Sleeping bag for sobo thruhike

imported
#1

I am a gear head and own 4 Western Mountaineering bags: Summerlite (32 deg), Ultralite (20 deg), Versalite (10 deg) and a Puma for winter camping.

I will start my AT SOBO thruhike in mid-June and plan on switching to a warmer sleeping bag (Versalite) in fall.

My question now is: What bag should I start with: Is the Summerlite warm enough for a mid-June start or should I start with the warmer Ultralite?

I could not find any temperature chart for the AT - if anybody knows where to get that information it would be a great help.

Thanks!

German Tourist

#2

I would start out carrying the ultralite for a sobo thruhike.

youngndum

#3

Go to the AT Conservancy site www.appalachiantrail.org and type into the search box ‘average temperatures’. One of the results will be a list of many locations along the AT with the average highs and lows for each location for each month in the year. Notice that many of these sites are in towns near the AT. You will need to subtract 3 degrees for each 1000 feet of elevation to get the average temps for ‘up in the hills’. For instance Millinocket, ME at 450 ft. avg temps for Jun are High 73 & Low 49. That would mean the the top of Katahdin would be approx 58/34. It is a great chart. Check it out.

Good Luck,
GG

Carol Garner

#4

Might we suggest any of the great 20* 1.3# bags out there for the whole trip. Just because its hot doesn’t mean you’ll be hot sleeping. Do a high mile day, hurt your self, or get swamped by a cold rain and you’ll be rather happy to have that low temp bag when shock sets in…lighter than a liter of water! If its hot; lay on it until the wee hours when you cool off and then use it as a quilt. We feel that bag ratings are the “temp that you’ll still be alive in”. Most 0* bags are not comfy at 0* but there are many variables to consider; dinner eaten, exercise before bed, alcohol consumption, injuries, bmi, etc.

Bushwhack + Bramble AT '01

#5

The summerlite would be warm enough for Maine mid-June. You will then not need your warm bag until mid-October. May I suggest you carry and use a liner so that your bag(s) don’t get too gross, and then you have them to add warmth or to use alone when it gets much warmer.

BOOBOO MEGA 07

#6

I used an Ultralite on my SOBO. I’m a cold sleeper. At the beginning of November I switched it out for a warmer bag, a Nunatak Raku. I should have done it a couple of weeks earlier.

Five-Leafed Clover