Western Mountaineering Sleeping Bags

“save your money for the ski trip. it will be better spent on good food, booze, and women. better still skip the microfiber and get a down bag. even the best synthetic bags are only as good as a cheap down bag. also, a good down bag will last longer (your lifetime if properly cared for). for most casual hikers (a few trips per month) the difference here will be a fine line. if you plan to use the bag a lot, however, don't expect the synthetic fill to be less and less effective as the years pass. it just doesn't take the compress/decompress cycles nearly as well as down.”

“..huh?! Spent my money on food, booze and women...?

I am a lady.”

“On WM the MF is outside of the bag, not the insulation. The MF is very water resistant and tough - I have it on the Bison (I think, 0 deg one anyway). I've not seen the DL version but the MF is pretty good, I'm not regretted not getting the Dry Loft.
Western Mountaineering also uses brand name fabrics and re-names them.

Their lightweight line is Pertex Quantum
I think the MF is a more durable pertex, but I'm not sure.
Can't remember what the dryloft version is.”

““..huh?! Spent my money on food, booze and women...?

I am a lady.”
Euro hike
6:10:16 AM
12/20/07

Even better :o)”

“hehe, you beat me to that one y2!”

“You guys are saying pretty much what I thought when deciding between the MF and DL. Dryloft seemed pretty unnecessary to me at the time, and still does. The MF does just fine at shedding condensation from inside a tent, which is probably the most moisture many of us will ever have to deal with.

Plus, the DL, if it does happen to get wet, seems almost impossible to get all the water out of. When Prowler's Platy bag busted in his pack, his DL sleeping bag was still 3 or 4 oz heavier a few weeks later.”

“I have the WM Apache DL bag (15 degree). But I have slept in it down to 10 degree weather and been plenty warm - and I am a cold sleeper. I spent four days in the pouring rain and then snow toward the end of this summer. I stayed completely dry, even when water started dripping on my feet from the tent wall on day 3. If you were to get the bag, my only recommendation would be - DON'T breathe into the bag. That is when you are going to have big moisture problems. Otherwise, I have never had any issues of too much moisture inside the bag. I have been very happy with it.

On the same trip, mountainrunner had his Feathered Friends 20 degree MF bag. He was damp by day one. He said he was ok, but once damp, down doesn't hold it's warmth like it should. So it all depends on the kind of conditions you plan to sleep in.”

“I also have a WM bag with DryLoft and love it. It's a winter bag and I use it in snow caves and my Megamid and Kiva. On 10 day trips, with NO sunlight I do notice a little dampness from condensation. All it takes though is a few minutes in sunlight to dry the bag. Like honeybunches says...do not breathe inside the bag!

It has had water dripping on it, been shoved up against the side of a wet tent and more than once I woke up with an inch of snow on top, with no ill effects. I used the bag extensively for at least 50 nights a year in the winter and only noticed occasional dampness from condensation....when there was NO sunlight to dry it in. That was after 7/8 days.

Quick note for anyone with a coated bag....it usually takes only a few minutes to dry the bag out in sunlight (unless it is soaked) if you turn the bag inside out. A bag with a black interior helps too.”

“With the MF version I've had the outside of the lower part of the bag soaked from condensation, with no dampness inside or in the down. So it's good. Sounds like dry loft is even better.”

“"it will be better spent on good food, booze, and women"

My climbing partner, Amy, has said that more than once ;-)
last edited: 12/20/07 7:27:35 AM”

“...your money or her money?
;-)”

“�...your money or her money?
;-)�

Climbing partners share everything........


There is a lot to be said for having a lesbian for a climbing partner.”

“I have the Sequoia with dry loft, and use it for cold weather and winter camping. I like knowing that I don't have to worry about touching a snow shelter wall, or about sliding off the plastic sheet onto snow. I've had no problems with the dry loft, and would get it again. With my summer WM bag, the mega lite or something, I don't have dry loft, and in Idaho's dry climate I don't need it.”

“i have the MF Apache and it's done great. Been caught in torrential downpours in a tent dripping with condensation, i've been drizzled on, and had my boots thaw out next to them and had the footbox sit in a puddle for a while....no problems!!

it is a bit tight...i might have to order a tree name next time.”

“This thread started with Wind Walker waiting for his new WM sleeping bag. You must have gotten it, so you do you like it, and where have you taken it?”

“Next bags I get will be WM. Do they do a quilt, by chance?”

“I have the WM Super Micro Fiber Antelope and I love it!!!”

“WW, what do you figure the comfort range is, compared to what it is rated at?”

“these sleeping bag comfort ratings are so subjective it's ridiculous. if i was forced to pick one brand that was "true to rating" (for my metabolism/tolerance/physiology) I would say WM would be at the top of the list.”

“I have the Aspen MF with a hood. I only mention that because it's optional, or was at the time, on that bag.

I've been wanting the real wide cold weather bag, the Bristlecone I think. As soon as I have a bunch of money and nothing to do with it......”

“Idaho Bob...I think WM is right on the money.
My Antelope is rated 5 degrees...I have slept in it down to 7 degrees...and been warm as toast.”

“Kodiak.... Kodiak is the MF bg I have, not Bison, not sure where that came from - oh, and with the overfill too.”

“i have a WM iroquois, it's a 32 degree bag, it has sewn threw seeams similiar to a quilt..i usually just unzip it and curl on top or around it.”

“http://www.boingboing.net/2009/02/19/giant-bear-fursuitsl.html

Kewl!!!!”

“After the field trials...the reviewer was quoted as saying...

"the damn thing was nice and cozy....but waking up while being molested by a boar bear was a bummer"”

“Who has experience with the WM Antelope? Has anybody using it in winter at really low temps?

It is rated to 5�F and I am going to FYAO. I heard the temps there can plummet into the -20�F!?!”

“I do have 2 WM sleeping bags and can attest to their quality. With 7" of loft the Antelope should have no problem taking you to 0*F but you would be seriously uncomfortable at -20*F. The WM Puma might be a nice choice for FYAO.

Personally, if it is going to be -20, my butt is staying indoors. In fact, I have never even been indoors somewhere when it was that cold.”

“It will be warmer in a tent than the outdoor temp, by how many degrees is hard to say, depending on your tent, but I'd say at least five at a minimum. OK, so bring along a silk bag liner and that bumps it up another 5-10 degrees. Wear your long undies to bed, another 3-5 degrees. Wear your insulating layers to bed, another 5-10 degrees. It's not hard to make up that 20 degrees (should it happen). I would think you would be fine. Just make sure you have a closed-cell foam pad underneath. A thermarest only and you will be cold as hell.”

“My Antelope, Super DL, long, has kept me warm and comfortable, down to minus 7 and minus 4 here in CA, wearing socks, wicking/thermal top and bottom. YMMV.”

“I have four different WM bags. The temp ratings are very close to what they say, and I'm a cold sleeper.”

“Get one of these; http://www.rei.com/product/797114”

“also a candle lantern in the tent will make it feel 1-3 degrees warmer. LOL”

“http://cgi.ebay.com/SEA-TO-SUMMIT-Thermolite-REACTOR-Sleeping-Bag-Liner-NWT_W0QQitemZ320476447560QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item4a9de28348

Buy it here cheaper”

“I can't afford buying yet another sleeping bag. So I have to make it work with this one. I will get a summer sleeping bag to pull over the WM bag. I hope that will add enough extra degrees?
In Wyoming, where I was using a NOLS sleeping bag, I slept with all my clothes on.”

“Do you have lightweight down garments to wear inside the bag like the Mont-Bell UL Down Pants and Jacket? That would add a bit of warmth. You could also add a bivy bag.”

“Worst case scenario, if you are freezing, wrap yourself in plastic to make a vapor barrier liner.”

“Don't stuff inside another full size sleeping bag, you'll compress the loft and actually decrease the bags ability to keep you warm”

“Worst case scenario, if you are freezing, wrap yourself in plastic to make a vapor barrier liner.�
roseymonster
1:37:19 PM
1/21/10

Didn't Kathy Bates do that in Fried Green Tomatoes?”

“Good idea. I have the Mont Bell insulated pants and ligt parka.”

“Last time I went to my shrink I was wearing my Saren Wrap pants....right off the bat, without asking me a question, he said
"I can clearly see your nuts!!"”

“It went down to -13 F inside my tent (I have no idea what it was outside) and I woke up a little chilled in the pre-dawn hours. I was sleeping in thermal underwear only. I put on a down vest and fleece pants and was toasty again.

I've never used an Antelope but as WM ratings are pretty accurate, you might have a problem with it if it gets really cold, even with clothing inside. (Opie is right about not stuffing one bag inside another.)

There are a number of outfitters that rent sleeping bags, REI being among them. I have no idea if anyone rents bags with very low temp ratings, but its worth a try.

Alternatively, if you get a good enough price on a used one, you might actually be able to sell at a profit. I bought my Puma new and sold it many years later at a profit.”

“I think if it comes to the worst I will have to use a life-warm-blanket at FYAO :-)
Who has a left-zip sleeping bag? Anybody?”

“Get some air activated body warmers and put them in your bag. Get some of the insoles for your boots too. These things are so cheap it is stupid not to take at least one for emergency use.
The Norwegians have the right idea...There is no bad weather, just bad choice of clothes.

Also someone should have a piece of reflectex you can borrow to put under your sleeping pad. Adds insulation, very lightweight.”

“Where can you buy this stuff - @ building supply stores? Do you have to buy a sh#tload, like Tyvek? Is it fairly durable on the trail?”

“bloody hell, I didn't realize the gentlemen at the trip had to be air activated to function as body warmers. Is there something like a ripline I have to pull for activation? Please send a manual for further studies.”

“Has any one used one of these bag liners with success, or is the promised 15 degree bump for your bag just hype?”

“Just buy a mylar emergency blanket for $2 and be done with it.”

“Sea to Summit Thermolite Reactor

I use a Jag Bags Silk Liner(3 0z.) under a down quilt and it really helps even more than with a mummy bags, because of air infiltration. I've used it in Bags and it's good for 5-8*F added warmth.

I haven't used the Reactor, but I have read reports from guys in Afghanistan and Iraq that love them.”

“Stop worrying, we'll take good care of you. The Antelope should be fine with a Thermarest and a pad. I find fleece better than downb for sleeping because it doesn't compress. A toque helps too.

We will have alternative gear in case of a cold snap.”

“Jeeze, I as suprised no one jumped at the chance to be the volunteer spooner for Euro :)”