Sleeping bag advice

I bought my sleeping bag about 20 years ago, gearing up for my first boy scout outing. This was when Quallofil was the cutting edge technology, and having a mummy bag was a novelty!

The bag has served me well, but I think it's time to move on to something better (Mom or Dad can have this one!).

the major problem is mainly the thickness. I'm a side sleeper, and I like to have one hand under the pillow and the other hand I like to grip the top of the sleeping bag and tuck it under my chin. This bag is way too thick to grip - like, 2 or 3 inches. It becomes a moot point when the drawstring is drawn tight and only my nose peeks out, but rarely do I want to be that warm, but I'm not always so warm that I can have the top of the bag loose and open.

A minor problem is that the bag is a bit constrictive. At home I sleep in a Captain Morgan pose, but I can't really get that leg up in this bag, so it's sort of a ballerina pose . Not too big of a deal if I can't make that work. Other concern is I shift sides a few times as I'm falling asleep, which tangles me up with how thick this bag is. I also tend to loose my pillow in the middle of the night as it floats to the top of the tent... but it's stuff I can deal with as long as I'm warm and fall asleep.

I don't know the temperature rating of this current bag - maybe 12º or 20º?? The number 2 sticks in my head.
I tent camp in Washington and Oregon, typically 3 seasons, typically during offroad events.

I'm hoping you guys can help guide me to buying a new one?

 

I LOL'D

 

I got a nice big one from Bass Pro! Good quality and affordable!!!

 

that's a winner..

 

Yeah, when we were in college and went camping for some leadership training thing, we stayed in a three-sided house (where the 4th side is open to the elements). All the girls had those and found out real quick that the only good use for those is giving an excuse for getting a guy to cuddle all night.

 

Are you going to be carrying this on your back to wherever you are camping or will you be car camping or in a cabin or something?

 

Best advice I can give is go to your nearest ems or rei and see what they have and talk to the folks that work there. They are usually enthusiasts and are up on the latest innovations.

 

Tent camping after a day of wheeling, typically

 

Ok, well I have an Alps Mountaineering Clearwater mummy bag that has served me well for a couple years. If you are going to be car camping, I would absolutely go with a standard rectangle bag that is rated to +15 F to +20 F. Past that it becomes personal preference deciding on which brand to go with. Kelty, Alps Mountaineering, and REI are some good midrange names to start out with. You can get exactly what you need for $60-$90.

 

Here's a candidate.

 

Sleeping in a mummy bag is a learned talent.

Basically, you need to acustom your body to "wearing" it like oversized clothing, rather than being "in" it like a bed with sheets.

So if you roll onto one side or the other, you kinda wanna bring the bag with you, rather than turn inside it. Otherwise, you end up with claustrophobic collapsing mine nightmares as your face is buried inside the mummy bag hood.

So, for your use, a big thick heavy rectangular bag might be the most comfy. I used to have a Coleman bag like that, but the 8lb weight was hell for backpacking.

 

Dude your close to Cabelas drive up to Lacey and look. I say a rectangle bag, buy twice the coldness rating you think you need cause its alot easier to unzip/flip back then it is to freeze all night. Also compare the actual measurements of dif manufact. They very i'm also a side/ cap morgan slepper. my bags are 80x34 and 6lbs they are cabelas brand and I got them on sale for a pretty good deal, the zippers could be better (get tangled sometimes) mise well buy a pair that zip together to, For the lady plus if its warm don't zip just use like blankets. I think mine were 50% off when I got em and were like 75 for the pair. Good luck btw the Lacey cabelas is da bomb

 

Also if you got to have sumthing under ur chin buy one ofthose lil fleece bankets and use it as a liner/pull that under ur chin.