Lightweight Sleeping Bags

Lightweight Sleeping Bags - An essential guide. Any combination of the lightest, most durable, comfortable, and warm. Find Great Deals!

Lightweight sleeping bags come in two varieties: Down and Synthetic.

Down is made of the natural down fluff, found as the undercoat beneath feathers of geese and ducks.

Synthetic materials are man made and consist of synthetic fibers. Most manufacturers have their own brand of synthetic insulation. Polarguard, Primaloft, Thinsulate, Thermolite are a few very good quality synthetics. There are very subtle differences, but typically preform the same functions.

You really can't get lighter than down. There is about a 1lb difference between the lightest synthetics and the lightest downs. Everyone is waiting for the day that a synthetic is invented that has the same insulating quality and is as light as down. Hasn't happened yet though.

Sometimes you just can't beat Mother Nature. The biggest problem with down though, is that it is useless when wet. So you really have to think about how extreme you want to take this lightweight backpacking thing. There's typically always potential for rain in the backcountry (even if the weather man says there's not!) so if you do decide to get a down sleeping bag you have to be extremely careful during wet weather.

With a synthetic bag, you don't have to worry quite so much. Some synthetic materials, like the Exceloft synthetic insulation, actually absorb less than 3% of water when wet, ultimately keeping you warm.

So you are probably wondering how many pounds a good lightweight sleeping bag should run you?

For a synthetic bag you are looking at 3lbs or less. Sometimes you can get under 2.5lbs. Don't skimp on the quality of the synthetic for a lighter load though. Make sure that the manufacturer stands by their synthetic material and that it is mentioned in the description. If the material isn't mentioned in the description, it usually means that its quality is less so the advertisers just don't mention it, hoping you won't think about it. The cost for a good synthetic sleeping bag will run you typically between $100-$200.

Down bags are going to be quite a bit more pricey. They'll run you anywhere from $150 to over $700. Down sleeping bags can be as little as 5oz, but you also have to consider that a bag that light isn't going to be a 4 season sleeping bag or even a 3 season typically.

The more warmth you require, the more weight you'll need, which also usually means the more money you'll need to spend.

Brands that carry lightweight sleeping bags are:

• Kelty
• The North Face
• Mountain Hardware
• Montbell

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