Warning: my new sleeping bag nearly got me hypothermic in the Sawtooths

I bought a 20-degree rated bag for a late September trip, but the temp dropped to 15 at night and I was shivering so hard I barely slept. The fill just wasn't enough for the real conditions, even with all my layers on. Has anyone else had a bag's rating be totally off by more than 5 degrees?

3 comments

3 Comments

xenaroberts1mo ago

My old bag's rating was a total lie, so I just add ten degrees to whatever the tag says now.

alice2691mo ago

Wait, have you checked the actual loft on your old bag? Adding a flat ten degrees seems risky because fill power and temp ratings measure different things. A bag can have good fill but still be cold if the baffles are sewn through or the fabric is drafty. You might just be fixing the wrong problem.

jessica_robinson231mo ago

Saw a whole article about how those ratings can be way off. They said the fill power number is often inflated, so your fix makes sense.