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Topic Date User

sleeping bags! 15-Sep-2007 At 9:23:42 AM ant

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Do you intend carrying a sleeping bag on route, or is the bag staying in a tent or hut? I generally base myself in a hut or a camp as close to the route as possible, and climb without a sleeping bag or bivvy gear.

For tent use in NZ winter I use a synthetic bag, wearing my long underwear and balaclava. If it gets really cold I'll put on my soft-shell pants and synthetic belay jacket. Eating chocolate and other high fat foods helps to keep you warm too.

Everything outside your bag will freeze at night, so my damp inner boots, socks and gloves go in the bag too. The bag does get damp, however your warmth will push the moisture out. I find that a bivvy sack reduces this moisture transfer. A down bag would be dead using this approach after a few nights.

My current synthetic bag is from Integral Designs in Canada. It weighs 1.7kg, rated to -10 deg C and is quite bulky. I use a compression stuff sack to keep the volume down.

http://www.integraldesigns.com/product_detail.cfm?id=722&CFID=9248442&CFTOKEN=18769763&mainproducttypeid=5

For NZ hut use (summer and winter), the Andes and Canadian Rockies in summer I generally take a -10 deg C down bag. For the Rockies in winter I take the synthetic bag.