Western Mountaineering - Caribou MF

I have that bag, a katabatic flex 15 and a WM caribou bag. I didn’t find the petrel to be too constricting. One of the things that keeps you warm is not having too much empty space. My feet often get cold so I actually shove most of my clothing down around my feet. I sleep like a rotisserie chicken and I’m quite comfortable in it. However it would probably be almost too hot above 30 degrees. I carried it when o hiked segment 8 of the CT and Marvine Loop in September and was comfortable.

Back in the early-mid '90s my then-girlfriend and I had a pair of matching Caribou Mountaineering mummy bags; one with the zipper on the left, and the other with the zipper on the right. We lived in Wyoming at the time, and later, in Tahoe, and it was just a fact that once you zipped them up together with two bodies sharing the same space, your temperature rating dropped a good 20 degrees F. We were into multi-day backcountry climbing and snowboarding trips at the time and used ours in sub-zero temps on multiple occasions, for example, even though individually they were only rated to around 15F.

I have been using the same Western Mountaineering Caribou (well, technically mine is the predecessor) for 25 years. It's extremely well made, extremely light, packs extremely small, but also extremely expensive (for a 35F degree bag). I pair it with a Big Agnes Hyperlite pad that is 3.5 in thick x 25 in wide x 74 in long. The extra wide, extra long give more room and feels more like a bed than a pad. I also use a Cocoon sleeping bag liner to keep the sleeping bag clean on longer outings. This set up is warm, comfortable, light, and packs reasonably small. The downside is an expensive kit. Consider that comfortable sleep is super important for rest and recovery, it's worth the cost. The Western Mountaineering bag has been extremely well used for 25 years and still looks new. I wash it (with a special down safe detergent) once a year or maybe less depending on use. It was an investment that has paid dividends for decades.

I am a cold sleeper too. And I’m embarrassed to admit, I could afford a western mountaineering bag. It was 0°. And I’m 59 and I got the 6 foot six version. Giving me tons of down to snuggle into. I actually use this bag way more than just the winter and I’m always toasty warm.

Western mountaineering. I get cold easily even in the summer in Colorado at high altitudes. I also snow camp

Don’t forget to get a really big bag one that goes way over your head. It’s just so cozy.

192cm here. Long versions of Feathered Friends, Western Mountaineering, or Enlightened Equipment bags. For your temp range I use 20F EE quilt. For a tent, you can also get something longer. I use Tarptent Rainbow which leaves me with almost 30 cm to spare length wise.

I liked my quilt when I was doing shorter trips. Once I started doing months at a time I grabbed a western mountaineering bag and I have no regrets. Helps me extend a bit more into shoulder season

Western Mountaineering mummy bag. I do a lot in shoulder season and these are very warm for the weight

Western Mountaineering, Feathered Friends or Marmot for bags. Enlightened Equipment, Hammock Gear or Katabatic for backpacking quilts. Not cheap but quality and comfortable.

There isn’t really an absolute best, but I like Katabatic for a quilt and western mountaineering or feathered friends for a bag. I prefer quilts down to around the low 20s, bags below that. Having a pocket in your quilt for a sleeping pad seems silly to me.

Western Mountaineering is the benchmark. Their bags really are great. In addition to WM, I also own a Gryphon Gear quilt and can say that their quality is top notch as well and they make both bags and quilts. For a few hundred less than a WM bag, you can get a Gryphon Gear Taurus bag. They are a small cottage shop so you get to deal directly with the owner and he'll make it custom to your liking if you want it a little more roomy. I think there are so many better choices than the EE quilts.

Western mountaineering… cry once, but once