Sleeping bag for winter

[stumpyfsr]

Thanks, Slim, for input. One bag is a bit wider, so it should be ok with room. And that pad I have was bought with cold nights in mind. Just never tried it in actual winter.

[Colorado Cool Breeze]

I just went though this process with my local outfitter, for AK in Jan/Feb.

I was thinking the same, going with a big bag, but we worked with some of the gear I already had, to finish with a really cool modular system.

System:
OR Alpine bivy
Mont Helium 450
Mont bell spiral down hugger
Mtn Hardwear synth puff pants
Mtn Designs 700 hooded down puff jacket
tech fleece
icebreaker GT 200 base
Exped synmat UL7
Z lite pad

The only thing I needed to buy for this was the Helium bag, had everything else. Ended up with a very packable, modular system, amazed how compact the helium was when packed!

This gave me a main bag I can use around here (instead of only OS when it is in double negatives) so far more versatile in the long term, but YMMV. Double use then of the puff when stopping for meals/water and system redundancy in case of single component failure (water contamination). Admit it does take more time to setup - as opposed to a single bag system like the Exped waterbloc 1200 which I also liked, but I aint made of money - so modular suits me fine.

Wow sounds like a great winter warmth system. Any picts ? I know you are still waiting on 1 piece to complete the system.

stumpyfsr,
Something I always do with new gear is to test it some place where I can bail if things don't work out.
Backyard testing will also help you tweak the system to your liking and give you confidence in it.

Here's a pict of a snow load failure from my backyard. I was testing a new winter tarp before hitting the woods.
Turns out tarp pullouts and 6" on new snow overnight did not work well. The side pullouts prevented the snow
from sliding off. Thank goodness I had the tarp ridgeline on sliding prussic knots or something would broke or torn.

So I guess what I'm suggesting is watch the weather and give your new sleep system a few test runs in the backyard.

hth

[stumpyfsr]

ColoradoCoolBreeze, pic is great. So as suggestions. My main concern was/still is that I don't the lowest temp I could go with my two bags combo. Everybody is different, so I think the only way to find out is that system works or not is to try it. Will do it with first longer weekend available.

[Arctos]

I've been looking at experimenting with something, well not completely different...but not conventional...
I have been looking at combining...
one of these-http://www.nunatakusa.com/site07/other_bags/raku.htm
with one of these-http://www.exped.com/exped/web/exped_homepage_na.nsf
and then one of these-http://www.hilleberg.com/home/products/bivanorak/bivanorak.php

...problem is I don't have $1000 for the overstuffed -20 Raku...

Instead of the Raku  look at the Feathered Friends Winter Wren]. Basically a 20F Raku without the arm extensions but with zippered openings for the arms and a drawstring bottom so you can wear it around camp or even while riding or hiking. I happily used one for five years backpacking, bike and kayak touring. I switched to a Nunatak Arc Alpinist Quilt ten years ago. The Winter Wren went to my younger son.
[url=http://www.featheredfriends.com/Picasso/Bags/Layering.html]http://www.featheredfriends.com/Picasso/Bags/Layering.html

[wahday]

I have not bikepacked in the winter, but done a good amount of backpacking. I have a North Face Superlight which is good to 0 degrees and I love it (I have had it for almost 30 years!). But for most warmer weather trips I use a 45 degree bag. Big gap between the two so I have been looking at the SOL Escape Bivvy as a possibility for cutting the difference on trips where it might dip to right around freezing. I bikepacked in October and just had the lighter bag with a lot of clothes on, but I was still too chilly to be comfortable when it got down a bit below 32 F. I was lucky I had an emergency blanket with me, but I did get very clammy and wet through the night as all my body moisture condensed inside the blanket.

The Escape Bivvy is waterproof and breathable, supposedly, so it seemed to me like the perfect compliment to a light bag but maybe to enhance the warmth of a heavier bag for winter as well? It also reflects heat back at you, though not as much as the straight up emergency blankets. Somewhere I read that it increases your cold factor by about 10 degrees (but as was pointed out, compaction of down should also be factored if you are stuffing one inside of this).

I camp just with a tarp so I like the idea of something waterproof in case of blowing rain. I don't think I could just sleep in it, though, with no additional weather protection (even though its a bivvy). Cost ranges from about $35 (on ebay) to $50 (through backpacking websites). It also packs very small and in the heat of the summer could be used alone.

Anyone used the SOL Escape Bivvy? Experiences and opinions?

[wookieone]

I used a escape bivy for the CTR this year, it breaths ok I would say, but I didn't spend much time in it either! But I would use it again for sure....Jefe