Trailbreak 30 Sleeping Bag

I have an rei 30F synthetic rated mummy bag that’s probably under two gallons in volume. And a thermarest 45F down quilt that’s not much bigger than a Nalgene bottle if you compress it enough.  Just go to rei and look at what they have. 

The REI brand ones are nice (and true to the temps they say they are good for). I have an REI three season single, and have used it to just below freezing with no problems.

- ditch the wipes for biodegradable - ditch the multitool, good knife is all you’ll need. I use mossy oak and they have withheld for years. - MSR pocket rocket has been a super small and great camp stove for me, these cheap amazon brands I would be cautious of. - do not get that sleeping pad. It’s cheap and will be extremely uncomfortable and only good for summer. I use flextail gear mummy pad and my wife uses Hikenture 6.2 r value sleeping pad. Both comfortable and warm. Hikenture is more noisy but easy availability and cheaper. - can’t speak on the tent but a free standing is better for new campers. - sleeping bag is going to be very bulky. Try to find a 20F ultralight bag. I can’t speak on specific brands. I use a 30F REI mummy bag and it’s been good but I’m in the market for a new one too. This Coleman will not fit in a backpack. Your biggest expense will be your sleeping system. Don’t cheap out here especially if you plan on doing fall and spring trips.

My summer REI bag, which is 30 degrees (close to yours) doesn't have much fluff either. I've never actually expected the bag to have loft, because there's so little down. My winter bag from Mountain hardware does puff up, but there's probably 3x as much down in there and it's better down. I don't think your problem was the bag unless you left it in a compression sack for an extended period of time. Or just washed it and it's all clumped up. I can sleep out in 5C/40F degrees in the Sierra Nevada no problem with my summer bag, so i'm not sure why you had so many problems with all that clothing on. I will say 3R is pretty low, a good mat helps a lot.

My wife and I bought the same model REI mummy bags for this reason. The men and women's zippers are on opposite sides, so you can zip them together.

Oh that's not how the rei ones are

I would definitely recommend a warmer bag, especially if you are in Canada, like maybe 20-30 degrees. I have a mummy bag but it's a bit oversized (REI) so I can move around a bit more.