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?

4 comments

4 Comments

brianm662mo 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.

nancyjones2mo 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_bennett2mo 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.

jamie_adams1mo ago

Had a buddy who brought a cheap bag on a trip to the Sierra Nevadas last fall. He woke up around 3am shivering so bad his teeth were chattering, ended up crawling into the tent with me and my dog just to stay warm. We had to cut the trip short a day early because he couldn't handle another night. He dropped like 250 bucks on a good down bag the next week lol.