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.