sleeping bag/kit/quilt for the Tour Divide?

[sthig]

I'm going broke trying to save money - but that's another story...

I am trying to figure out what bag/clothes/quilt I need for the tour divide...or a quilt?  Basically I get cold pretty quick so something warm would be great... I've got a bivy sack, I've got a sol emergency blanket, but I'd like something that:

A: Won't break the bank
B: will keep me warm
C: packs down to fit in my bike bag
D: see A

[12wheels]

What's your budget?  New quality three season down bags/quilts (800 fill) are expensive but can be found on sale for under $200 if you shop around.  GoLite, REI, Enlightened, and Eastern Mountain Sports often have their bags/quilts marked down and The Clymb has some pretty good deals as well.  Ebay is another option.  If you don't mind buying used, post a wanted ad in the classified here and over at Backpackinglight.com.  You can find good bags stuffed with 650 fill down or synthetic fiber for a lot less but they will be heavier and probably won't fit in your bike bag. 

If you have access to a sewing machine or someone who can sew, you can make a quilt for around $100.  Backpackinglight has an article, available to members, with the instructions and it really isn't that difficult.  850 fill down can be purchased for $6.50 an oz from Wilderness Logics and DIY Gear Supply has the fabric and thread.
http://wildernesslogics.com/850-White-Goose-Down-850-Down.htm
http://www.backwoodsdaydreamer.com/

[sthig]

thank you for this, I appreciate it.  Yeah I'm okay with second hand/used sleeping bags.  "Cooties" dont bother me, being cold does!

[wahday]

Campmor I know has made down bags that are affordable and get very strong reviews (never owned or used one myself). However, when I just checked their website, I did not see them listed. At the same time, it was probably only one or two months ago I was thumbing through their hardcopy catalog and saw them listed. Worth digging around.

Also, there are some online used camping gear sites you might look at since you don’t mind cooties…

http://www.geartrade.com/
http://www.lowergear.com/product.php?cat=65

Some towns/cities have used camping gear stores as well. We had one here that is no longer around and I don’t recall the name (I think they were a franchise), but the stuff they had was in decent shape and good prices. And there is always craigslist and ebay as well as REI “scratch and dent” sales. I picked up a great 45 degree summer bag at one (made by them) for $50 one year. Its great for warm weather.

[Enzo149]

I am in a similar situation to the OP. Looking to purchase a new sleeping bag and a bivy for bikepacking with the TDR(2014) as my focus. My budget is not as restricted as the OP. I would like to make the right purchase the first time.

What temp rated bag is recommended?

Down packs smaller and lighter then synthetic but the TDR can be a very wet race at times and synthetic is suppose to perform better when wet. What is the material of choice? The racer in me tells me to be a weight weenie and go down. But sleep quality is very important.

Can any one recommend a particular bag? I have been looking closely at the Montbell U.L spiral down hugger 30F, and the Mountain Hardware MTN speed 32 for down bags and the Mountain hardware Ultralamina 32 for a synthetic bag.

I have no experience when it comes to bivy sacks. I currently use a Big Agnes Seedhouse SL1 tent but takes to long to pack and un-pack for racing. What style bivy is the most popular? A minilist bivy like the Montbell or The Outdoor Research Aurora which seems more bomb proof? Any particular choices?

Would one recommend going with the lighter(down) bag and heavier bivy as a pairing? Or Lighter bivy and heaver(syn) bag? 

Thanks for the help.

[brooklyn]

First I will say that the sleep kit is a very personal thing to each person, make the wrong choice based off of what person x uses and you may find that you have to spend more on hotel rooms than you want or not make it to the finish. As you probably already know, it does get below 32F during the night in some portions of the race, so defiantly keep that in mind.

I went with a 23oz 40F down bag last year, a bivy bag (Sierra Designs Baffin Bivy), ground pad, and a emergency survival blanket which I used as a ground sheet mostly but also as a tarp when it was raining.

Enzo, the 40F down bag worked out fine for me...mostly. I prefer down to synthetic because of it's better weight to warmth ratio and its more compressible. I was lucky enough to find some kind of shelter most nights that it was raining (i.g. public bathroom, the porch of a closed general store and real estate office porch once) and when I wasn't that lucky my kit had good enough rain protection so my down bag getting wet from rain was never an issue, it did get slightly damp from condensation but was easily dried out in the sun usually while I would take a rest brake to eat.  When it was very cold out I would sleep in all my warm clothing, including a warm hat, and I had a pair of thick wool socks that i would use just for sleeping in. This worked out for me for the most part, I'm not going to say I slept all nice and toasty every night while in Canada and northern Montana, but I was able to get sleep, there is a fine line between comfortable enough sleep and suffering and everyone is different so if you're on the rocks about what temp bag to get, I would go with something warmer/heavier, a 30F or 32F bag defiantly is suitable and maybe you won't have to sleep in all of your warm layers like I did.
 
sthig, the bag that I used last year is being retired so I'm also in the market for a new sleeping bag. The bags that I've been looking at are 40F to 32F down bags in the $300 or less range which for me isn't cheap for a bag, but the sleeping kit is not where you want to go too cheap especially if you're on a tight budget and plan on camping more than paying for expensive rooms during the race, so pay now or pay more later. Although I'm probably going to buy new, I second the advice to check ebay, I've been checking various camping equipment stores for sleeping bags and then checking ebay for the same bags but slightly used for a chance to save some money.

[sthig]

okay, if I allocate money to this I'd like to have something that packs down very small and keeps me warm as possible.

let's say money isn't a problem - brands, recommendations.  I get cold.  So I'd like something warm that I sleep well with at night.  I've already got a bivy that I like, a tarp, an emergency blanket for a ground clothe and an air matress - it's just the bag itself

[pro_out]

Montbell Spiral Down UL Hugger 30d, I love the stretch.

[sthig]

and it packs down well?  I mean if I'm going to sink some cash, I want this thing to pack down well (small

[Adam Alphabet]

Check here for second hand goods.
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/display_forum.html?forum=19

[mtnbound]

Take a look at Western Mountaineering, if price is not a concern.  They make good, light stuff, though it ain't cheap.  I've got the summerlite, which only weighs 1lb 3 oz, so it's one of the lighter bags out there and its rated at 32 degrees (though I think that rating is a bit generous but I am usually cold so everyone is different.  It packs down pretty small too, about 6"X12".  I got it a store that was having a sale, so I got it for under $300.  It is a great bag for bikepacking where size and weight are so important, but you must keep it in a waterproof bag to keep it dry.