Hey everyone, hoping to learn from some of your exptertise - What sleeping bag rating would you pick for a southbound PCT trip starting in late June? I know 20 degrees seems to be the go to for a NOBO hike, just wondering about the other way around! Thanks for any tips!
AZ
A 20 degree bag will be fine, as long as the rating is honest. Normally there would be a lot of snow in June, but we’re having a lower than normal snow year out here in WA. Temps are pretty mild in June in the mountains, but do be aware that it is possible for several feet of snow to fall in June. Last June I was on Rainier when a storm came in and dumped something like 18 inches.
Suge
Thanks for the reply. I was thinking a late June / Early July start obviously depending on the snow situation. I was debating between a 30 and a 20 degree bag, both of which should have honest ratings. (Western Mountaineering)
AZ
Anybody else have any suggestions out there? Trying to decide on a 30 or 20 for the whole way or if I should go with a bag switching technique using different bags on different sections. Thanks for any help!
AZ
If you’re a warm sleeper, then a bag with 12 or even 10 oz of down might cut it. If you sleep cold, I think 15-18 oz of high-quality down would be wiser. Also, consider whether you’ll be sleeping in clothes or a bag liner, and what your shelter will be. Each of those will add a few degrees of comfort.
RickD
Thanks, that is actutally right along the lines of the two bags I have been considering, WM Summerlite and WM Ultralite…Sounds like the Ultralite might be the safer choice.
AZ
hi all. i’m going northbound. what do you think about the golite ultra 20? any experience on the trail? is it really 20 degree warm?
ido
Ido, i used a go-lite 20-degree quilt for my PCT. The pros are: relatively cheap, very light, and i think a true temperature rating. I only had it one night out in the 20s, but it was warm. A bag would have to be at least as warm. Also, their customer service was excellent.
Which brings us to the con: they (at least so far) make really shoddy stuff. I’ve never seen anything by Go-Lite that can hold up to thru-hiker use. The quilt straps busted, down leaked more than usual…if it can break, it will. But you get what you pay for, and they definitely were very good about fixing things. They even sent me a rebate check for a strap recall along with replacement buckles, to general delivery at a trail town.
I feel i got my money’s worth. But to do again, i might take out a 2nd mortgage and get a Nunatak or WM, or see if i can befriend someone who has the time/talent/interest in making one.
markv
I had one of these, too. I had no problems with it. I treated all my stuff like it was made of angel wings.
I just went out last night and slept in it. It was below freezing and I got a little chilled, but I was toasty warm most of the time. I did have to add my down sweater to sleep in and I also had a bivy sack, which helped, too.
I think if you are asking about what you need for a SoBo hike, you maybe are mostly concerned with how cold it’s going to be as autumn gets on. Autumn is a great time to hike in Southern California. It’s my first choice season to hike because there are more colors. It gets cold, but it’s not as dewy as Spring and it’s not really any colder. I think you could use the same gear in Fall as in Spring down here.
As for the bigger mountains down here, you won’t see any snow until the first rains of the season. The rainy season for So Cal is usually between October and April, but often there’s no rain until November.
Piper
i’m actually north bound. will start early though (i hope).
thanks for the tips guys. i think my decision will be to buy this (Golite Ultra 20) to save some weight and also get a down jacket (but maybe only from KM).
ido
Ido, you could also combine the two by getting one of the Jacks R Better convertible quilts. You’d have less weight than if you got the ultra 20 + a down jacket, and you’d probably be warmer at night. I have the Rocky Mt. No Sniveller.
RickD