I use a down sleeping bag. The winter sleeping bag is still comfortable to minus 25, for other seasons I use one that goes to minus 5. Minus 5 is enough for mountain hikes in the summer. Down is much warmer for its weight than synthetic fibres. It is more durable and is still comfortable when it is warm. Because down is much more susceptable for moisture, you will need to keep the sleeping bag dry. I use a silk liner inside and sometimes an outher liner which is waterproof and breathable.
In sub-zero temperatures I use a vapour barrier liner (home made). Without it, the moisture from your body does not vaporise very easily, adding layers of ice to your sleeping bag after each night, reducing isolation and adding weight. I have heard of an expedition into Labrador a hundred years ago that went terribly wrong just because of this. Their down sleeping bag weighed over thirty kilograms after one month and they freezed to death.
Packing
Stow the sleeping bag in a lightweight waterresistant stuffsack (home made) at the bottem of the backpack.
Tips
– Never wash down in your washing machine!
– At home, store your sleeping bag loosely (at least four times the packing volume) to keep it ‘fluffy’ for many years
Vapour barrier liner
– nylon fabric, see the building plan for measurements
Waterresistant stuff bag
– nylon fabric x cm high, x cm wide
– nylon fabric circle shape x cm
– plastic strip (cut from a bucket) 2 cm high, x cm wide
I use a down filled matress from Exped. It has very good insulation characteristics (works to -17 C) and fills with air by using an internal pump mechanism. Therefore little to no moisture will enter inside the matras.
Packing
Folded in four layers, tightly positioned between the frame and the backpack.
Waterproof sack for the matress
With this bag, your matress will stay dry in the rain or in a canoe. As a result your sleeping bag will also stay dry.
– nylon fabric 80 cm high, 50 cm wide
– nylon band 60 cm
– fasteners