When I return from a pack trip I often reflect a bit on how my equipment did and did not work, and on how I might tweak my setup. One issue that always concerns me – and more so as I get older – is the balance between weight and functionality. This is especially important with core pieces of gear like the sleeping bag.
For the past couple years I have used the excellent Marmot Helium sleeping bag on most pack trips. Marmot uses high quality down and careful design (a half-zipper, for example) to provide a 15-degree bag that weighs only about two pounds and stuffs quite small. This is a fine piece of gear and, along with most other reviewers, I have only good things to say about it.
But do I really need a 15 degree bag for summer backpacking in the Sierra Nevada, where the temperature only very rarely falls to freezing? Not really. Some years ago I purchased an early model of the Marmot Arroyo sleeping bag. (Newer models of the Arroyo are available and appear to have been updated and improved.) This bag also uses the premium, high-lofting down, but it minimizes weight with a fairly tight cut and by minimizing the insulation to the point that it is rated only to 30 degrees.
On this past week’s quick trip into the Young Lakes Basin in the Tuolumne Meadows backcountry of Yosemite National Park I decided to take advantage of warm conditions and use the Arroyo bag again, after having pretty much switched to the Helium for the past couple of summers. And the results? Pardon the awful pun, but I’m going to say it was a mixed bag. Continue reading →
July 12, 2008
Posted by gdanmitchell |
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Comments Off on Thinking About Sleeping Bags – How Light is Too Light?
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Thinking About Sleeping Bags – How Light is Too Light?
When I return from a pack trip I often reflect a bit on how my equipment did and did not work, and on how I might tweak my setup. One issue that always concerns me – and more so as I get older – is the balance between weight and functionality. This is especially important with core pieces of gear like the sleeping bag.
For the past couple years I have used the excellent Marmot Helium sleeping bag on most pack trips. Marmot uses high quality down and careful design (a half-zipper, for example) to provide a 15-degree bag that weighs only about two pounds and stuffs quite small. This is a fine piece of gear and, along with most other reviewers, I have only good things to say about it.
But do I really need a 15 degree bag for summer backpacking in the Sierra Nevada, where the temperature only very rarely falls to freezing? Not really. Some years ago I purchased an early model of the Marmot Arroyo sleeping bag. (Newer models of the Arroyo are available and appear to have been updated and improved.) This bag also uses the premium, high-lofting down, but it minimizes weight with a fairly tight cut and by minimizing the insulation to the point that it is rated only to 30 degrees.
On this past week’s quick trip into the Young Lakes Basin in the Tuolumne Meadows backcountry of Yosemite National Park I decided to take advantage of warm conditions and use the Arroyo bag again, after having pretty much switched to the Helium for the past couple of summers. And the results? Pardon the awful pun, but I’m going to say it was a mixed bag. Continue reading →
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July 12, 2008 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on Thinking About Sleeping Bags – How Light is Too Light?