I used to think a cheap sleeping bag was fine until a trip to the Sawtooths last month

I got a 20 dollar bag from a big box store and froze my butt off at 9,000 feet, even with all my layers on. My buddy let me try his 30 degree rated bag from a real outdoor brand the next night, and I slept like a rock. The difference in how they kept heat in was just huge. Has anyone else had a trip that made them finally spend money on a good bag?

3 comments

3 Comments

brianm6617d ago

That's the classic outdoor rite of passage, getting personally scammed by a twenty dollar sleeping bag. It's like the bag is rated for 50 degrees if you're a very warm-blooded lizard. You finally understand that the "temperature rating" on those things is basically a creative writing project.

nancyjones17d ago

Honestly, that cheap bag is a perfect starter. My nephew used one all through scouts and never complained. For a summer festival or a backyard campout, it's totally fine. People get too hung up on gear specs when half the time you just need something between you and the ground. Not every trip is a mountain expedition.

keith_bennett17d ago

Yeah, I was the same way for years, just grabbing whatever was on sale. A cold night in the Tetons changed that real fast (shivering all night just ruins the next day). Now I see it as buying sleep, not just a bag.