Sleeping bag for winter hut stays

[kaseri]

I'm an experienced winter hiker and I've got early spring/summer/late fall backpacking experience but I've yet to do any significant backpacking in winter. I'm hoping to get a few winter overnights in this year and we plan on staying at the huts. So I'm wondering what sleeping bag temp range I should consider for winter hut stays?

I realize it may be difficult to recommend an exact temp rating because everyone sleeps differently. I'm hoping my fellow VFTT members can at least recommend a temp range.

 

[David Metsky]

I usually recommend a 0 degree bag for the huts. It really depends on which hut you will be in, Carter and Lonesome have no heat at all in the bunkhouses, Zealand has bunkrooms attached to the main room with some heat so it stays a little warmer.

Check the forecast, we did a VftT hut trip to Carter a few years back and it was probably about -10 in the bunkhouses that first night.

 

[Brambor]

The warmest you can get and carry

It's cold.

 

[kaseri]

Carter Notch Hut is on the agenda as is Zealand. Not sure if I should go with a zero or -25 bag... humm

 

[MadRiver]

I have a 0 bag that I use with a fleece bag liner and have not been cold at Cater, Lonesome Lake, or Crag Camp. All were below 0 at times.

 

[Kevin Rooney]

I'd second that recommendation re: a 0 degree bag for the AMC unheated huts. An exception to that would be RMC's Grey Knob, which has sleeping quarters above a moderately headed room, so it's a bit warmer. Last time I was there you didn't need a sleeping pad either.

All bets are off though, if you go to their log cabin or the perch in winter, as they're 3-sided shelters. I'd bring a -20 for those.

 

[erugs]

As you stated, it all depends on how you sleep. We were at Carter and I was comfortable enough in a zero degree bag with a Sea-to-Summit liner. A friend staying with me had rented a -20 bag and she was freezing all night. Outside temps were at least -10. I didn't expect to be sleeping "warm" and she was expecting to be comfortable with the lower-degree bag. It might also have been a mindset.

 

[DougPaul]

If you are in an unheated bunkhouse that is separated from the main building and there aren't many people in it, it is basically going to be as cold as sleeping in a tent.

IMO, while most nights will be warmer, there will be some nights in which you are likely to want the -25F bag.

Doug

 

[kaseri]

Great replies. It's very interesting to ready other peoples experiences. I'm most likely going to do some unscientific "testing" once the weather gets below freezing. I'll sleep out in the yard with my 15 degree bag in 15 degree weather to see how my body reacts to the cold temps. Since we'll be climbing during official winter I've got a bit of time before I need to buy a sleeping bag. I suppose a zero degree bags temp rating can be stretched a bit with layers and such.

What I need is four different bags, one for every season. 40, 15, 0 & -25.... that should do it!

 

[Kevin Rooney]

And don't forget to wear a hat when it gets below freezing. You'll have terminal hat hair in the morning, but it makes a BIG difference.

 

[Mike P.]

You could go with a zero bag & either carry a fleece bag liner or an overbag. I like the overbag as it does not make the orginal mummy cut tighter. I'm 6' 230 (well more currently)

The over bag makes a nice summer bag for 55 -60 degree nights & is a bit roomier since it's designed to go over a mummy bag.

 

[bobandgeri]

We have both zero degree bags and minus 20 bags for Winter hut trips. A zero works for much of the Winter, but we've certainly been glad to have the minus 20 along on many trips. One trip to Carter the overnight low in the bunkroom was @ minus 17 - Geri's breath was turning to snow as she slept. On another we hiked into Zealand in minus 13 degree temps - think it stayed there overnight.

Before you go out and buy a bag(s), your welcome to try either or both bags on any weekend that I am not using them, and since we only do a few overnights in the Winter, most weekends would work.

 

[Mike P.]

You can rent bags also. When I worked at EMS (over 10 yeras ago) if you rented & then bought a bag, they would use the rental fee towards the price of the bag.

Bob & Geri's offer is very generous also.

 

[Lou Hale]

its been a long time (10 + years) since I spent a winters night in a sleeping bag. However I was able to go at least 10-15 degrees below my backs rating ( 0 I think) just by using a wool blanket as a liner. However I also slept in my long johns wool socks and a hat WMMV

 

[kaseri]

bobandgeri... thank you very much for the generous offer. Once the cold sets in I may just take you up on it. I'd would be great to test each bag out in the safety of my back yard.

 

[Chip]

I'll sleep out in the yard with my 15 degree bag in 15 degree weather to see how my body reacts to the cold temps.

2 pads, fleece and capilene tops and bottoms, being bone dry in dry layers with dry wool socks (did I mention you should be bone dry in winter ?), eating, wearing a hat, using a nylon bag cover...all add in various combinations 5 to probably 20 degrees to your bag's rating. I think Pete Hickey uses a 40 year old Coleman bag with a VBL.

Also, gear gets cheaper and more abundant after Christmas. Buy the best bag you can afford, which is generally a minimum of 750+ power down fill. A great bag will inflate like it's filled with helium when set out.

 

[kaseri]

Does anyone have an opinion as to the length of the bag? I normally buy a 6' length bag. I realize many people put water bottles and other items in the foot area of the sleeping bag so maybe a "long" would be prudent when it comes to winter.

 

[Kevin Rooney]

Unless you're tall, I'd say get a regular and save yourself the weight of excess bag.

I use a sleeping bag for 2+ months of the year, and this year decided to get a wide-cut one as they're much more comfortable than a tighter cut, i.e., the traditional mummy bag. I found that it was more comfortable, but ... on nights where there temps got close to the bag's rating, I was cold, and found I had to wrap the excess folds around me a bit in order to stay comfy.

So, snugness=warmth=possible claustrophia. As always, there are trade-offs on most everything.

 

[Rick]

For a winter bag, I prefer longer. I am 6'1" anyway so a regular would be too short. Like you said, keep extra clothing, boiling nalgene and boot liners/socks (plastic bagged of course) in the bottom.
But here is the other thing - Getting a long usually gives you several more inches of circumference... Some Argue it is too hard to keep dead space warm. I prefer a few inches - I can cross my arms without compressing the down, I can roll over numerous times in the bag, without having to roll the entire bag and move the flat cold spots to the top.. I can wear a fleece if I wanted to and not worry about compressing the down.

However, if you think you will always use a VBL in your winter bag, then a larger circumference bag won't matter much since VBL circumferences are the size or smaller than a regular size bag, unless you buy some coated nylon and custom make your own.

 

[Maddy]

I totally agree with the backyard experiment. It it so much easier to do trial runs than to have to discover in the mountains that you made a dreadful mistake. You could return it and get a different one, get a liner, etc to help keep you warm.
I slept 4 nights a week in a jeep wrangler at the Killington "gondola" base one entire winter using a - 30 bag and was very comfortable. There were many bitter cold nights. I have also used this same bag to winter camp, sometimes bringing a liner as well, and was always warm. We are all different and I tend to get very cold. Others using my system would have been way too hot.
( I won't bring up MN because that was extreme and we had two bags each.)
It's all about trying to figure it out before you venture out into the mountains and you won't really know until you experiment and see what works for you.
I can recall one night in mid August at Mizpah when out entire bunk room froze all night and we had three wool blankets each. None of us got a whole lot of sleep.
Another thing to keep in mind is to never get directly into your bag if you are cold. Do some kind of exercise to warm yourself up and then get into your bag.