The sleeping bag is the single most important piece of self-support gear. Besides the obvious need for warmth, the bag must also be small enough not to rob valuable stern space and more critically, small enough to easily slide into that stern. If it’s not, a tiring and frustrating struggle will ensue each time the kayak is loaded. It should also be light, quality and perhaps, depending on your needs, versatile enough to be used for more than sleeping in.

The solution? A high quality down bag. For pure warmth per ounce, there is nothing that can match good down. And though an average 25% more costly than a synthetic bag, a quality down bag can easily outlast synthetic two to one...or more. Most importantly though, down bags can be half the stuffed size as equally warm synthetic bags.

But won’t a synthetic bag keep me warm if it gets wet? This age old belief is a myth...a fable gladly perpetuated by those who stand to fatten their pocketbooks. However, it is true that a fully soaked down bag is worthless. If a synthetic bag gets equally soaked, one can roll much of the water out then fluff to restore a small amount of loft…but not enough to effectively keep you “warm”. You’ll still be miserable, just slightly less so. If not convinced, simply take a soaked synthetic bag in to your backyard after dark, crawl inside and try to sleep.

The more pronounced difference between down and synthetic is the dry time. Chances are, assuming it is warm and sunny... and you have time to kill at camp, if you get a synthetic bag excessively wet one day, you might be able to get it tolerably dry by the second day. The same can not be said for down...if the fibers get wet enough to clump together. In this case, drying it to a satisfactory level can take many hours of physical manipulation and heat. This clumping is why many down bag makers suggest throwing a tennis ball inside the dryer in their washing/drying recommendations. While tumbling, that ball helps break up the clumps which, opens the fibers to airflow and speeds the drying. Even then, a down bag will still take considerably longer to dry than a synthetic bag. Anyone who has washed both can attest to this.

Despite those facts, anyone wishing to reap all the benefits of down should not be discouraged. Why? First off, it takes more water than one would think to cause down clumping (point at which down becomes worthless). Secondly, it is not difficult to keep a bag dry enough to do its job. After spending innumerable nights camping in varying conditions since I was a young child, I can only recall getting a bag wet enough to cause discomfort on three occasions. I was completely negligent two times and was using an inadequate tent the third. Similarly, I witnessed one poor chap suffer under a tarp shorter than his bag and have heard of many issues with leaky/cheap drybags. Two friends of mine also had their unattended bags blown in to the river. So yes, a bag can get wet. However, in every single instance I'm aware of, the situation could have easily been avoided with a little extra attentiveness in gear selection and camp habits. Below are some tips to keep any bag dry, down or synthetic:

• Sleep in a quality shelter with good ventilating properties or if using a tarp, make sure it is adequately sized.
• Use quality drybags in the kayak & make sure they are in good working order at home.
• If the sleeping bag is unstuffed & out of the shelter, loop the hood drawstring around something to prevent a wind gust from blowing it in the river
• Always place the sleeping bag inside its stuff bag, or another drybag, then in to the main drybags. This gives two-way protection. Carrying the sleeping bag outside the main drybags is asking for trouble...even in a separate waterproof bag. Still worried? Place the bag inside a garbage bag, then in to it's stuff sack & finally, in to the main drybag. Three-way protection!
• Don't set your shelter in a natural drainage area or in a depression which may collect water.

Differences in down insulations
If you're in the market for a down bag, be aware that not all down insulation is created equal. Low quality down has little to no advantage over good synthetic. The determining factor for down is the "fill power" and is the very first thing you should check. Fill power is determined in a lab when one ounce of a given down is allowed to fully loft in a testing cylinder and then weighted with a piston. The volume is then measured in cubic inches and that calculated number represents the fill power. Basically, an ounce of down that takes up 700 cubic inches in this testing cylinder is labeled "700 fill down". Therefore, the higher the fill, the warmer per ounce the bag will be. Or, in other words, the higher the number, the better the insulation. To give you an idea, 550 fill is what some synthetic makers compare their best to. The true virtues of down will start to be seen with 700 fill and get better up to 900. You might consider 750 as a minimum.

Water resistant down
Several years ago, down treated to make it more water resistant appeared in the market. It was a luring technology that in theory, made sense. As such, many bag makers hopped on the bandwagon. However, though there are anecdotal reports of it being of good value in certain environments, it's still too early for a solid consensus amongst the various user groups. There are also questions that have yet to be fully answered. Like any other "treatment", it's only going to last so long. How long, under what conditions, and then what? When the treatment wears off, is the down as good as it was in its original state....or worse off in some way? Also, what chemicals are used in the treatment? Many of the chemicals used to make gear water resistant are known to be hazardous and have been the subject of recent discussion.

Manufacturers in general have a long history of being quick to jump on the newest advancements. It keeps them in the spot light and makes sales. That said, I think it's very telling that some of the longest lived and most respected bag makers in the world are not offering bags with water resistant down. For example, Feathered Friends does not use it nor does Western Mountaineering. In fact, Western Mountaineering states the benefits of treated down are "widely overstated" and that it "could actually inhibit performance over the lifetime of the product". Zpacks, a respected cottage gear bag maker, discontinued it citing a clinginess within the down creating clumps making it more difficult to fluff the bag. For me, I'm sticking to the proven stuff: Good old fashioned high quality down.

Are there occasions when synthetic bags are the better choice? Absolutely. If you need something hypoallergenic, a synthetic bag might be the way to go. A synthetic bag may also be the better choice in excessively humid or rainy locales, although, a down bag with a waterproof/breathable shell combined with a VBL as outlined below would still work in many cases. At any rate, I'd also recommend a synthetic bag if you already had one that worked well in conjuncion with your boat and other gear. Why not? Save your money or spend it on some thing you truly need.

Shopping for a synthetic bag
Just like purchasing most other gear, if you choose an appropriate model from a reputable company, chances are you will be happy. You will however want to make sure the bag contains a proven insulation. One would like to think the industry would not market a product without thorough and time honored testing yet, in the race to become the first to introduce some thing new, it happens. I had one "high-end" synthetic bag, with the then latest insulation, lose more than 50% of its loft after less than a dozen uses.

What shape? There are three basic shapes to sleeping bags: mummy, semi-rectangular and rectangular. Designed to follow the contours of your body which, minimizes the amount of dead air space your body must heat and the bag to maintain, the mummy shape is the most efficient. They are also the smallest and lightest. The rectangular and semi-rectangular bags will take up too much space to make them a consideration.

The hybrid bag is a regular sleeping bag when you want it to be...or a parka or a suit. Sleeping, cooking, walking, lounging or relieving yourself, you are always surrounded by warmth. And arms in or out, foot box open or closed, hybrid bags are readily adjustable for changing nighttime temps. The bag in the upper left is a modified Western Mountaineering Linelite which is no longer being made. The other bag is a Feathered Friends Rock Wren w/ a waterproof/breathable shell.

To the right of the tape measure is a popular 35° 16 oz sleeping bag w/ fleece pants & jacket. Total weight = 2lb 8oz. To the left is the 35° Feathered Friends Rock Wren hybrid bag shown above & below. No need for additional clothes. Weight = 1lb 12oz.

Eliminating redundancy is an easy way to minimize weight and bulk. An example of this can be seen in the photo to the right comparing a hybrid bag to a conventional bag with with fleece camp wear. With the highly versatile hybrid, it is possible to get by without packing any additional camp clothing, even when the temps are cool. The hybrid is also wonderfully cozy to lounge around in on a cool evening and works ok while performing light camp duties.

Cooking dinner in the Feathered Friends Rock Wren.

However, as versatile and novel as the hybrid is, they will not work well for everyone in all situations. In most instances, the conventional bag and clothing combo makes for a more versatile set-up. For that reason, I abandoned my hybrid on colder trips in favor of a more conventional bag. I can more easily move around camp in my down jacket and pants than the hybrid bag...and when sitting around a fire, I'd rather take a chance with a popping ember hitting my clothing. Also, in the case to the right in the above photo (with tape measure), where both bags have the same temperature rating, one can wear the additional clothing inside their conventional bag and have a warmer sleeping arrangement.

Neither system is perfect in all contexts. Pick the one that will best suit the majority of your situations.

Hybrid bags:

• Feathered Friends Rock Wren & Winter Wren: the original hybrid; reputable; building bags in Seattle since 1972; will customize.
• Western Mountaineering Linelite: esteemed USA made company; lightest & most compact hybrid; needs modifications to work optimally; no hood; sewn through construction; no zipper; suitable for summer only; narrow footbox (big people won't be able to pull it up to walk. It's barely big enough for my lean 5'-11' & 150lb build) NOTE: If interested in a Linelite, you'll have to look for used as it is no longer being made.
• Exped Dreamwalker: full zipper; hand warmer pockets; imported.
  

The no longer made Western Mountaineering Linelite was designed to be used as a liner to extend the range of sleeping bags. However, with the addition of draft flaps & closures on its arm openings, this little package transforms in to an incredible 15oz hybrid sleeping bag for small to medium folks. In the photo to the left, the large black piece is a sil-nylon covered 200 wt fleece draft flap I added. The orange thing is a pull tab for the velcro closure. Tuck the flap inside & velcro the arm slit closed. Combined w/ a full length pad, the clothes I wear under my drysuit, a poncho VBL and bivy, this bag has very comfortably taken me down to the low 40’s.

What temperature rating? Temperature ratings are to assist in making a decision within a single manufacturers line of bags. And then, they are only rough guidelines assuming ideal conditions. Temperature ratings can not be used reliably to compare different manufacturers nor the extent of each individuals metabolism. The best way to compare warmth when comparing different brands is to look at the loft. If the bags have the same general construction, shape and girth, the bag with the most loft will be warmer. Most quality bag makers will list the loft in their spec sheet. To measure your own, fluff up the bag as much as possible, lay it out on a flat surface then measure the height. Just as an example, down mummy bags with 4" of loft will generally be rated to around 30°.

What this Seattle made bag lacks in versatility, it makes up for w/ an unreal weight/warmth ratio: Loft of a 15° bag throughout at only 20.69 oz! Meet the Feathered Friends Vireo w/ custom overfill & custom Goosefeet down hood w/ built-in cuben fiber VBL liner. Bag+hood = 22.25oz! Total cost = less than many off-the-shelf bags half as warm. 900+ down fill, thin cut, ultralight liner/shell, & no zipper make all this possible. Simple is beautiful! When cold enough to warrant this bag, I also carry my hooded down jacket which I wear inside eliminating the need for the Goosefeet down hood shown. NOTE: Feathered Friends now offers this bag as the Tanager.

Ideally, if you have money burning a hole in your pocket, owning two bags with different temperature ratings is the ticket. Otherwise, a general guideline I'd suggest using is by choosing one with a rating close to the lowest temperature encountered regularly. Notice that I emphasized regularly. Buying too warm a bag for the intended usage just creates unnecessary weight and bulk. Plus, I have never found a bag like this to be overly comfortable. Leaving it open is a lot like laying next to a fire in the cold open. One side of your body will be sweating while the other side is left with goose bumps.

Now, to get to a starting point, consider where you will most use the bag and during which season. For instance, if most of your self-support will be done where and when freezing temperatures will rarely be encountered, a 30° bag from a reputable company would make a good starting point. From that point, adjust up or down according to your particular metabolism. For instance, if you find yourself wearing a sweater when everyone else has a tee shirt, consider a bag rated 5° - 10° colder (25°-20° bag). And if everyone is wearing fleece pants and you shorts, you might consider a bag rated 5° or perhaps...if you are willing to deal with the occasional cooler night, a bag 10° warmer (in other words, a 35° bag or, if you're brave/confident, a 40° bag). That said, 20° bags are the most commonly used in the Rocky Mountain region.

Though generally considered a piece of gear for serious mountaineers in subfreezing temps, a VBL can serve a self-supporter equally as well. They prevent evaporative cooling & keep body moisture out of the bags insulation where it can accumulate adding weight & robbing warmth. Rather than a conventional VBL though, which is just a bag that can't be used for much else...wear light weight non-breathable rain gear or better yet, one of the most versatile pieces of gear a self-supporter can carry; a poncho. A poncho will cover the most crucial parts of your body; the core & head. Large plastic leaf bags work too as do plastic garment & dry cleaning bags. Though I typically don't use a VBL on my body, my feet tend to chill easily so use them there frequently. Left over food bags work beautifully here. A small rubberband around the ankles keeps the bags on. The bags can go against bare skin with socks over, or the bags over the socks. I find the latter to be more comfortable. Last thing: Very effective, yes. Just be prepared for a stench akin to days old road kill when you pull the bags off your feet.

Remember too that using a bivy can add several degrees warmth and regardless of shelter type...you can easily boost the temperature rating of a bag by wearing clothes inside. In addition to clothes, you can add even more warmth by wearing a vapor barrier liner (VBL)(see description at right).

For the sake of saving weight and bulk, I will often times take a bag rated for warmer temps and increasing its warmth, if need be, by using the above methods. I'm already carrying that stuff so why not? I have comfortably taken a bag rated to 35° down to 17° by doing this. That said, there's more to sleeping warm than a good bag and wearing your clothes to extend its comfort. Below are a few tips to insure the best nights sleep possible:

Relief from within the warm cocoon. Frequent urinators will appreciate the benefits of a Gatorade bottle. Steady hands and total cerebral focus mandatory.

• try to eat a filling & warm dinner meal that will release energy slowly
• stay hydrated throughout the day
• warm-up next to a camp fire before going to bed
• sleep in an enclosed shelter and up and away from the water (Remember. Cold air drops so the riverside will be the coolest place to sleep.)
• choose a site that is naturally protected from the wind
• place insulation under your entire body (see sleeping pads)

Bag care
A quality down bag will last many years, perhaps even a lifetime for many...if well cared for. Below are a few tips to get the most from yours (the same care should be given to synthetic bags as well):

• Never store the bag stuffed. Keep it stored loosely in an over sized cotton bag in a dry dark area (old musty basements not recommended). Some manufactures include storage bags. Other wise, you can buy one at any good outdoor store or you can make one from an old sheet.
• Upon wakening, hang the bag outside allowing it to dry of body vapor and shelter condensation. Do both sides and preferably in the shade. The sun will dry it faster, but don't over do it. The UV rays will gradually weaken the material.
• Unless absolutely necessary, do not use a compression sack. And do not lay or sit on the bag while stuffed. All this puts unnecessary stress on the insulation.
• Always place some thing between the bag and the ground.
• If tolerated, sleep with a top, shorts and socks on to keep excessive body oils and perspiration out of the insulation. This will do the same as sheets on a bed and combined with frequent airing, will lessen the need for frequent washing. Clean = more loft. More loft = more warmth.
• Bags require careful washing techniques & special soap. Wash as per manufacturers recommendations.
• Handle the bag with care. Don’t just rip it out of its stuff sack or you might tear a baffel in the process. Gently shake it out.
• Do not leave the bag stuffed any longer than necessary. Unstuff it as soon as you get to camp and if possible, keep it unstuffed to and from the river.
• When you get home, hang the bag some where out of the sun and let dry several days both inside and out. Or, stick a fan in its opening for a few hours.
• Make every attempt at keeping your bag clean inside and out as washing too often can be hard on the insulation and baffles.