Help with synthetic bag purchase

I'm looking for 20 to zero degree synthetic sleeping bag.

I'm willing to spend about $350
Bag must be a long
I need a bag with a 66" min shoulder girth

I'd really like to find one that is as light as possible yet still very efficient.

Any links or help finding a sweet deal would be really cool.

Info on the quality of or reveiws on bags you folks have used would be appreciated.

Thanks for the input!

IMHO Integral Designs makes the very best synthetic bags, and you should be able to get one within your budget.

Here's one example:

ID synth bag

Cheers,

FWIW, if you are willing to drop $350 on this purchase, it seems obvious that money is not your main consideration in seeking a synthetic bag instead of a down-filled bag.

I do not know what reasons are behind your choice, but I will only point out that, if you wish a sleeping bag that is "as light as possible yet still very efficient", then down is the obvious way to go. Down will be lighter, warmer and (with proper care) it last much longer than a synthetic bag.

If, by chance, your reason for choosing synthetics is a fear of getting your bag wet, then consider this: a wet synthetic bag will not keep you very warm, either. Most especially in near or below freezing temperatures. The superiority of synthetics when wet is a marketing myth, not backed up by research or in the field experience.

If, however, your reasons have more to do with philosophy, such as veganism, or strong convictions that down-gathering is cruel, then clearly a synthetic bag will avoid these particular objections.

Good luck with your purchase.

As nice as the ID bag is it has one drawback IMHO. Namely the use of Primaloft. I have grave doubts of the durability of Primaloft's, well, loft. My own experience with it in a summer bag has been dismal.

So my vote goes to a bag filled with Climashield.

Eric

I've several extended trips planned this coming fall.. I'll be using a Tarp for shelter, combined with an eVent bivy.

I've not heard anyone yet claim wet/synthetics as a marketing myth..

On the other hand I've heard/known of many who claim they can and have climbed into a synthetic bag fully clothed and wet and woke up bone dry.. Have seen testament of hunters in Alaska who went with synthetics and had guides who were chilled, damp, and jealous wishing they'd left the down behind..

Yes my main focus is a bag that if need be I can climb into wet and have a better chance of surviving..

Your temp ratings are confusing. A +15/+20 degree bag is considered for 3-season use. A +10 to zero degree and below are generally used for winter.

If you are looking for an all-in-one bag, then you will struggle to find something that will keep you warm in winter, yet allow you to vent in the 40+ degree summer nights without a weight penalty-- unless you are willing to consider quilts instead of bags? I have a +20 degree FF down bag, and I wouldn't even consider taking the bag on my winter backpacking trips that can see temps in the single digits and below.

Furthermore you are going to struggle to find a lightweight, zero degree synthetic bag, just because synthetic bags, and if fact some down bags, at this rating are not light.

I think for better suggestions you need to state what conditions this bag is going to be used for and then we can give you more substantial advise.

300wm,

Do you any knowledge of Kifarus Slick bags? They claim the best weight to warmth bag on the market.

And I believe they use climashield.. Isn't there also a new up grade to climashield hitting the market??

Believe it's climashield APEX??

There are two sources of moisture. The external is easy to manage. The internal source can best be managed with vapor barriers.

I own a synthetic bag and it is great because I can throw it in the wash machine after I have lent it to friends.

I wonder how all these sleepers got wet?

CF,

Temps for my use with the bag I'm looking for have ranged from
50 degrees at night down to 15 thus far. Of coarse I can unzip on warmer nights.

So far I've ran 25 degree and 20 degree bags in this range and only slightly been chilled on very few occasions. But those nights I went to bed with nice warm meals in my belly and a dry/light under layer on..


I'm thinking that some warmth will be added with the use of a bivy. Which would get me to 15 deg with comfort using a good 25 deg bag. I also usually carry a sea to summit liner that has a 9 degree rating. So 10 degrees with bivy and liner I feel is will have plenty of comfort for me. Now if I go with a 20 deg bag I hope 5 degrees is at a comfort level. But if'n things chang with a quickness and I get wet or damp that changes alot.

So maybe a 10-15 degree bag makes more scence..

I'm leanning towards Kifarus Slick bag but there just isn't alot out there as far as reveiws..

Their 20 deg bag weights 2.2 pounds and their zero weights 3.3 I believe..

Many out there will claim that with synthetics I just can't get warm and light in the same package.

Another reason I appreciate help/advice and suggestions from you folks..

spending several hundo for a bag that won't have any loft in a few years...I think I'll pass.

I'd much rather be mindful about keeping myself and my gear dry, than lugging a heavier bag around that's not going to hold its loft, for the one chance in 500 that my bag gets so wet I'd be in danger of being cold.

If you are planning on using your sleeping bag in Washington and Alaska down is a good choice unless you just can't keep it dry. I have used both in western Washington for trips up to three weeks and in coastal Alaska for trips lasting several months. All trips were three-season, not deep winter. With this experience under my belt I can say that I prefer down to any synthetic I have ever used. I can also say that, while wet synthetic may be warmer than wet down, the difference is pretty small. If I got either material wet, I would sooner build a fire and sleep, or not, near it's warmth. Synthetic looses its loft much quicker than does down; here I'm talking months versus years. And, a synthetic bag weighs nearly twice what down does for equivalent warmth. Of course, it is your money and your decision but you certainly should listen to the experienced people on this forum before you make a final choice.

Ears and mind wide open!

Thanks for the input..

I cannot and will not recommend spending that much money on a bag that is going to last you only a few years. That much spent on a high quality down bag will last a lifetime. If you absolutely must have synthetic, don't spend that kind of money since you'll have to replace it 3-5 years down the road.

I can tell you from personal experience that a wet synthetic bag is just as cold--and useless--as a wet down bag! That's the same occasion in which I learned to be ultra careful not to select a campsite that will turn into a lake during a cloudburst followed by several inches of snow. Whatever form of insulation you use, you absolutely must keep it dry!

I have a like new TNF Fission w/ Polargaurd Delta in it, really I bought it for longer climbing trips but realized the other week that I only really do 2-3 day trips so have no need for a synth -- I'd let it got for 100 plus whatever it took to get it to you.
Cheers

MT'NMAN,

I dunno about Kifaru bags but I DO know of Softie SnugPak British-made synthetic bags. Their bags are Brit Army issue and hold up very well to repeated stuffing. They're pretty much "soldier proof". The Snug Pak synthetic fill is proprietary and found in no other company's products.

Eric