[pct-l] ReL Sleeping bag question

[Eric Lee (GAMES)]

Tamsin wrote:
>
econdly, I'm getting the sense from some feedback that maybe I should stick with a 20F bag all the way through and maybe even bring a silk liner for the shoulder seasons and the Sierras. Should I bother swapping out for the 40F bag at any point, to save weight and not be too warm at night?

I get very cold at night in cold weather. I'd rather be too warm than too cold in my bag and would prefer not to wear every article of clothing I own to bed. I am, however, bringing a full-on tent, no cowboy camping or tarp/tarptent for me. It's my one compromise on the ultralight philosophy (though it's an ultralight tent).
>

Given that you're a cold sleeper, don't want to wear lots of layers, and want to avoid being cold, I wouldn't suggest switching to a 40F bag at all.  Sure, there will be plenty of days when a 20F bag will be overkill and you'll end up sleeping on top of it, but you can run into seriously cold weather anywhere along the trail at any time.

But if you have it available, you can always decide for yourself when you get out on the trail for awhile and see how you sleep after you've been doing it for a few months straight.  Maybe things will look different then.

Eric