Considering the upgrade for more advanced silliness in the BC, and I tend to sleep cold (I mean, the Sierra are relatively benign temp-wise, but there may be some adventures pending...)

And feedback from those out there with Feathered Friends? Western Mountaineering? Rab? Montbell? Others?

Would love to hear some of the female perspective, but I honestly will probably get a man's long bag, since I'm 5'11" and I want room for boots/etc in the foot of the bag.

Thanks, all.

-L

I've got a WM Puma that I've gotten down to around -10 and been suuuuuuuuuuuper comfortable in it. I wouldn't think twice about taking it to it's full -25. Truthfully, I can't really say definitively if I normally sleep hot or cold though, as it seems to vary a good deal. Sometimes I'll sleep way colder than other times, not really sure why. If I were to press myself into a guess, it'd be normal to slightly cold.
I would say that WM seems pretty solid on its ratings though. I've taken my Versalite down to 5 with a leaking sleeping pad and slept pretty comfortably.
I've also heard good things about MH bags, though I haven't seen them in person. But I assume you already know the sticker shock of WM and FF so you won't balk at that, and it seems that's a big reason that people tend to look elsewhere initially. I'd be surprised if you had people NOT say WM and FF were top notch; the discussion centers more around "do I have to pay that much?"

MooseTracks wrote:Considering the upgrade for more advanced silliness in the BC, and I tend to sleep cold (I mean, the Sierra are relatively benign temp-wise, but there may be some adventures pending...)

And feedback from those out there with Feathered Friends? Western Mountaineering? Rab? Montbell? Others?

Those are all great bags but as the poster above said it all depends on how much you want to pay. As for sleeping cold does this happen even if you eat food that's high in fat just before going to bed?

You can check with MEC http://www.mec.ca

They have good products at good price

My family owns three WM bags. They are absolutely top notch. I can tell the temperature by my 35° bag (which weighs just 17 ounces). If it's 34° I'm cold. If it's 35° or warmer, I'm not. No kidding. I've talked several friends into getting WM bags and they still talk to me
I also have a Marmot -40° bag I got for Denali. That's the only place I've used it, but it served me well. I think the one night it was around -25° and I didn't fully zip it.

My first 0deg bag was the Marmot Never Summer, and it's marginal, really. I think was OK with it initially, and I store it in it's big fluffy sack, not the stuff sack, but it just doesn't do the trick. Yes, tried all the tricks of eating fatty stuff/warm liquid (hot chocolate w/ peanut butter being my fave) right before bed, hot water bottles, chemical hand wamers, etc.

I think if I am going to continue w/ snow camping/possible exped's, then the investment is called for. I've been thrilled w/ my Rab Neutrino jacket, which is why I was wondering if anyone had tried their new line yet.

I have a +15 degree rated Western Mountaineering Apache Super Dryloft purchased in 1997. It is a fantastic bag and has a very wide comfort zone. I use it in the year round in the lower 48 and on peaks < 15,000 ft in the Alaska Range in the spring. For really cold places I have a Feathered Friends Widgeon with 800+ fill rated to -15 degrees. On Denali it kept me just warm enough down to -30 degrees with a single sleeping pad. Both are extremely high quality and have conservative temperature ratings. I have heard good things about Valandre bags as well. As far as preces, WM, FF, and Valandre are all pretty similarly priced. Yes they are more expensive than mass produced bags built in China, but they are much better. Down bags if properly cared for will last for a long time, so it makes sense to spend a bit more to get a good one IMHO.

I sleep very cold as well. In knowing that, I've given up on trying to take a bag that is close to the forecast temperature and just go with a bag that's rated at least 20* below what I expect to encounter. I've not have the privilege of owning any FF or WM bags, maybe someday. That said, I've been fairly comfortable in my Montbell Super-stretch #2 bag in the Summer, and when Winter rolls around, I take either my MHW Big-Bang (-15*), or MHW Ghost (-40*). In a good compression sack, those -15/40 bags can end up fairly small.....and I've yet to be cold in the Ghost.

I have the -20 Kilo Expedition from REI and was very happy on Denali. (and suspect on Aconcagua in a week or two). Great compromise of price, weight and warmth.

ScottyP wrote:I have the -20 Kilo Expedition from REI and was very happy on Denali. (and suspect on Aconcagua in a week or two). Great compromise of price, weight and warmth.

I also have this bag and it's fantastic. Last time I slept in it was 19 degrees and I was hot in only a poly tee and underwear. No socks even.

Definitely recommend the WM Puma GWS, rated for -20F, but I have not had the privilege of owning one yet but hear rave reviews here at Nomad. I've got a MHW Wraith, rated -20F also and slept toasty at 20F (as far as I know). I don't tend to spend the night outside if it's under 20F cuz my feet would snap off.

I had Valandre Shoking Blue on Aconcagua and it was fine. It is rated for -23' F, and you can buy it in USA.
On Denali I changed to Odin and have no problems at all with cold.
They are a little expensive but its worth the money.

Thanks, everyone! twoshuzz, that's the sort of discussion I was searching for and couldn't find. Thanks! I completely agree on cut, which is a touch one for me. Again, with my height, I have to go with the men's lengths, which are often cut more narrowly through the hips (bad for me, as that's one asset with which I've been blessed), so the warmth pockets seem a little wiggy. I've been thrilled with my Montbell 15deg superstretch, but it is a little short for full winter conditions (their long is only 6'2" or so) where I want to stow fuel and boots/gaiters in my bag.

MooseTracks wrote:Thanks, everyone! twoshuzz, that's the sort of discussion I was searching for and couldn't find. Thanks! I completely agree on cut, which is a touch one for me. Again, with my height, I have to go with the men's lengths, which are often cut more narrowly through the hips (bad for me, as that's one asset with which I've been blessed), so the warmth pockets seem a little wiggy. I've been thrilled with my Montbell 15deg superstretch, but it is a little short for full winter conditions (their long is only 6'2" or so) where I want to stow fuel and boots/gaiters in my bag.

So if the Montbell SuperSpiral works for you, why not just go with the EXP version in Long cut? Specs indicate its 6'6" max user height, should be plenty long enough.