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Sea Kayak Trips Bulletin Board
lite loft, down & thoughts
Posted By: Barry Vee In Response To: Sleeping bags for camping (Wes Boyd)
Date: Friday, 29 January 1999, at 1:03 a.m.
I have and use both lite loft and down. My experience with other synthetics prior to light loft, (hollow fill and polar guard), kept me in a down bag, never a serious "wet" problem but some uncomfortable nights due to dampness. The performance of damp liteloft is amazing. There are other contrasts and similarities. They are nearly the same in price, stuff nearly the same and are nearly equal in insulation to weight ratios. Liteloft seems to loft quicker after unstuffing. The down side of liteloft may be it's durabillity. I take very good care of my bags. I've given away down that was in service for 25 years and still in good shape. Recently I've begun to notice the liteloft bag isn't lofting as well as it use to, and it isn't as warm. This bag is only fivish years old and has about 80 nights on the ground. I've tried tossing the bag in a dryer with tennis shoes on the air cycle and it didn't help.
Just as important as picking an insulation are some other considerations. I look for full length draft tubes, shoulder gaskets, a separate pull string to draw the bag down to the chest and another for the hood. Additionally I look at the foot box size, for two way zippers to ventalate the foot box and control temperature. My physical size needs to be a close fit or the extra air space will be hard to keep warm. The construction of the insulating system is important, tubes, baffles, seams, shingles etc. oh..and color! If you live near one check out REI brand bags (made in china like most others). I've found them to be a good value when purchased on sale.
Barry
> OK, gearheads, here's something to jabber about:
> I recently decided that I needed to break down and get a new sleeping bag
> for kayaking; the old one I backpacked and car camped with for years has
> seen too many better days.> I'm undecided over whether to get a high-end synthetic bag, or a down bag.
> I know down goes away and hides when it gets wet, but it packs so much
> tighter than synthetic that it should be able to live in a drybag that
> will still go down the hatch of the boat.> On the other hand, a high-end bag out of something like Quallofill will
> stay warm to some degree if it gets wet, and will dry more easily than
> down, but a Quallofill bag will take a huge drybag, and that drybag will
> be a bear in a small hatch.> The issue is nicely balanced in my own mind, but does anyone else have any
> ideas?> -- Wes Boyd
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