Jester-If you come here for advice, you are going to get it and it may not always be what you want to hear. New members make the mistake of saying very little or nothing at all about who they are or what experience they have when asking questions.

Responders will make assumptions based on your questions. Don't be offended, they have your best interests in mind, which given that we don't know you, you should appreciate that people even take the time to answer your question.

As MNS said, the weather in AK in winter varies wildly. Your best bet is to plan your trip, choose your location, check with a company like AMH or one of the commercial guiding companies in AK for gear recommendations and either buy or rent whatever they suggest for that area-not by brand, necessarily, but by type (-30F bag, etc.).

As far as bags go, there are dozens of good ones and no one I know has them all or can compare all of them. People are going to recommend what they own and like. Bag ratings, especially in the US are always suspect. The ratings on cheap bags are even more suspect in my view.

When I see a lightweight cheap bag with a rating the same as an $600-800 WM bag, I am really suspicious because I know someone is exaggerating and it's not likely WM.

If you aren't going for a few years, why worry about it now? You have plenty of time to get informed, look at bags and other gear and buy whatever you want.