Suggestions for bag and pad

Hello guys, things are coming together a little more each week. Yesterday I came home with two more pieces of my wish lists. I picked up a Gregory Baltoro 75 Pack, ENO double nest and straps. Picked up my Jetboil SOL and Sawyer filter a few weeks ago. The problem now is that I've ran into a total road block with my sleeping system. The problem is I'm a big feller. I sleep primarily on my side, but with the proper dose of Ambien I can sleep on my head, so I can make do as a back sleeper. lol

It seems as soon as I pick something out, one more thing pops up in the search box. I am kinda eyeballing the NEMO Rhythm +25 Sleeping Bag and Big Agnes Q-Core SL Sleeping Pad. I can't seem to find the fine balance with weight over pad size. My gut feeling says to stick with a pad that is at least 25", but finding a sleeping bag that does not weigh as much as a cinder block is proving hard to find.

I lack the experience to judge what temperature rating will be best for Alabama this fall and winter. I'm trying to be cautious with the amount of weight I'm stacking on. Thus far it looks like I'm at 21 1/2 lbs minus food and extra clothes and still gotta add a few other essential items. But that weight includes pack, tent, footprint, water and filter, fuel and and stove, sleeping system mentioned above, hammock and straps.

Anyway, back to the point of the post. I'm 6'0. 330lbs. 50" waist. I wear a 3XL shirt and jacket so what ever shoulder width that would be.....56" maybe? I would prefer the room to sleep on my side if possible.

Any suggestions on a sleeping system that will not bankrupt me, or require a bulldozer to pull?

All the best,

Kenny T

Are you sleeping in the tent and using the hammock as a luxury item to lounge around campsite? I was kind of confused why you're taking both.

With that said, may I recommend a quilt? He has a 58" wide and I'm sure if you e-mail him he can make it 60" just give you a little movement room.. I used the 30 degree one as an example, but he has a down version that lighter and pricer. This option should give you the warmth-to-fit-to-weight you desire. And price! Far as sleep pad goes, I have no direct experience with the pads you listed, but I have been eyeing the Big Agnes Q-Core and SL pads. I've been eyeing two other brands as well, but since I'm phasing myself out of a tent and moving to full-time hammock use, I'm going be purchasing an underquilt for hammock use. If you're laying on pad directly in a hammock, let me be the first to tell you it's a miserable experience. If you have a dual layer hammock (the ENO is not a dual layer.) and slide the pad between the layers, it might be a more pleasant sleep experience. I find it easier and comfortable sleep on my side in a hammock than on a pad in a tent.

Sorry I couldn't be of total help, but a 15 degree quilt should be plenty for us in Alabama in dead of winter. Wearing heavy base layer and warm jacket, we should get by with 15 degree bag and quilt. If I can get by in a 15 degree sleeping bag at 3,000 feet in the Smokies in December, I can get by with it here in Alabama at lower elevation.

Sleeping bags... you get what you pay for. The "cheapest" sleeping bag that is warm, packs down well, and accurately rated - will not be cheap. Something like a Western Mountaineering - not a small price tag, but it is the bag of choice for veteran backpackers who go a lot and want something that works AND is the lightest and most compact solution as well as (reportedly) warmer than rated.

i am a quilt user in three seasons and have a Marmot 0 degree for snow camping. I spent about $500 on two down quilts from Jacks R Better to use with my hammock, and that was six years ago - still using both quilts and still happy. My sleep system depends on the expected conditions I will be in. I use a quilt on a Big Agnes Q Core or on a NeoAir with good results when tent camping, and both quilts on a hammock when below treeline. As a side sleeper I've found that inflatable insulated mattresses are the only way I can be comfortable - nearly as comfy as when in a hammock - on the ground. A little inflatable pillow helps a lot on the ground.

Also part of sleeping well and warm are your eating and drinking habits - sleeping well has to include how you fuel your body, which is what heats you up all night. Having adequate calories and plenty of water makes a big difference. I've backpacked with folks who stop drinking so they don't have to get up at night - that's a mistake.

What you wear to bed also matters. The colder it is, the more wet/damp clothing affects your comfort. Changing out all the damp (sweat) clothes you hiked in can make the difference between sleeping warm and sleeping cold. I take a base layer and will wear my spare pair of wool socks to bed, changing back into hiking clothes in the morning.

Caveat - quilts don't work for everyone, but Jacks R Better makes big ones for couples or larger people, and many cottage gear vendors make custom jobs. And Western Mountaineering has different sizes of bags - width, length - to help folks of different dimensions find the one that fits them - many cheap bags are one size fits all.

Thanks for the reply, and yep, just a luxury item when I choose to take it. At this point, I'm not particularly concerned about distance.....Although I will be later, I just want to get away from work for a few days, find a camp site or two along a nice trail and chill. Read a good book or two, sleep the day away or both. Eventually soon, I'll have to worry about putting the distance on the map, but for now, at least in the next cpl. weeks, I just gotta get away from the sirens, drunks and crackheads. No ambulances, no police cars, no ER staff to contend with. The only worry I want to contend with is if the birds are going to crap on me or not. Lol

I doubt I'll carry the hammock on any multi-day hikes, but at least it's there when I want to. Lol

Thanks much,

Kenny T

Thanks much for the reply Lori. I think I would much prefer a quilt over being restricted to a bag or at least I think I would over a not having the free space in a bag anyway. I've been teetering with the idea of purchasing the pad first and trying a small size quilt I have here at home and see how it sleeps on a night out before it starts getting cold.

Right on. That what the wilderness is for.

I always consider the sleeping bag (or quilt) to be the most important item you buy for backpacking. It defines all your other gear choices. It adds the most comfort to your backpacking experience, and the most safety. A big, heavy, sleeping bag requires a big pack to carry the weight and bulk. A light weight, compressible, bag can be carried in almost any sized pack.

With that said, it is my opinion that the sleeping bag/quilt is the most important item, and therefore should be allocated the most money to acquire.

Makes perfect sense, especially to us newbs who are a bit overwhelmed with choices.

I wish I could tell you how right on you are! I just returned home from my first night out. I dunno where to start, but I can say that my night sleep was less than admirable and that's with taking my sleeping med. I don't feel I have the experience to be writing a trip report, but I can say that with spending well over a grand in new gear, that my cold wet arse was pretty dang miserable. My pack weighed just a tad over 40lbs. I did 12 miles over two days. 2 1/2 added to the end of the first day because I missed a campsite marker. I had raw heels, blistered toes, knotty hamstrings, dang near ran out of water before reaching camp and got chaffed so bad I'll be walking like a duck for a month.



Despite all that, I can't wait to do it again. lol

Ken

I really like my quilt, I just got back from a ten day trip where the temps dropped to the low teens and I was warm as could be in my Enlighten Equipment 20 deg rev X. I was also wearing wool long johns and a wool hat. I do agree with the others who say a good bag/quilt is very important to a good nights sleep.

For a pad I really like my Exped syn mat ul7 wide. It's 26" wide which for me is important for a good nights sleep. I found 20" wide pads too short for me as a side sleeper.

Where did you go?

I'm not quite sure if this question was meant for me of the last person who replied. But I decided on going to Oak Mountain State Park. I hiked the northern portion of the Blue trail, and made the return trip on the red trail the next day. The tent site is not in the correct location on the map and I hiked about 2 1/2 miles out of my way when it was said and done.

I underestimated my water consumption big time and had to start going into a modified plan well before even making it to my camp site. Certainly the extra 2 1/2 miles didn't help either. lol.

There was several good lessons learned along the way and I look forward to going back somewhere as soon as I can find a few day from work.

I have a few pictures from the Oak Mtn Blue and red trail Nothing special, but it was a nice trip despite the problems.

Kenny

It was for you. I'm currently in Alabama and I'm waiting on weather to get colder so I can do some backpacking. I been meaning go to Oak Mountain for weekend trip. Mostly for mountain biking, but I'll check out the backpacking scene. Thanks!

Kenny, great attitude! Don't let it beat you up. It will get much easier as you get dialed in. Keep looking for ways to shed weight and adjust your gear to suit your conditions.

Your post reminded me of something my wife said years ago when we unfortunately carried a much heavier load. As she was hefting her pack to her shoulders she said - "You know, its (her pack) like an old friend that your really not sure you want stopping by to visit."

That has all changed now and she had nothing but good things to say about the weight we are carrying now. It takes a little work but its well worth it in the long run. Stick with it and enjoy every moment while you can.

jimmyb

Looks like a great place to mountain bike and bushwhack. Those trails are sweet. Nice campsites too.

Loved the photos of the creek beds and boulders. All the photos we great. Thanks for sharing those!

Thanks for the reply guys. I will have to admit not feeling good about the place from the time I decided I would have to go there. I mean the place is close to the city of Birmingham and I've always considered OM to be a day use type park. So I was doubtful there could be any good backpacking there. Not to mention all my homework had been done planning a trip to Sipsey National Forest. Then the shut down occurred and I had to find a alternative place to go and so I picked Oak Mountain State Park. I would never have thought it would have been such a cool place to visit and now, kinda glad that things happened the way they did. I already want to check the place out again to see what the rest of the park look likes.

Bags are packed. Just waiting on a off day with some better weather.

Kenny T