Now that we've covered the first 2 of the big 3 items for the trail, we come to sleep systems. The reason everyone calls it a "sleep system" is that there is so many different combinations of bags/quilts and pads. Let's start with sleeping bags. For starters, they all have a temperature rating. For instance, my latest purchase is a Western Mountaineering Summerlite 32deg bag. The temperature rating to 32 means that you will survive in the bag down to 32 degrees F. It's impossible to rate the comfort because everyone has their own sleep temperature. It can be said that some sleep "hot", or "cold". You probably know which you are. Cold sleepers would have a tendency to try and steal warmth from their special someone, while hot sleepers may not want to even be touched while sleeping. Have you ever woken up freezing in a winter camp and when you complained about it, your friend says, " I was toasty all night long."? Most people consider a 3 season bag to be any rated from 32 to 50 degrees. Below that would be considered "winter" or "mountaineering". We'll stick with 3 season bags for now. There is basically 2 types of fill for the bags. Down is naturally provided, and one of the oldest ways of staying warm. Or you can choose any one of many different makes of synthetic fill. Basically, down tends to be warmer(especially when wet) and lighter weight than synthetic, but it does have its drawbacks. It requires a bit more care, has to be relofted before each use, and can be more easily damaged by compression. But it is very lightweight. Just ask the geese it gets stolen from. The synthetic fills tend to be more heavy, a bit more durable, and typically a bit cheaper. I must say that each year they seem to come out with a lighter, warmer fill material. I have a Kelty Silverstreak that I got for graduation back in 1993. It's so old that I can't even find a link for it. But it has held up very well. I believe it was a 32deg bag, weighing just under 3 lbs. It has been hung out after most trips, though I admit that early on I wasn't very good to it. Its synthetic fill is not as lofty as it once was, but as I said, has been very durable.
Another descriptive word you will come across when searching for bags is "top bag". What this means is that when you are inside the bag and laying on your back, the part of the bag that is exposed to air is made of a heavier material for either water resistance, wind resistance, or added durability. Since the whole point of sleeping bags is to surround yourself with "dead space" and insulating yourself against your environment, many of the lighter weight hikers are now using quilts. If your sleeping pad insulates you from the bottom, and your bag is less efficient underneath your body due to compression of the loft, then you can likely save weight by eliminating the bottom side of your bag(and the zipper), creating a quilt. Think about it. In bed, you have a mattress, then a sheet, but above you is where the comforter or quilt is. If you can duplicate this while on the trail, then you can save a lot of weight. Some quilt options can be found at: backpackinglight.com, or at this blog
As kids, our parents weren't so benevolent to even give us an air mattress to sleep on. Shoot, I remember sleeping in the bed of a pickup in just a bag. That would send me to physical therapy these days. I have played around with many different pads to date, going back to the swimming pool type blow up air mattresses, to the Kmart self inflatables, to foam to several different Therm-a-Rest self inflating. What I've found is that none are actually comfortable to me, but as I'm a sound enough sleeper anyway, I can make do with any of them. The only difference is how my body feels when I wake up. The primary purpose is to pad yourself, but the pad has a serious ulterior motive- radiant warmth. Each pad has an "R-value", which is a very common way to rate how well it retains your body heat and insulates you from the cold ground. I'm not exactly sure how it all works, but simply put, the higher rating, the warmer the pad. There is many different options these days; closed or open cell foam, inflating, self-inflating, full length, 3/4 length, torso length, etc. Shoot, you can get them in thicknesses below half an inch, ranging all the way up towards 5 inches thick. I have a closed cell foam pad that is very light at 11 oz. Not padded well, not very warm, but very durable. Also, I have a Therm-a-Rest Trail long( I think) that weighs just under 2 lbs. Fairly padded and warm, but doesn't pack small enough for me. But when I weighed my 15 year old Therm-a-Rest Ultralight long, I was shocked that it weighed over 1 lb, 12 oz.! I hadn't weighed it in so long I had no idea that was where my weight was coming from. Needless to say, it's available as a loaner if I ever find a tag-a-long that needs it. The Thermarest Neo-Air is among the market leaders for a self inflating ultra-light. The 3/4 length version is only 9 oz. And you can always use your pack to rest your feet on. Not bad, I say. Or you can go with a closed cell foam pad for a similar weight. The T-a-R Ridge Rest or Z Rest which has an R-value of 2.2 which is only slightly less than the Neo-air, at a fraction of the cost. My experience with Therm-a-Rest has been very good. I don't mean to sound like an advertisement for them, though. There are other makers with good reputations, but I have very limited experience even seeing their products in my neck of the woods. Here's a link to a comprehensive pad review page: backpackgeartest.org
I want to also pose an idea about combining several different pads. Imagine if you had a higher R-value inflatable torso pad, and somehow combined a lighter foam pad for the feet that also doubled as a sit-pad. If you were using a frameless pack, it could also be pad your back in there as well. It's not my idea, but something that could add functionality to your gear. Next up: hammocks?
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