Dan's Outside

My Take on 'Sleeping Systems'

Having just read a post at the Mt. Whitney and Eastern Sierra Hiking Blog (see “On Backpacking…Sleep System“) I thought I’d add my two cents on this topic.

To my way of thinking, a backpacking “sleeping” system includes several components: sleeping bag, pad, ground sheet, shelter, clothing – and for some, a pillow.

Sleeping Bag – My current first-string sleeping bag is the Marmot Helium that I purchased a few years ago. This is a really fine sleeping bag with 800+ high-fill down, great design features, and a weight of around 2 pounds. The high-fill down decreases the weight and allows the bag to stuff smaller, taking up less space in a smaller pack. The version that I use has only a half zipper – this decreases the weight and cost a tiny bit and isn’t a significant drawback for me. The 15 degree rating is sufficient for me into the colder October season in the Sierra and is more than warm enough for typical summer conditions.

I have also used a lighter 30 degree bag, Continue reading →

May 31, 2008 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary, Equipment, Technique | backpack, backpacking, bag, bivy, camping, clothes, clothing, cold, Equipment, gear, ground sheet, helium, hydrogen, insulation, marmot, pad, review, shelter, Sierra Nevada, sleeping, summer, system, tend, thermarest, warm | Comments Off on My Take on 'Sleeping Systems'