[at-l] Sleeping Bag for AT

[Rich kook]

I should have elaborated more...

I'm going Northbound and starting in late March.
I've a 10-F bag which I've used for years now and its seen temps below that where I have layered and been fine as you were saying.
My old bag is quite bulky, but I've never had to be that space/oz. for shorter trips so it's never been a real problem,  but March will be a different story as far as space goes. 
I'm thinking maybe a 30-F with a liner combination for spring and the Whites


----- Original Message ----
From: Ken Bennett <bennettk at wfu.edu>
To: Rich kook <rich4hike at yahoo.com>
Cc: at-l at backcountry.net
Sent: Tuesday, January 9, 2007 10:38:50 AM
Subject: Re: [at-l] Sleeping Bag for AT



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

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