Marmot Helium - Pacific Crest Trail

imported
#1

I have recently purchased a Marmot Helium 15degree bag. The trouble is that i was camping last weekend when the overnight temperatures fell to no lower than 35degrees and i was FREEEEEEEZING.

Now i had a pair of wooley socks on and my feet were fine but i had a pair of long cotton pants and a long sleeved cotton shirt on.

Surely i should not have been so cold !

This helium is my first down bag and i only bought it because its so light when compared to my standard winter synthetic bag.

Has any one else suffered similar problems ?

nelson_66

#2

First of all, what the heck are you doing in cotton out on the trail? You should get either Polyprop, smart wool, silk or capeline long johns.

Next, the ratings of sleeping bags is to some degree meaningless, it depends on how cold/hot you are when you sleep, I have a 15* down bag and a coolmax liner for the really cold nights, I also sleep in smartwool or silk longjohns.

Were you in a tent? shelter? Did you have a well insulated pad under you? or did you put the bag on the ground?all these have influences on how cold you get at night.

cold feet

#3

Yeah, shoulda ditched the cotton. It’ll suck the heat right out of you and stay damp all night. And what did you have for dinner? Need some calories for staying warm.

Merry X-Mas

BW

#4

Marmot has been knowed for exaggerating the warmth of their thar bags.

spot

#5

I was surprised when I read your post. Used the same bag for the AT thru and it was great. Went through 3 snow storms with it. The other things that have been mentioned may be your problem. Try it out again with the changes.

socks

#6

I asked an outfitter the same question about my down sleeping bag when I was cold and it was NOT below the tempature rating. They said the rating was based on the lowest tempature where you could survive. That’s right, survive. … Meaning that your bag might be a 15* but you may still be cold at 25 or 30 degrees!

Like the others said, ditch the cotten, ware layers, buy a silk liner, use a sleeping pad, and sleep in a tent. Also, I’m not familer with the design of a Marmot Hulium, but you may be able to shake the down to one side thus adding more “fluff” on top of you (does that make sense?). These all will help add degrees to your sleeping bag and making you a happy hiker! Enjoy!!!

Floweasy

#7

And another thing…:)…we all sleep differently with regard to hot and cold. I am a very warm sleeper and have slept in my marmot helium on the Superior trail and the temperature was 10 above when I got up the next morning. I was practically overheated during the night. I agree with the person that suggested there was a link with you wearing cotton. I used this same bag during my '05 AT thru hike and had to get rid of it early in Virginia because it was just do darn hot. We’re all different, you just gotta find what works for you. Good luck.

Nimblefoot

#8

I’ve heard that Marmot makes their bags en masse in China. True?

lineitem

#9

I love this sleeping bag for a couple of reasons. Weight is clearly an advantage. Another is the shape, which works well for me. I could not fit comfortably in the Western Mountaineering equivalent, as I find that I really need more “foot room”. I picked mine up a year or so ago, and find it perfect for my CT hikes. Not only do we all sleep differently, and with different thermostats, but we are all different shapes. This bag works well for me. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you.

TrailGuy

TrailGuy

#10

I researched a lot on this bag, and the Western Mountaineering Versalite. The Marmot had great reviews from users on various sites, saying that the degree rating was ‘generous’. Meaning that was the temp you would be comfortable, not able to survive in.
Long before that though, I had also come to the conclusion that companies post survival temps, not comfort temps. Like a previous person said, you can shake the down to the top, which is what I have done.
I’m not as satisfied with the bag as the reviews led me to believe. However, I’ve never been freezing. About two weeks ago, Fishy-T and I did 30 miles in the snow and into the dark over Watauga Dam (sp?). Myself and my clothes were pretty wet by the end of it all, and the Marmot got wet as well by the feet and upper torso area. (don’t have a waterproof stuff sack)
I slept with wet socks (to dry them off) and most or all of my clothes and I was only slightly chilled.
I suppose I sleep slightly on the warm side, and my feet surprisingly sleep even warmer.
One of my tricks? I sleep with a closed cell pad inside the bag. It was sliding all around between the insulmat and the bag if I kept it outside, so I made the switch.
I just bought one of those windshield reflector thingies for the car to replace the foam pad. I haven’t been able to test it yet, seeing that I’ve been holed up at Miss Janet’s for over a week, but I’ll keep y’all updated.:wink:

Beater

#11

Did you by chance wear a hat? That can make a tremendous difference. Also, try extra padding. I usually use two closed cell pads during winter, full length and my summer 3/4 length.

Lyle

#12

There’s good advice here about ways to stay warmer at night. However, I bought one of the earlier versions of this bag in late 2001 and after 4000 trail miles I would have to say that at no point in it’s life was it comfortable at 15 degrees or below.

However, sleeping with my WM Flight jacket, thick socks, warm cap, and my backpack under my thermarest would really help out in temps around 20 degrees or so. I’m looking at ordering a new bag from Feather Friends this week. I’m interested in if their temp ratings are more accurate.

Ganj

#13

I have a FF bag and it has done very well in temps in the 20s… was not cold at all. I am a cold sleeper. I do sleep in fleece though and keep my feet under my pack. ganj ask about thier 2nds, the ones they rent in the summer cuz they sell them about half price… also I dickered a bit and they were up for that. I think I paid 200.00 for a 400.00 bag.

yappy

#14

stay DRY!..that means no cotton…it won’t evaporate perspiration quick enough…first thing i always did gettin’ into camp was get into DRY clothes! (sometimes after a brisk shower which also gets your circulation going for warmth)…and, yes!..definitely a hat!..we also slept under a tarp…no condensation (which translates DRY)…this year we carried a funny little thing we said we’d never use…“hot hands” (those little packages you jiggle to make heat)…only for me they became “hot HIPS”!..i slid ‘em down between my smart wools and rain pants…oooohwheee!..toasty!..thanks to my mom and dad for these convenient little packages!..didn’t use them often…didn’t carry that many , but once in a while they helped!..by the way, we slept under a quilt instead of in a bag…we never slept cold…(it was the getting-up-and-out in the mornin’ that was the challenge!)

maw-ee

#15

stay DRY!..that means no cotton…it won’t evaporate perspiration quick enough…first thing i always did gettin’ into camp was get into DRY clothes! (sometimes after a brisk shower which also gets your circulation going for warmth)…and, yes!..definitely a hat!..we also slept under a tarp…no condensation (which translates DRY)…this year we carried a funny little thing we said we’d never use…“hot hands” (those little packages you jiggle to make heat)…only for me they became “hot HIPS”!..i slid ‘em down between my smart wools and rain pants…oooohwheee!..toasty!..thanks to my mom and dad for these convenient little packages!..didn’t use them often…didn’t carry that many , but once in a while they helped!..by the way, we slept under a quilt instead of in a bag…we never slept cold…(it was the getting-up-and-out in the mornin’ that was the challenge!)

maw-ee

#16

sorry for that extra entry…i get impatient when this dsl doesn’t move fast enough, so i just go clickin’ like a madwoman!

maw-ee

#17

Dear Nelson,

Please answer cold feet’s questions. That’ll help us answer you.

Conan

Conan

#18

I recently got a Mont-bell 15 degree down bag. It is about 2 lbs. I recently used it in a shelter on the AT and the temp got down into the mid 20’s. I used a thin light weight pad and I had only a pair of shorts on. I am a cold sleeper, but I had to open it up every hour or so to let the heat out. So far I love it. Has anyone else had this luck with Mont-Bell?

Nut

#19

Well thanks for ALL of your replies - i think that my answer lies in a silk liner and new thermal underwear. Once i have got these i am going to go out for a weekend and see how warm i am.
Funny thing is that my feet are warm but my torso is freezing - must be something to do with my clothes.

Weather in my area is 40 degrees and wet at this time of year, so when we get hit with a cold snap i shall go hiking and re-post.

Thanks again for all your help in solving my problem

nelson_66

#20

There really must be a big difference in individual sleeping temperature because I have the even lighter 30 degree version of that bag; the Hydrogen and I’ve slept in it comfortably down to 20 degrees with smartwool long underwear, fleece socks and a beanie. At 35 degrees I’m toasty warm without any extra clothing.

Erik