I'm 6'3" with a 13" shoe and there's room to spare. With a summer bag there might even be some air space between the bag and tent.

Awesome!

I've got a Wingnut MPS pack and a Nemo Gogo bivy/tent.

Do you think it would fit me at 6'4" and shoe size 15?

. One thing I would allways stress is to bring some of your insulation as clothes, rather than as a bag. A warm jacket and perhaps pants area big benefit in the evening and morning, or even during rest stops during the day in cold weather. Then wear the insulated clothing to bed at night to save weight on your sleeping bag. This also lets you use the same bag for a wide range of temps, because you are only making up the difference between sitting and sleeping.

Good tip, I was planning on doing that. Here in Albuquerque it can get pretty windy and cold in the evenings, so I have some nice merino shirts and jerseys for my after work commute. I already picked up a pair of merino wool shorts (gotta love the lack of stink for multi-day trips )

Thanks again for all the advice guys, still reading and looking into sleeping bags.

Right now the NF Beeline and the Montbell Hugger #3 are the most likely candidates, along with the thermolite liner and the z-lite pad.

I'm still reading about bivy's, although right now I'm considering a Nemo Gogo, slightly heavier than a bivy but a very flexible piece of equipment that packs down very small.

Dave, thanks for the tip on the Backpackinglight sale, ended up picking up a nice pair of merino wool shorts

Doing some more reading and searching, I've come up with a new combo for the sleeping gear:

Sleeping bag:
NF Beeline 30 degree down (http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___47900)

Very lightweight at 1lb 6oz! Campmor has them at a great price, so it's not that much more than what I was looking to spend originally. Planning to combine it with the Sea To Summit Reactor Thermolite for colder weather (and I could even use this liner with by itself in the summer heat).

Bivy: Equinox Ultralight Bivy Sack - 6.5 oz and I think it would cover most of what I would need for NM weather.

Pad: Therm-a-Rest Z-Lite - superlight at a great price.

Does this sound better?

How much does the BC3 weigh? Can't find it on the net. Also, only find it on E-bay and Competitive Cyclist. Other sites?

Looks badass. Twice the price and weight though...

One source (for those interested):
http://www.competitivecyclist.com/mountain-bikes/product-accessories/2009-ergon-bc3-m-backpack-4648.448.1.html?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=Google%2BBase&utm_campaign=Datafeed

Seems like it's not available everywhere yet...

Thanks for all the advice guys!

Letting go of the idea of a tent (at least for NM). For a sleeping bag looking at the Campmor 20 degree mummy + pad. Still doing more searching online, so will keep you posted!

What kind of riding are you planning?  (How rough/technical/steep?)

I haven't planned any routes yet, but I'll be riding a rigid 29er, so nothing too technical. XC type of riding to begin with.

One concern might be the overall weight of the system.  But if it's going to be ~15 degs out, there isn't too much you can do about it.

I think at my budget, that's pretty much going to be the overall problem for anything except mid-summer

Looks like a good sleeping bag.  I can't tell if the weight (~2.5 pounds) includes the inflatable pad or not, though.  If so, that's not bad for a bag+pad at 15 degs.

Very good point! I'll look into that, because that's one of the things that I like about that bag. Awesome weight for bag+pad at that price.

EDIT: Actually 2.5 pounds is for the bag, pad is around 2 pounds... that seems less than ideal.

Hi guys,

New to the forum and bikepacking, looking to start doing a few overnighters and long weekends in a couple of months, so I'm starting to get some gear (have to go one paycheck at a time ).

I live in Albuquerque, so trips will be in the Central/Northern NM area.

Sleeping bag:
Looking at getting the Big Agnes Crater (15 Degree Down w/ pad). Appears often on SAC for around 130, and including the pad it's a pretty light bag. Would look into getting a summer bag further down the road.

Tent:
Eureka Spitfire Solo - Seems like a very decent tent for the price. Couldn't really find a bivy without condensation problems within this price range, so figure this would be a nice one to take with on colder/rainy trips.

Backpack:
Osprey Talon 22 - Great reviews all over including here, bladder friendly, good size.

Other gear:
Thinking of a Epic Designs or similar saddle post bag, and a handle bar strap system for tent/sleeping bag.

How does this sound? Any alternatives I should be looking at for any of these?

TIA!