I was at cabelas and saw the Cabelas 3-D sleeping bags on sale. They are rated to -30f. Regular price is around $260 and on sale for around $130.00.

Opinions on this sleeping bag welcome. I'm looking for a cold weather sleeping bag without breaking the bank and was wondering how good the ratings on Cabelas bags were and who makes them.

Last year while elk hunting in Hells Canyon, ID I just about froze in my +10f coleman bag and it was about +30f outside and we were in a wall tent. I dont want that to happen again.

I can't help you with your bag selection, but I have been known to pack several of the ThermoCare air activated heating pads as bag heaters for just such occaisions. They generate a fair amount of heat for around 8 hours...enough to keep the edge off in a bag.

Wiggy's Flexible Temperature Range Sleep System (FTRSS) are the BEST!

Warning: They are rather pricey .....but they are worth it!

Many years ago we purchased LL Bean 40x80 Quallofil zero degree sleeping bags for our MH.On a November deer/elk hunt in Colorado the heater in our MH malfunctioned,outside temp dropped to 40 deg below zero the inside of the MH was covered in white frost,I had a Coleman 3k to 5k propane tent heater,fired it up individualized the bags and we survived.All of the water lines burst .Wherever we go in our new MH we always carry a propane tent heater.

quote:

outside temp dropped to 40 deg below zero

Huh?!!! Colorado?!!

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Originally posted by DaMan:

quote:

outside temp dropped to 40 deg below zero

Huh?!!! Colorado?!!

My wife was with me on that trip it was supposed to snow for 3+ days but Friday night it cleared and got frigid,that storm hit NM trapping hunters in tents killing some of them,many were rescued by military helos.Worst cold I ever had on any hunting trip but in a couple of days it warmed into the 40's dropping to the teens every night.BTW we still have the same bags in our MH but now I have a Bison Robe to keep us warm if we decide to venture forth to CO or another state in Nov.

If it's going to be extremely cold outside most hunters will not be venturing too far from a vehicle based base camp. If we do then it's with a snow machine or toboggan etc. so weight isn't an all consuming concern. With that in mind I'd suggest just bringing an extra sleeping bag or a couple goose down duvets. I slept outside a couple nights in a row in a show shelter-the temperature was an honest -45 degrees. I used a 3 inch thick foam pad with a cheap sleeping bag on top of it for added insulation from the snow. I also put one cheap bag into another cheap bag and I slept quite well. More recently I bought a large and thick down "blanket" I throw it over my bag in cold weather and it works like a charm.

Sometimes we get "tecked out" with all these modern ideas and we spend too much time worrying about equipment.

the chef

I used REI's Polar Pod and it has worked great. I've used it for few hunt/camping trips in Alaska and while camping here in Colorado.
Works great and doesn't break the bank.

I have several wiggy's bags and I highly reccomend them for warmth and comfort. I have slept down to -25 in them in an unheated tent....not that comfortable of a trip, but,the only place I was warm was in the bag(and when outside on the snowmachine).

Are there better bags out there????probably some of the big dollar 800+ fillpower down are smaller, more comfrotable and have better features. I am afraid of down(both bags and parkas) on winter trips after watching what happens when it gets wet.

I have a friend who trapped for many years who trapped many years in interior alaska...many -20 to -50 nights where he trapped. He did what calgary chef did....lots of bags. He was in a wall tent with a stove. He had a thick foam pad and four or five inexpensive slumberjack bags rated at about 0F. one was on the foam pad, one he slept in, an extra long one he slid the other one in and if it was really cold he used two unzippped as a blanket. If I was car camping I would follow the same route....just through an extra two or three cheap ones in.

When I winter camp right now I bring my primary -20 wiggy bag, the overbag, a 0 degree wiggy bag and sometimes a cheap -10 slumberjack bag. Why so many bags? I have seen other people bags get wet, fall off a machine(where the hell is my sleeping bag? is not funny at -20), get burned, ripped, etc. We also use a cheap bag to keep water liquid through the night so we don't have to make water out of snow first thing in the morning.

There are some great bags iout there but I like synthetics and I think wiggys are the best synthetics...YMMV.

-phil

Hi, I am all for down bags. I have 2 one light from Marmot (never winter) witch is around 0°C and one about 2 kilo custom made RAB down bag (a friend used it on Cho oyu 8201m high mountain and it is very warm). Down bag packs better, is lighter and has much longer livespan than a fiber bag as the fiber starts to break down the hollow straws offer much less insulation. The down side is that down bag looses its insulation when wet. I live in a very wet climate here in south Iceland. During winter time there are maybe 50 " frost thaw" times. I have slept in snow caves and never had any problem with down bag. Granted you have to look after it, maybe use a bivy bag over it but I would choose down over fiber any time and so have most of my friends after have been cold in a 2-3 year old fiber bag. But be sure to use insulation sleeping pad under you that is very important.

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Originally posted by scr83jp:

quote:

Originally posted by DaMan:

quote:

outside temp dropped to 40 deg below zero

Huh?!!! Colorado?!!

My wife was with me on that trip it was supposed to snow for 3+ days but Friday night it cleared and got frigid,that storm hit NM trapping hunters in tents killing some of them,many were rescued by military helos.Worst cold I ever had on any hunting trip but in a couple of days it warmed into the 40's dropping to the teens every night.BTW we still have the same bags in our MH but now I have a Bison Robe to keep us warm if we decide to venture forth to CO or another state in Nov.

Was that the 27-29 November 1997 Blizzard?

I've used the 3-D bags down to -5 with no problems. Its not a bag I'd want to carry in a backpack personally,but it will work. Get a compression sack.

I really like the wiggys bags. I've never had one let me down and I've used them in varied temps.I really like the #10 zippers used in them,they don't bind and won't break.Wiggy will have you believe,his bags are the end all of bags. But there are alot of syntheitc bags out there that are great. The down side is they are heavy.Like most synthetic bags.Synthetic isn't as bad as alot of the internet experts will have you believe. Sure its heavier then down. But you can back pack with it just fine.

When hunting in cold weather always carry a bag thats rated well beyond the temps you'll encounter. When you get tired and exhausted,you'll chill easily and freeze your ass off in temps that you'd normally be fine in. Once you get chilled,its hard to warm back up and the extra insulation of the heavier bag, will aid in you keeping precious heat in.

Downs great,the problem is down bags really need to be built around high end breathable waterproof fabrics. This raises the price considerably. For the guy hunting once a year,a 400 to 600 dollar bag is a waste and synthetic makes more sense.

Sleeping bgs are hard to take opinons on. I use an llbean down +30 degree mummy and have used it to snow camp near mount st helens in a my small EMS 2 man tent with a 3/4 thermarest. Never got cold even while camping on 6 feet of snow. Matter of fact, my body heat created a slab of ice beneath me and i slid about 3 feet duting the night. That bag will do me good to about 0 degrees dry and abotu 25-30 in snow. Quality is excellent. In my kelty dart one man tent, I could probably get lower temps due to the heat retained in the tent but i dont use it normally._BAxter