[at-l] sleeping bag?

[Cody Girl]

Hello all!

A friend suggested I do a gear inventory with all the pertinent info like
weight, sq footage, features, etc, of all the gear I have to figure out what
I need to upgrade and what I have that will work for my AT thru hike.  Then
we compared it to her gear inventory.  This is a really great idea to get
the complete picture of what's in my pack, but my results are rather
sobering.  All my backpack experience is for trips 5 days or less (can't
remember if I told y'all that or not, sorry if repetitive).   Turns
out almost everything I own has a lighter weight solution.  My avg 40-45#
fully loaded pack has been fine for short trips (frankly because I didn't
know any better), but long haul will wear me down.  I want to improve my
odds of getting to Maine.

I have a nice warm snuggly 15 degree down bag that weighs 3lb 1oz, but I now
know I can save some weight here.  I'm pretty sure I want to stick with
down, but am wondering what bag you would recommend for the early chilly
days of an AT thru hike.

Down or synthetic?
15 degree or higher?
Use a liner?  if so, what material?
Any brand or design you especially like?
Cadillac worth more than a Chevy?
Ladies, I'd also love to hear your thoughts on whether women's bags make a
difference.

I look forward to your comments!
Thanks, Tortoise
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