft but I measure it at 4-5". It weighs 1.5 pounds, is made of regular (not light duty) material and has a full length zipper so I can open it as needed to regulate temperature. It's a little warm, but I wanted something good to 40.
Oh, by the way, it's discontinnued - they replaced it with a 3/4 length zip, 1lb, light material bag.

Mountain Hardware Phantom

I have a MH Phantom 45 and I love it. It's lighter (15oz) than my winter parka!

Get it on sale and it's the best bang for your bag buck.

cb

My WM highlite is up to 60 or 70 nights now and still looks like new. Despite the 35f rating I have slept well on several occasions down to the low 20s with just a touque and light fleese.

Only having a 3/4 length zipper is a minor pain, but that is the price to pay for a 16 oz bag.

dreamstream said:

...I have slept well on several occasions down to the low 20s with just a touque and light fleese.

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"Touque"!!! I love it. Haven't heard that word in a long time. We used to go up to Canada on hockey trips, and after the game we were always told, "Put your touque on." Thanks for the flashback.

And thanks for the sleeping bag info.

I have the same WM Iriquois that John Swanson has, I bought it when it was discontinued for like $160 so I use it in the summer. I do like the full zip and the packsize of it and I've used it down to about freezing or so.

Jay

EMS Velocity

I use an EMS Velocity 35. I really like it because:
A: Good value, $180
B: Extremely light, 18 oz.
C: Stuff size, it stuffs to 5x9 with the compression sack.

The only item I don't like is the half zipper, but they are looking to shave grams in their design. A few weeks ago I slept in it off the Bond Cliff trail and the overnight temps hit the mid thirtys, very comfy. All things considered, an excellent piecs of gear.

dvbl said:

"Touque"!!! I love it. Haven't heard that word in a long time. We used to go up to Canada on hockey trips, and after the game we were always told, "Put your touque on." Thanks for the flashback.

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It's written "tuque" in french by the way

Fish

Edit: I have an Asolo Marco (rated 4C) and it's great for summer: Packs down small and provides enough warmth for summer months. If I'm going to be attempting to go near freezing with it, I always bring big wool socks, tuque, and exp. weight longjohns.

tuque

hikingfish said:

It's written "tuque" in french by the way

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And looks something like this...

I have the Mountain Hardwear Lamina 45. It's a solid bag. I don't have any complaints about it. I'd recommend it. But...it 's just not as fantastic as my Western Mountaineering UltraLite (20°), aka the greatest sleeping bag ever created anywhere. The Lamina weighs 1lb. 10oz, which is pretty light, but the same as the UltraLite.
So, I have my eye on the Western HighLite, which only weighs a pound...PURRRRRR.