Alpine sleeping bags

Hi there, I've recently been venturing up into the alpine zone with some winter tent camping in the snow and use of alpine huts without heating. I am looking to upgrade my older 3 -4 season sleeping bag which doesn't cut it for these colder trips. The EN "comfort" and "comfort limit" ratings give some guidance as to what might be suitable. I am looking at the Exped 900 Lite, Macpac Epic 800 and Sea to Summit Ap ii as options but wondering if I can get away with something a bit lighter (in the comfort level -4 deg C range) and a bit less bulky wearing extra clothing(down) in the bag as I see that the EN "comfort" rating is for an average woman wearing only a layer of thermal underwear. I anticipate I could be out in temperatures around the minus 10 deg C range. Obviously there is quite a bit of individual variability in terms of temperature requirements, but are there any women out there who regularly spend nights out in the snow or higher altitudes who might be able to give me some advice? As this is quite a pricey investment and you don't get to test run the bag, I want to make sure I get my bag choice right. Thanks
26 comments
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Wayno, my Kelty was about $260, and it's AMAZING! :)
@kreig, cool. i dont think they sell kelty in NZ do they? if so its not sold widely, havent seen them here. most winer bags ive seen cost more.
No, I bought it online from the States. That included conversion and shipping as well.
In response to: Be warned that NZ brands like Kathmandu seem to use the "EN rating" even though their bags are *not* tested by an independent lab, so the temperature rating they are showing might be completely off. This is also the case of many cottage manufacturers who don't want to pay to have their bags tested. My experience with two Kathmandu bags confirms this (Pathfinder and Comet). Their ratings are very optimistic. I got a Helium 400 from Torpedo7 and that's a world of difference.
In response to: "Wayno, my Kelty was about $260, and it's AMAZING" Haven't tried Kelty myself, but have seen Kelty popup on a couple of AT post hike reviews, and people seem to be quite happy with them. Possibly can't beat the price/performance ratio.
Torpedo7 was selling Kelty for a while
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Forum Gear talk
Started by Wanderwild
On 20 August 2016
Replies 25
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