twin superlight sleeping bags

Posted by: freelance_tom

twin superlight sleeping bags - 01/28/08 07:05 AM

my girlfriend and i are going backpacking and wwoofing next summer and i'm sick of carrying heavy kit so intend to go ulta light and enjoy the travelling more. we find two sleeping bags zipped together waaay too big for the two of us and it gets cold. therefor we want something smaller that two bags and i figured we either look for a twin bag to buy (not likely), make an extnetion piece for an existing single bag or make a new twin bag.

does anyone have any experience of twin sleeping bags? or making bags?

cheers
Posted by: BarryP

Re: twin superlight sleeping bags - 01/28/08 11:08 AM

My wife and I use ONE Western Mountaineering Megalite. However, she made a 9oz sweetie pie from a nylon blanket. The zippered nylon blanket looks like a triangle with zippers running up the long side. We share the foot box. The Megalite lies on both of us. Most of the down is on her side <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />. When it gets too warm, we flip the bag over.

There are other methods for two; other posters will respond.

-Barry
Posted by: StepChld

Re: twin superlight sleeping bags - 01/28/08 01:04 PM

What's "Wwoofing"? Or do I realy want to know? <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />
Posted by: Kate

Re: twin superlight sleeping bags - 01/29/08 06:31 AM

Why bother with a sleeping bag at all in the summer. Why not try a couple of Thermarest mattresses and some of this stuff: http://www.thermarest.com/product_comfort_essentials.aspx?cID=4
Posted by: jacket_inserts

Re: twin superlight sleeping bags - 01/29/08 12:16 PM

You mean like the sidekick shown here from Taiga Works?
http://www.taigaworks.ca/html/outdoor-gear/Sleeping-Bags/index.html

Stephane
Posted by: frenchie

Re: twin superlight sleeping bags - 01/30/08 07:51 AM

Quote:
What's "Wwoofing"? Or do I realy want to know? <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />


"World-Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms" or "Willing Workers on Organic Farms" (WWOOF),
Did you have some other ...ideas?
Posted by: StepChld

Re: twin superlight sleeping bags - 01/30/08 08:46 AM

Quote:
Quote:
What's "Wwoofing"? Or do I realy want to know? <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />


"World-Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms" or "Willing Workers on Organic Farms" (WWOOF),
Did you have some other ...ideas?
No other ideas, I just thought I might be missing out on some knowledge I could share with my spouse! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />
Posted by: NiytOwl

Re: twin superlight sleeping bags - 01/30/08 02:30 PM

Quote:

"World-Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms" or "Willing Workers on Organic Farms" (WWOOF),
Did you have some other ...ideas?


LOL!! I thought you were joking until I Googled it. "What do organic farms have to do with backpacking? Ahh...it's like a work-for-room-and-board!"

It actually sounds pretty neat.
Posted by: speyguy

Re: twin superlight sleeping bags - 01/30/08 08:06 PM

There are a few options. You didn't mention what kind of pads you sleep on but someone already posted a link to the thermorest site. Assuming you are using some type of pads, I would start with the coupler. It would be easy to make your own. Or better yet, make a combination sheet/coupler. WM has one on their web site (Summer Coupler). It weighs 1lb 4oz (with zipper), almost as much as a ultralight bag and is designed to be used with their rectagular bags. Someone else already mentioned the WM Mitylight. If you're up for the challenge, a DIY quilt for 2 would be very doable. You could have a shared foot box at the bottom or a partial sleeve that fit over the pads at the bottom to keep the system in place and use it with the sheet/coupler. I seem to remember seeing some Jardine plans for a double quilt. I made a quilt with materials purchased from the thru-hiker. It's not that hard.

Campmor sells a few different rectangular down bags but I don't know if they have a fully opening zipper that goes all around the bottom to allow you to open it up as a quilt. If so, that could be an option to either use with a coupler or modify it yourself (after all this is the DIY thread).
Posted by: MysticMoose

Re: twin superlight sleeping bags - 02/11/08 11:37 AM

Quote:
Campmor sells a few different rectangular down bags but I don't know if they have a fully opening zipper that goes all around the bottom to allow you to open it up as a quilt. If so, that could be an option to either use with a coupler or modify it yourself (after all this is the DIY thread).


I have a rectangular Campmor bag that I use for car camping. It unzips the whoe way around, just like a cheapo Coleman bag, and is big enough for my husband and I to use as a quilt. In cooler temperatures, I'd want something like Ray Jardine's "draft tonsil". There isn't enough blanket there to tuck in and seal out drafts between us.
Posted by: BarryP

Re: twin superlight sleeping bags - 02/11/08 12:10 PM

2/11/08
Hey freelance, why haven’t we heard back from you?
Another idea: I thought penney would chime in on this one as I remember some advise she gave long ago.
In the end (under normal conditions), there is nothing warmer than each in his/her own bag.

I found this to be the case because there’s more air to warm up in these larger bags. My wife and I are warmer in separate bags. But we save ~1lb using 1 Megalight and a 9oz homemade sweetie pie. Moreover we give up some warmth; I estimate about 5F lost. So there’s a trade off as usuall in TLB land. To me, the tradeoff is worth it <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />.

-Barry
Posted by: Earthling

Re: twin superlight sleeping bags - 02/12/08 11:35 AM

BarryP what if you and the wife used separate bags inside of a double bivy? Would that increase your collective warmth enough to warrant carrying the bivy?
Posted by: BarryP

Re: twin superlight sleeping bags - 02/12/08 01:33 PM

“double bivy?”

Whow. That opens some possibilities. Hmm…
-Barry
Posted by: Earthling

Re: twin superlight sleeping bags - 02/12/08 01:40 PM

You could still leave your bags unzipped in the bivy until one of you got colder. that person could then zip up their bag while the other stayed 'comfortable' <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" /> I'm thinking you know how 2 people in the same bed sleep cold and hot. This would give you both good convection protection with lighter bags; and with a zipper on both sides you could answer Nature's call without awakening the other person <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />