Synthetic vs Down....in humid conditions

[sjanes]

I'll be doing most of my trips in the Appalachian mountains.  It's humid here, lots of moisture,  I'm trying to figure out if down is a viable option, or if I should go with synthetic sleeping bag/  insulating layer.

thanks.

[DaveH]

I used a down thermal sheet in this year's CTR, the year of the RAIN.  It worked flawlessly, but I was very careful about keeping it dry.  Nothing wet goes in, it is always in a waterproof bivy, and when packed it is in a waterproof bag. So, I'd guess you could make either work.  Just know that a down bag is absolutely useless once it is wet!

I'm a big fan of montbell products.  They make a synthetic puffy jacket, IIRC it's about 6 oz and very warm.  For a jacket, I figure the synthetic is better as it's more difficult to keep it dry.

Still, I'm interested to hear what folks in more humid climates think on the matter.  I live in SW Utah, if humidity goes over 15% we start sweating around here.

[Done]

Over the years, I've backpacked in dry and humid environments, from Oregon to New Hampshire, and from British Columbia to Canyonlands. I think that it's probably better to look at overall climate then specific daily conditions.

In dry climates, I prefer down sleeping bags. Even when it's wet and rainy, you can almost always dry stuff out sometime. For example, even during this year's CTR (wet!), it was possible to dry my gear during a few sunny moments. Especially at altitude, a little sun and dry air can suck the moisture from a damp sleeping bag in minutes. I also don't think that bags tend to get as wet because tents and bivy sacks are less susceptible to condensation.

In wet climates, I prefer synthetic sleeping bags because it can be nearly impossible to dry out down gear on the trail. Even when the sun comes out, the humidity level never seems to drop enough to let anything dry out very much. Plus, bivy bags and tents seem to suffer from more condensation--which ends up soaking your bag.

That said, lots of people use down in wet climates. As Dave says, if you're really careful, down can be fine in wet weather. Down is so light, compact, and durable that it's kind of a shock to switch to synthetic. But if weight isn't your primary concern, then I'd probably use a synthetic bag out East.

[Metro]

I’ve been using a synthetic bag ever since I discovered how useless down is when it gets wet. The weight savings of a down bag are really nice but being cold and wet aren’t worth it. Most of my time is spent in the mountains of western & southern Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and North Carolina.

[Slim]

Two things that might make the weight/volume difference smaller:
1 How warm of a item do you need? The weight savings of down is not as big in an absolute sense for thinner items as it is for thicker ones.
2 If you brought a synthetic item could you get by with less or lighter waterproof clothing, shelter or packing?

[heckboy]

 How about a VBL??

http://www.rivbike.com/products/show/vapor-barrier-liner/52-069