Marmot - Trestles Elite Eco 0° (2024)

I will be going to valley of fire in late December as well!! Marmot 0 degree trestles eco bag!! Affordable and warm af. I have used it for many winters in 10 degree weather and been super cozy. Get yourself a high r value sleeping pad as well. That’s almost more important than your bag. I can’t recommend a gazelle tent enough times. It’s not a 4 season but it’s so easy to set up and huge. Not for backpacking. I feel like you need to be constantly in freezing temps for a four season tent. 30 degrees is nothing.

Hell no. A liner won't help but a couple of degrees. That bag is probably comfort rated at 8c regardless of the label. You need a -10C comfort rated bag. https://www.rei.com/product/250705/marmot-trestles-elite-eco-0-sleeping-bag-mens and wearing all your layers would get you there. https://www.rei.com/product/231211/sea-to-summit-trek-0f-sleeping-bag

If you only plan to car camp, don't bother with the down sleeping bags because the main benefits of down (compressible, lightweight) aren't really important features for car camping. On the other hand, the main benefit of synthetic insulation is that it still works if you get it wet, and it is cheaper. I prefer synthetic insulation for car camping.  I had a Marmot Trestles 0 degree for years and used it when I was a trail worker camping 7 nights in a row and it never let me down. Big and heavy for carrying in a backpack, but supremely warm. Sleeping 2 people in a car, the 15 degree would probably be great. You can always bring some extra blankets to supplement the sleeping bags.  I do a lot of trips where I sleep in the back of my vehicle. I've also done a lot of backpacking trips where I carry all of my stuff and sleep on a combo lightweight air mattress and foam pad. Take this advice that I learned the hard way - skip the air mattress for car camping. Air does not provide insulation, and usually will wind up having weird gaps between the mattress and the vehicle. Sounds like you already have a mattress topper, but maybe there is one that's a better fit in your vehicle? Foam is way warmer than air.  Also, maybe consider a layer or two of a more dense eva foam to go under your mattress topper. Sold as anti-fatigue mats, and come as single pieces or 2 foot by 2 foot puzzle pieces. Put that down under your mattress topper and your bed will be comfy, warm, and un-poppable. We roll up our mattress topper & bedding during the day and leave the anti fatigue mat rolled out with our stuff on it. We have [two of these](https://www.homedepot.com/p/TrafficMaster-Diamond-Soft-Foot-Black-4-ft-x-6-ft-Indoor-Outdoor-Commercial-Door-Mat-6016909004x6/306932662). Trim to size as needed.  Another hot take - don't build a platform other than a basic low profile sheet if you need it. In my opinion they wind up adding weight and taking up all of the space inside and leave you sleeping in a coffin. For a smaller vehicle like a highlander you're better off having your stuff well packed and just moving some stuff to the front seats or outside while you sleep. Being able to sit up in the middle of the night is priceless to me so I'll take the 5 minutes of shuffling stuff to the front if it means I don't get claustrophobic at night.  I've had a lot of great nights out camping in my vehicle and I love it. I really hope this helps, and hope you can create a setup that works well and comes in under budget! 

The comfortable temps are definitely not always accurate. You COULD use a liner and a bivvy sack to make this a bit better but I don't recommend you buy all that and take it out for a trip without testing it. I bought a semi-expensive (it was on sale at a REI event) Marmot Trestles Elite mummy bag that's comfortable to 0*. Then bought a 14 dollar crap Amazon bag for 50*+. The cheap bag is plenty and can bolster it's warmth with a USGI Poncho Liner, camp quilt, etc...

For a tent in winter conditions you want a double walled tent with an all fabric or mostly fabric inner. These tents are also called 3+ season or 4 season tents. Note that you DO NOT want this type of tent for summer because you want allot of mesh for cross-breeze in the summer (especially in Nevada - though with extreme temps in most of Nevada I would skip camping in the dead of summer in most of Nevada except maybe at Lake Tahoe). All fabric inner tents block snow drift, sand drift (might be a problem in Nevada depending on where you are camping) and cold wind. They make you feel warmer but they really don't insulate. 3+ season and 4 season tents are typically "crawl in" style tents - standing height tents like the Marmot Help or Big Agnes Bunk House are typically 3 season tents with allot of mesh. You can get away with a summer tent with allot of mesh in the winter but you will feel all that cold wind coming into the tent. As long as there isn't allot of snow expected then it will work in a pinch, but you won't be all that comfortable. For sleeping you need a high R value sleeping pad that is ASTM rated. Don't buy that Intex or Coleman air mattress garbage - these have ZERO insulation and you will be freezing cold. Get a quality pad from a major manufacturer like Exped, FlexTailGearz Thermarest, Naturehike, Big Agnes, Nemo, ALPS Mountaineering, RAB, Sea to Summit etc. You want to shoot for an R value around 5. A 5 R value pad can also be used in the summer and will weigh less than pads with R values of 6-8. For the bag a 30F bag will be really uncomfortable. That is the lower limit or survival rating of the bag. You really need a 0F, 10F or 15F rated bag. These bags have a comfort rating of 10-15F higher than their advertised lower limits. Comfort rating is the important spec to follow. Make sure the bag is EN tested and is from a major manufacturer (Marmot, Sea to Summit, Nemo, Thermarest, RAB, Paria Outdoor Products etc. I recommend down bags because they pack down way smaller, have a more luxurious loft and usually weigh quite a bit less. Synthetic bags can also be good if you buy something with hiloft or elixir style insulation - these insulation types behave more like down and trap heat between the fibers of the insulation. A good example of this type of bag is the Marmot Tressles Elite Eco. I can make some good recommendations if you can provide a budget. Also need to know if you are car camping or backpacking or both.

Check out the Marmot Trestle Eco. Down packs smaller but it's more $. Expect around a 8x16" pack size... Maybe slightly smaller but not much at that price point. North face trail lite might another option. I have the trail lite and it packs down pretty small (maybe 7x14?) on sale should be under $200...just keep it dry.

Love my Marmot Trestles!