hazben1

Looking for a reasonably priced (<$60) sleeping bag. Ideally not too heavy <4lbs. I have been warned to be cautious of some of the cheap bags on Amazon. I am a big guy and have heard some of the Amazon bags run pretty small. I would like one which rolls up small since space is sometimes limited. I might see temps as cold as 30 degrees at times. Figured right now might see some good deals on sleeping bags. Any suggestions?

indyfabz

That large? That inexpensive? That temperature rating? That light? Let us know if you find something. Maybe check the REI garage site.

CliffordK

Look at a mid-range sporting goods store such as Dick's Sporting Goods.

Some of the lighter bags are rated at 40 or 50 degrees, I think, but you can modify comfort somewhat by wearing clothes to bed.

chrisx

Sleeping bag is not the place to save money.
At any rate, the average lie told by bag dealers is about 10* f.
30* f means it will keep you alive at 30*, not keep you warm at 30*.

Last month, I checked the weather, lowest temperature expected in the 10 day forecast was was 26* Fahrenheit. I headed up into the mountains. I read 15* f a couple of nights on my little thermometer, one night it was too cold to stick my hand out of the tent and look at the temperature, at least 3 mornings I set and drank coffee at 20* f until the sun reached tree top level.

At $60 you are looking at a Colemen sleeping bag from Walmart. For $100 you can maybe get a Eureka bag.
Check the Army Surplus for a bivy, An army bivy sack might be a good choice. You can stay warm for $60, but only 4 pounds is pushing your luck at that price.

If you think 30*, go 15* or at least 20* Fahrenheit.

mrveloman

I've been reading about Aegismax bags (from China) on WhiteBlaze.net which is an AT forum. Inexpensive, light and compact. If I had not just bought a new bag I'd give these some thought.

https://www.amazon.com/AEGISMAX-Urlt.../dp/B00XE2SKG2

https://www.amazon.com/AEGISMAX-Urlt.../dp/B01M0L3IA0

https://www.hikeroutlet.com/product/...ultra-compact/

jefnvk

What @chrisx said. Unless you are a really warm sleeper, a 30F bag isnt likely to keep you that warm at 30F. Go 10-15F below what you think youll need.

I have a cheaper Gander Mountail 25F bag. With long underwear, I'm good to around 40F with it. It was in the $70 range a decade ago, if I were to replace it, I'd definitely go nicer. You don't get cheap, light and warm without finding something nice with a grwat discount.

rifraf

One of the hardest lessons in life is to buy once and buy right.
It only costs more to buy wrong, throw away and have to buy again.
Don't settle for anything less than great when it comes to comfort in the field.
Nothing worse than being cold/wet so don't skimp on warm/light sleeping bag and a tent that will handle some "weather".
Not quite as important if the nights are permanently warm and dry where you live, but I'm yet to find somewhere like that despite having lived in numerous countries.

CliffordK

Those Aegismax bags look nice. Not extremely cold weather, but good enough for most of where I'll be touring.

Don't forget a good sleeping pad. It is supposed to be worth quite a bit in keeping you warm.

MarcusT

Coleman bags are not too expensive and are "American" sized

staehpj1

Things to bear in mind...

1. Unless you see an EN rating, ratings are largely fiction with cheaper bags being more so that more expensive ones.
2. Sleeping bags are the last place I would recommend skimping on price.
3. How folks do with different ratings varies with the individual. I managed to ride the ST in Feb-Mar with a Mountain Hardwear Phantom 45F. The coldest night was in the teens and I was fine wearing extra clothes, but I have been around others who said they froze all night in a 20 F bag and 35 F lows.

I have learned that it is worth splurging a little on a good down sleeping bag, but in the past I have managed to get by with a cheap ($60) bag.

You could possibly get by with a cheap bag, but I doubt one that meets your criteria exists unless you get lucky and find a nice used bag. Ten years ago I used a Slumberjack Superguide on the Trans America and got by, but despite the 32F rating it was nowhere near as warm as my current 45F rated bag. I don't know if they still make that bag or if so what it costs now.

Also it was pretty much shot after the one 73 day trip. I have found that a decent down bag will last many years with decent care, so in the long run my somewhat expensive down bag is much cheaper per nighty than the Superguide was. Add to that the the nicer bag is a joy to use and is one of my favorite possessions.

Oh, and it is also worth getting a good sleeping pad.

mbusky

DON'T DO IT! Save somewhere else, skip a restaurant or a hotel a few times to save a buck to pay for a GOOD bag. A good nights sleep is important for a good days performance as well as a safe getaway from hypothermia. Montbell downhugger bags are strechey warm down filled mummy bags that big guys like me love. Also a down quilt made from cutting a old down bag can add a lot of warmth to any bag and they can be picked up on the cheep and don't require top end sewing skills. Try something like this maybe:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Cold-Weather....c100505.m3226

or

https://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-REI-...4AAOSwM91abmOA

A cheap $80 bag and a home made $30 quilt gets you a DOWN, LITE, WARM, CHEAP, sleep system!

skidder

Look on sierratradingpost.com. They're an outlet store and usually have good prices on 'last years' models. Also second what Chrisx mentioned above, that the latest ratings used on sleeping bags these days are for what will keep you from freezing, not what will keep you warm. And since you say you are a big guy, see if you can find the width measurements on the sleeping bags you like; many of the 'lightweight' ones are cut really skinny so they'll only fit a skinny person.

52telecaster

if you really have to go cheap.... when on a short tour last year my gf decided she needed a sleeping bag. walmart had a yellow coleman rated at 20 degrees. it is nowhere near a 20 degree bag but it worked well enough and its pretty big. i am 5 11 200 lbs and i could fit in it easy. i think it was 50.00. not the best but i have had worse bags.

fietsbob

Military Surplus.

Doug64

You might want to take a look at this site. They usually have good prices on adequate gear.

https://www.campmor.com/c/eureka-cop...0-sleeping-bag

https://www.campmor.com/c/slumberjac...0-sleeping-bag

https://www.campmor.com/c/marmot-tre...e-sleeping-bag

Leebo

Couple of other thoughts, regardless of the deal you get. An insulated pad and such, really important not to let your body heat escape to the ground. A reflective mat, a good pad and some kind of ground cloth are good. Test it out, at your low temp. Look into a sleeping bag liner, small and can add 5-10 F. Planning on wearing some kind of base layer at night too?

Rob_E

I think it's been mentioned, but worth repeating: You can get big differences in perceived temperature ratings depending on whether you tend to sleep warm or cold. If you know that, you can have a better idea about whether a bag that's rated 30 degrees will actually allow you to be comfortable.

I would echo the people who recommend springing for a quality bag. That said, I was in a position a couple of years ago where I had to outfit myself for a camping weekend in a hurry, starting from nothing because I had just lost all of my camping equipment. I ended up getting this bag: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001TR7QZA/

In the comments I see it rated for 30 degrees. In the description, I don't see that. I took it on one trip, I think, and it never got below the mid 40s. I don't recall being uncomfortable. I'm sure I also had warm clothes to supplement the bag. I also will often carry a sleeping bag liner which is supposed to give me an extra 10 degrees or so. Don't know if I had one that weekend, but, given the circumstances, probably not. I did have pad, and almost certainly an emergency blanket, but I didn't use the emergency blanket. I like the combination of a sleeping bag liner, a mid weight bag, and some warm clothes because it can give you a lot of flexibility. But in the end, you really want to make sure you're ready you the coldest possible night, because finding out you're ill equipped for a 30 degree night during a 30 degree night is very unpleasant. That's why by the time summer was over, I had replaced my sleeping bag with gear that I really trusted to keep me warm on a cold night. The sleeping bag is now part of my "just-in-case" gear for trips where I really don't expect to need anything other than my bag liner, but I don't want to risk an unexpected, cold night.

chrisx

In 2007 I paid $50 or so for a Colemen 0 f bag, it weighed 6 pounds, I survived a 15 degree night, it was shoot after 73 days. My 15 f down bag I have had 7 or so years, getting tired, but it could last a little longer.

Those blue roll up sleeping pads are no good at a freeze.

Emergency blanket $5
https://www.rei.com/c/emergency-supp...upplies&page=1
Emergency bivy $16

get one

3gun

I'me more of a backpacker than bike packer, don't go cheap on sleeping bag or your pad. I would go 650 down, use a compression bag get it small.$150 or so. also go with a thermarest pad.

staehpj1

Another thing to consider...
For sleeping pads there is a big difference between weather where the ground is frozen hard and it is cold all day and weather where it just gets cold at night. If it is warm in the daytime and only freezes at night I find I can get by with less insulation in my sleeping pad.

So I get by fine with my Neoair xLite even when it gets down into the teens at night as long as the days are fairly warm. For most of my touring the daytime highs always get into the 50s if not warmer, so the xLite is fine.

For real winter camping where the ground is frozen hard I need to add a foam pad under the xLite for more insulation. Something like the Thermarest ZLite works well for that. I'd do that for XC skiing or really cold weather backpacking, but have never needed to on a bike tour even when doing the ST in winter.

WNCGoater

I'll echo what others have already said repeatedly above. Spend as much as you can on your bag. Under $60 is, well, a cheap bag. Want larger? = More $. Want warmer? = More $. Want lightweight? = More $. To get very warm and very lightweight in a very small package, think down fill.

There just isn't any way to get all of what you want in a "cheap" bag. You may start at $100-$150 range and start potentially getting there. Really good quality start looking at used on ebay.
And the best bag requires an insulating pad underneath. +1 on Thermarest NeoAir.

Now if you're sleeping @ 60°-70° + then sure, you can get by with cheap stuff. Just don't look for lightweight and cheap in the same package. For cold weather, keep in mind lowest temp ratings are NOT the comfort rating!

BikeLite

Buy a good value. Don't spend as much as you can.

staehpj1

I agree that "spend as much as you can" isn't a good strategy. That leaves the question of what is a good value. IME, the best value for me is probably somewhere in the $150-300 range.

The sub $100 bag I have used didn't last long (shot after a 73 day tour), was heavy, and wasn't very warm. It definitely was not a good value despite being about as nice of a bag as I could find in the price range. If you absolutely can't spend more then yes you can get by, but it will be heavier, bulkier, less comfortable, and in the long run it will cost more.

The nice down bag I have cost $230, is holding up great (like brand new after 7 years), and has been a joy to use. It is actually one of my favorite possessions. I think this bag is pretty much the sweet spot for me. I really don't think spending a lot more would be a good "bang for the buck".

So spending enough to get good quality is important, but as with most things, when you try to chase perfection you get less and less improvement as you spend more and more. Finding that sweet spot is always key, IMO.

WNCGoater

That was what I meant by "spend as much as you can". Not meant as a literal open ended bottomless pit of money. I probably didn't say it as well as I could, as obviously, it was misinterpreted.

In other words, spend what your budget allows. Under $60 and you simply can't get what the OP wants. And he probably CAN get there for under $230 which according to his initial "budget" isn't anywhere near what he can spend. So "spend as much as you can" means do what is necessary to up your budget if it means you need to cut somewhere else, save your pesos, do without for a while but don't waste your money on a cheap bag, and "spend as much as you can" on a quality bag.

staehpj1

I knew what you meant, but figured it could use a little clarification since on bike forums there is often a failure to get the concept of "good enough is good enough". There is typically a sweet spot and it is seldom near the cheapest or the most expensive end of the scale. That applies to bikes, gear, and really most purchases.