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Sleeping Bags
#10889 02/15/11 08:59 PM
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Hello... My name is Chris and I'm short.... unfortunately the only short sleeping bags I can find are youth, and I definitely am NOT shaped like a youth....

So... here's what I'm looking for....
~20 degree
~under 3 lbs
~mummy
~synthetic preferable, might be able to work with down though
~"short" sized (for someone less then 5'5" or so).... I'm tired of trying to use my 5'00" body to warm up a bag meant for someone 6'00".... it really is counterproductive on a cold night...

Input? Ideas? Suggestions?

Re: Sleeping Bags
SoCalGirl #10890 02/15/11 09:36 PM
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Sounds like your best bet is to find a company that will make you a custom bag. I looked at Western Mountaineering and Marmot and both have bags that are 5'6 but not shorter. Western Mountaineering is down though and comes in at 1 pound 12 ounces while Marmot's synthetic bags are either 15 or 30 degree rating and are 3 pounds and over 4 for the 15 bag.

Re: Sleeping Bags
SoCalGirl #10892 02/16/11 04:19 AM
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Originally Posted By: SoCalGirl
Hello... My name is Chris and I'm short....


Chris, you crack me up!

This may be a dumb suggestion, but isn't it possible to cinch down the last few inches at the foot of a regular mummy bag to give you a more snug fit? Even something as simple as a tight rope or bungee might work. My crafty wife would probably whip out her handy-dandy sewing machine and sew closed the last few inches of the foot area into the shape she wanted, but that's beyond my pay grade. I tend to think in terms of jury-rigging deficiencies rather than buying new stuff.

Just a thought - and maybe I'll think better of it after another cup of coffee . . .

Re: Sleeping Bags
Bulldog34 #10893 02/16/11 05:26 AM
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Originally Posted By: Bulldog34
Originally Posted By: SoCalGirl
Hello... My name is Chris and I'm short....


isn't it possible to cinch down the last few inches at the foot of a regular mummy bag to give you a more snug fit?


I'm 6'4" and I have a long MontBell that came with a draw cord at the foot box already built in so I guess it's a sanctioned idea. Their bags also are "expando" so they will wrap nicely around you but will stretch out as you assume the fetal position or pull one leg up. Large temp range of bags from -20 to +40. Stick with down for it's weight and compressibility. 800+ on the down.

http://www.backcountry.com/montbell-sleeping-bags?CMP_ID=PD_GOO001&mv_pc=r101&s_kwcid=TC|5485|MontBell%20sleeping%20bags||S|b|6473302124


Mike
Re: Sleeping Bags
SoCalGirl #10894 02/16/11 05:27 AM
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the fancy solution: US-made, custom high end stuff, expensive, but they will make anything you want:

http://www.nunatakusa.com/

claim on home page:
Quote:
Everything we produce is fully custom made to your specifications of size, fill amount and fabrics. We even work with you to custom design bags and down jackets that work for you.



cheap solution - get the shortest bag you can find that fits your specs but is rated a few degrees better than what you may get away if you could find the ideal bag. Larger bags are more comfortable anyway. Big Agnes makes a few very small bags, but they are those silly no-bottom bags that need to slip on a pad to work. My daughter used the Roxy Ann Petite in 2008, which then was the smallest we could find. Replaced that with the REI sub-Kilo, which is much lighter and warmer, although it is longer. Also more versatile as a proper unzipped quilt, which the Big Agnes bags just don't work for having no fill in the bottom.

Re: Sleeping Bags
Fishmonger #10903 02/16/11 02:17 PM
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Gary and Mike.. the only problem with cinching or drawstring type functions in the footbox area of a bag is it would seem, to me, to reduce the area that my tootsies have to move around. I really, really don't like my feet being bound up while I'm trying to sleep.

The issue with sticking with down is, as much as I love it, the whole getting wet issue. My budget one man backpacking tent is a one wall and condensates like nobody's business. Thusly, most mornings I will wake up to a small shower inside my tent... getting whatever I have in there damp. Occasionally I am slick enough to move around and get myself dressed and ready for the morning without bumping the walls and creating the aforementioned shower... but my bag is ALWAYS damp when I climb out of it.... a guy at Sports Chalet recommended slipping my bag into this waterproof e-blanket kinda dealie... but I'm not to sure about that.

I had thought about looking into that sleeping system that has no bottom of the bag that you have to put the pad in.... I've known a couple of people who have those.

The guy at Sport Chalet also pointed me to a Kelty bag (don't remember the exact style) but it was down... and for people under 5'4"...

I wanted to shop around though... but when I looked at REI's website I didn't see a single short bag....

Last edited by Steve C; 02/16/11 03:11 PM.
Re: Sleeping Bags
SoCalGirl #10907 02/16/11 05:06 PM
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I've had a soaked down bag from condensation many times but never felt cold because of it. If it's cold enough to make a difference then it's normally ice anyway.

Re: Sleeping Bags
SoCalGirl #10911 02/16/11 06:53 PM
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The best sleeping bag I have ever owned is 35+ years old and to this day keeps me so warm that I get HOT in it and generally sleep with the zipper unzipped and one leg hanging out (oops, sharing personal info) and it never gets so wet that it doesn't keep me dry plus any water shakes out easily. I used this sleeping bag this last summer on my Mt. Whitney trek. I stayed warm every night even when the wind was howling. My friends didn't stay as warm in their sleeping bags. I purchased my bag a Back Country in Buena Park when I was 19. The fill in my bag is polar guard, it's awesome. When I bought my bag, Back Country made all their products on sight. I also bought my first backpack from them. I carried that backpack all over Europe and on many trails in the U.S.A. I wonder if Back Country is still in business???

So Cal Girl, my friends bought the bags that are one sided and have a pocket to slide their pad into and I don't think they're very happy with their bags, in fact, one of my friends borrowed one of my two sided REI bags for our MW trek last summer. When I sleep, I roll over and over all night long, I'm a wild sleeper (due to great dreams), so I want every side of my bag to be cushioned. My friends say I can sleep anywhere,I love my sleep. zzzzzzz


Lynnaroo
Re: Sleeping Bags
lynn-a-roo #10920 02/16/11 09:54 PM
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Lynn... sleeping cold is one of my biggest problems. Even during summer here in SoCal I tend to have flannel sheets and a comforter on my bed. When I get really tired, I sleep even colder....

I know there's a backcountry.com website, although I don't know if it's the same company you are referring to.

RoguePhotonic... I very much dislike having to deal with wet gear, 'specially something I have to pack up... carry all day... and then unpack and expect to keep me warm/dry/comfy through the night. If I am cold I don't sleep... at all....if I don't sleep.. I get grumpy and then my boy scouts call me all sorts of inventive names

Re: Sleeping Bags
SoCalGirl #10923 02/17/11 02:58 AM
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Check into this lightweight bivy:
http://sectionhiker.com/mountain-laurel-designs-superlight-bivy-bag/

I have one and have used it in rain, sleet, snow, and just plain cold nights. (under a tarp shelter mostly) Your bag will stay dry. You will find that on nights you are sure will be precip free you can forgo the tent.

Last edited by Mike Condron; 02/17/11 02:59 AM.

Mike
Re: Sleeping Bags
SoCalGirl #10924 02/17/11 04:56 AM
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Originally Posted By: SoCalGirl
I very much dislike having to deal with wet gear,


the fix in the Sierra is not a synthetic sleeping bag, but a decent tent to control moisture in the first place. It is a dry climate up there and most days I have no moisture at all under the tent fly.

Re: Sleeping Bags
Fishmonger #10931 02/17/11 09:42 AM
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Mike... The guy I was talking to at Sport Chalet over the weekend pointed me to something very similar... but it didn't look very durable and I'd hate to buy something that's going to rip or fail mid-trip. I'll definitely have to look into this a little bit more.

Fish... the thing that has prevented me (so far) from upgrading on my tent is cost. I'd like a good, lightweight, two wall backpacking tent... but what I've seen so far is so expensive.

I've considered going with just a bivy sack type of set-up but as most of my camping is with Boy Scouts and their male leaders (and I'm usually the only female on these trips) I need something that allows me a little wiggle room for privacy for things like changing clothes and such.

Re: Sleeping Bags
SoCalGirl #10932 02/17/11 10:52 AM
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Originally Posted By: SoCalGirl
Fish... the thing that has prevented me (so far) from upgrading on my tent is cost. I'd like a good, lightweight, two wall backpacking tent... but what I've seen so far is so expensive.


ebay may be the answer to that. I buy most of my gear that way, becaue I suffer from the problem to know what good gear can do for you, but not having enough money to pay for all these goodies. 50% off for mint gear like a tent is pretty much the norm for items that aren't absolute niche use.

Re: Sleeping Bags
Fishmonger #10933 02/17/11 10:58 AM
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That is actually where I've bought most of my gear.... however it would seem that most peoples idea of "lightweight" varies drastically from mine. ;-)

I keep my eye on it though...

Re: Sleeping Bags
SoCalGirl #10938 02/17/11 01:16 PM
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something like this too heavy or too expensive?

http://www.bigagnes.com/Products/Detail/Tent/SeedhouseSL1

2 pounds, 6 ounces trail weight, seen it sell on ebay for $150 to $180 in mint condition.

Re: Sleeping Bags
SoCalGirl #10939 02/17/11 01:57 PM
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Originally Posted By: SoCalGirl

I've considered going with just a bivy sack type of set-up but as most of my camping is with Boy Scouts and their male leaders (and I'm usually the only female on these trips) I need something that allows me a little wiggle room for privacy for things like changing clothes and such.


Bee used a bivy of the type I mentioned for her overnighter on Whitney a few months ago and she was with a bunch of guys. She should be able to relate how changing inside the bivy works. She might even steer you to some pictures.


Mike
Re: Sleeping Bags
Mike Condron #10941 02/17/11 03:47 PM
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Yes, Chris, this is where being short will have its advantages (I bought my bivy one size too big and I LOVE it). Mike is right: due to the fact that my sack was roomier, I was able to change in it AND prop up on my elbows and read my book, too. Also, I was able to fit everything at the bottom of the sack (emtied backpack and stuffed it on the bottom with my boots) I would bee hard pressed to ever use a tent, again. Let me know if you want to see any pics.

B


The body betrays and the weather conspires, hopefully, not on the same day.
Re: Sleeping Bags
SoCalGirl #10943 02/17/11 04:13 PM
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Quote:
the fix in the Sierra is not a synthetic sleeping bag, but a decent tent to control moisture in the first place


I don't believe it can be done. My Hexamid is about as open as a tent can get and I have had it dripping with condensation.

The only real solution I can think of is to set your tent up under a low hanging tree to help block the dropping cool air but setting up under a tree is a very bad idea.

Re: Sleeping Bags
RoguePhotonic #10944 02/17/11 05:00 PM
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Originally Posted By: RoguePhotonic
Quote:
the fix in the Sierra is not a synthetic sleeping bag, but a decent tent to control moisture in the first place


I don't believe it can be done. My Hexamid is about as open as a tent can get and I have had it dripping with condensation.

The only real solution I can think of is to set your tent up under a low hanging tree to help block the dropping cool air but setting up under a tree is a very bad idea.


in about 100+ nights I have had "dripping" once and that was caught by the interior tent. 60% of the nights, I had maybe some moisture on the tent fly, but nowhere near dripping, usually dry in minutes after taking down the tent. The other 39.n% was dry, bone dry. Cross ventilation is the key. If the air isn't moving at all, it usually gets the slight moisture in it, but never enough to cause any concern to get moisture on your bags. This is with three people in the tent, too.

Big Agnes Copper Spur so far my dryest tent. it has vents on both gables.

Re: Sleeping Bags
SoCalGirl #10945 02/17/11 05:07 PM
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I actually didn't think of another layer to take the moisture but that means more weight. Take the good with the bad.

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