[at-l] Sleeping Bag for AT

[Ken Bennett]

> I'm pretty warm natured and almost never bothered by cold in the night -
>
> What's the highest compfort rating I can use for my sleeping bag on my AT
> Thru hike?




Hi, Rich,

When you say you're never bothered by cold in the night, what do you mean,
exactly? How much experience do you have sleeping outdoors in 15-F weather
or below? (You'll get that in March in the Southern Appalachians, at least
on some nights.)

Many hikers switch bags, taking a heavier bag early in the hike, switching
to a summer bag in Virginia, and getting their warm bag back for the Whites
and Maine. Southbound thru-hikers can usually use just the warmer bag.

I'm comfortable taking my 30-F bag in March, and using my down jacket and
other clothing to keep me warm down into the high teens. But I have some
experience doing so, and I don't recommend it to others without testing. If
I feel like I'm pushing it a bit, I take my 5-F bag (which always goes along
from November through the end of the winter, whenever that might be). I
sleep like a volcano, BTW.

So it's possible to take a higher-rated bag and be fine. I've seen hikers
with 35 and 40-F bags, and they are fine, but this works as part of a
well-thought-out and well-tested system. Just grabbing a 1-pound sleeping
bag and taking it to Springer in March might get kinda cold. I know this
doesn't answer your question, but there is no simple answer.

--Ken B