Needed a sleeping bag for my smokies March trip. I wanted a down bag for the light weight. However, It rains about every day in the Smokies. I was at Dicks sporting goods nosin around last Thursday. They had a Field and Stream 0 degree rated synthetic Mummy bag on clearence for 59.00 This bag has full storm collar etc . I am giving it a shot, at there very least it looks to be a better bag than my 30 year old outdated snow Lion mTn. Light. Wish Me luck I cant afford the Western Mountaineering I would Like.

I've used both down and synthetic and even though synthetic weighs more I prefer synthetic. Down bags lose their loft and are hard to clean, the feathers soak up body oils and start packing down instead of lofting. My thirty below zero bag developed a lot of empty spots where there wasn't anything between me and the outside but two layers of ripstop nylon. The feathers were still there but were all in one small spot. I know there are some products out there which are supposed to clean down bags without destroying the loft but I don't believe in them. Anything strong enough to remove the stuff that's left behind when your hiking dog finds somebody's toilet and rolls in it, and then thinks it's a wonderful idea to go back to camp and take a nap on your nice goosedown bag, is enough to ruin the bag just from the cleaning process. That's the kind of problem you can run into no matter what bag you use. Synthetics clean up better. My synthetic bag isn't as warm as my goosedown bag was when it was new, but it has lasted a lot longer and I've been able to clean it without ruining it. So I think synthetic is a right decision, unless you're rich enough to treat goosedown as a disposable item. Synthetics keep their loft even if they're wet, so you don't lose all the insulation value if the bag gets soaked. Goosedown's useless in that circumstance. I wouldn't buy another one even though I remember it as the only thing that could keep me warm when I got back from Vietnam.

JimmyTH

Thanks Jimmy, I agree. I still have my old 30 year ols snow lion and it is usable. I just needed a bag that was a little warmer. Downfall is though inexpensive it is a four pound bag. However in azero degree bag to go significantly lighter, it looks like you gotta spend a lotta dough?

The "warm when wet" myth about synthetic bags is just that, IMHO, a myth. I found from bitter experience that a wet synthetic bag is just as cold as a wet down bag. Admittedly, the synthetic is a bit easier to dry out. Whatever kind of bag you have, the most important thing you can do is keep it--and your insulating clothing--dry. That means some kind of waterproof container (not a stuff sack, which isn't) in your pack--waterproof pack liner, plastic bag or dry bag.

Most of us on this board find that down--high quality down--the kind that cost lots of $$$--will outlast several synthetic bags if properly cared for. It therefore ultimately pays for itself, if you can save up enough cash for it. Admittedly, for a lot of people, that's the big IF. Down most certainly can be washed, if you're careful with it! My dog, by the way, is never allowed on my sleeping bag--doggie claws and a $330 down bag with a lightweight shell just don't go together, even if the dog is clean and sweet-smelling! If my dog gets into something smelly (fortunately, he hasn't yet), he's going to sleep out in the vestibule, or maybe out under a tree (depends on how smelly)!

Thanks for the feedback Oregon. Yes I will get a good down bag someday soon I hope. However, with the construction slowdown we all do the best we can afford. So whats affordable and the ability to get out and use it is the best we can all do. Experienceing Gods great outdoors is the bottm line. Kudos to all that have the gumtion to do it!

Just remember that anyone making/selling $59 bag rated at 0*F is by definition lying through their teeth. There is no such animal in the real world.

Now, if your need is for a realistic 32*F bag, it may be a good deal.

I've had my down bags on multi day trips in the midwest and don't have an issue with losing loft.

Kent, outfitting yourself on a budget is a challenge, but there are ways to do it. Buying used gear is one way. I've bought used gear and have had good luck doing so. This includes a pack, tents, ski boots, bindings and a few other things that I otherwise would not have bought new. My ski boots alone retail for about $400 and I got them for $125. They looked brand new when I opened the box.

I have used Craigslist and eBay and bought a couple of things off this website. The trick is to know what you want, what things cost and put a ceiling on what you want to pay. Don't get sucked into bidding too much on eBay. Unless it's a rare collectible, another one is likely to show up at some time.

I agree that the temp rating on a cheap bag is suspect. How did they test it would be my first question or are they just guessing based on the fill? Hard to say.

Ray Jardine, the lightweight guru sells kits to make a quilt that he uses in place of a bag. He uses some kind of synthetic fill and swears by it. I have a down bag, but it doesn't have that many nights on it and have owned it for over 20 years. If you take care of them, they will last a long time. I also have a synthetic bag, but it's an old one and not very warm because I didn't store it properly and the fill got crushed.

There are some very good synthetic bags out there, but not at the price point you mentioned. But, having said that, for what you paid, you will probably get your money's worth out of it. Just don't expect it to be as warm as the maker claims it to be. If it was, I would be very surprised.

Thanks Tom, Yes I do believe we get what we pay for. I plan to test this bag under my lean to in the back yard this winter. before spring smokies trip. I use ebay as well. Had been looking for a good Deuter or Mountainsmith pack for two monthes. I picked up a Mountain Smith cross country brand neww a week or so ago for 61.00 Thanks for feedback. Patience pays when shopping on ebay!