Author Topic: Sleeping bag recommendations, bike tour from SF->NY and return  (Read 819 times)

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Offline fjfj765

Sleeping bag recommendations, bike tour from SF->NY and return
« on: January 15, 2025, 04:49:26 am »
Hi,

What sleeping bag would you recommend for a bike tour, starting in March, and ending in September, in which I plan on biking from SF->NY and back?

Thanks!

Offline John Nettles

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Re: Sleeping bag recommendations, bike tour from SF->NY and return
« Reply #1 on: January 15, 2025, 10:53:41 am »
Welcome to the ACA Forums.

You need to provide a little more info so the question can be answered best.  Are you leaving in early or late March?  What is your route since it should not take 5-6 months to ride unless you are doing a roundabout route or stopping to visit some place for a while?  Do you prefer lightweight materials (but worthless when wet) or heavy materials (but can keep you somewhat warm when wet)? Are you a minimalist packer (lightest smallest everything)?  Do you have a budget?  Do you get cold/hot easily at night?  What kind of shelter (tent, hammock, etc.) do you have?

The more info the better.

Tailwinds, John

Offline davidbonn

Re: Sleeping bag recommendations, bike tour from SF->NY and return
« Reply #2 on: January 15, 2025, 11:12:17 am »
What sleeping bag would you recommend for a bike tour, starting in March, and ending in September, in which I plan on biking from SF->NY and back?

All of John's questions are relevant and we'd need good answers to those questions to give you a good answer.

Just a couple of thoughts.

March and April in the Sierra and Rockies is still winter.  So you'll need winter gear and should expect riding your bike in snowy conditions.  You'll also be sending a lot of clothing home when you get East of the Rockies.  Also the country between the Sierra and Rockies is high and pretty cold that time of year.

It would probably be wise to make sure you had options to sleep indoors in the coldest sections of that trip.

I would want at least some experience solo winter camping before committing to your trip.  In particular in the Sierras the conditions are likely to be snowy yet possibly very wet, which is often the most difficult to keep yourself warm.

Having said all of that, you'd probably have more fun and a better trip if you started later (mid-April might be a good compromise).  If you were set on your original plan I'd recommend having a pretty warm sleeping bag for the first part of your trip and swap it out for a lighter weight summer bag in Denver or perhaps a bit east of Denver.  You'll be sending a lot of gear home anyway after that so the sleeping bag is just one more thing to swap out.

Offline John Nettles

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Re: Sleeping bag recommendations, bike tour from SF->NY and return
« Reply #3 on: January 15, 2025, 11:55:55 am »
David, my thoughts too but since he said 5-6 months, I thought maybe he was going up the coast then over or perhaps, the Southern Tier then up.  Or even zig zag a route.  All of which changes the recommendation.

Offline fjfj765

Re: Sleeping bag recommendations, bike tour from SF->NY and return
« Reply #4 on: January 15, 2025, 02:49:18 pm »
Route would be from SF -> OR along Pacific Coast, then via Trans am trail, Switching to R66 in Missouri, and then finishing on the Northern Tier in Illinois. It would be a round trip, though I might take a different route on the way back.

I would be leaving around the end of March.

My budget is no more than $15,000 for 2 people.

I don't sleep particularly warm or particularly cold. I sleep comfortably in a 30 degree limit bag (REI branded down bag, not sure which one) comfortably down to 40 degrees.

The shelter will be a free-standing 3 season tent. I'm considering a Durston x-dome 2.

With regards to Down vs Synthetic, I don't have enough experience to say which I'd prefer. Browsing through-hiking forums, some people swear by down in a dry bag, and others will only use synthetic. I can't say which I prefer.

Offline John Nettles

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Re: Sleeping bag recommendations, bike tour from SF->NY and return
« Reply #5 on: January 15, 2025, 03:16:49 pm »
Great information!
If you already have a 30* bag, and are happy with it, I would use that.  Depending on when you plan to arrive in the Yellowstone area (looks like you might arrive before June so verify openings), the 30* might be a bit cool.  However, if you have 2 people in the same tent and put the tent under trees (under canopy is about 5* warmer than exposed), that might work.  Once you get into mid-June, you should be OK.  Worst case, throw a rain jacket or something over the bag while you sleep.  Oh, and wear a wool beanie at night! Another suggestion is to consider a bag liner.  It can add up to 15* of warmth and you can always mail it home once you know you will not need it anymore.

Look at WeatherSpark.com to get a good idea as to the AVERAGE climate for various places along your route, especially those early in the tour and when at elevation. You can see what the average lows are (and various percentiles) in a given area so you can decide which bag temp is good for you.

By budget, I meant budget for a bag ;) .  If you are buying a different bag, I would highly suggest you buy a USED Western Mountaineering bag, preferably one without side baffles.  Those without side baffles allow you to shake the down to the top or bottom as temps warrant. Reason I sat used is that WM has a fantastic warranty.  The bag is warrantied for life, regardless of who was the original owner.  Plus they make excellent bags. I personally shoot for sub 3-pound 20* bags without side baffles but I get cold at night. I like my WM Megalite since I am not 25yo & slim but would consider the Alpinlite for even cooler temps. Remember, the degree listed is under optimal conditions so plan on about 5*-10* higher temps than listed.

I would get a good dry bag for your down bag (unless you stuff it into a waterproof pannier like an Ortlieb).  Regardless, if you do get the bag wet, be sure to dry it completely often as a "funky" smell can occur if you put a damp (even from normal human perspiration) bag into a dry bag for days on end.  Same goes for drying the tent out frequently.   

You should also consider a sleeping pad that has some insulation or at least reduces the cold ground from cooling the mattress. 

Sounds like you have a wonderful tour coming up. Tailwinds, John


Offline fjfj765

Re: Sleeping bag recommendations, bike tour from SF->NY and return
« Reply #6 on: January 15, 2025, 05:03:50 pm »
What do you think of a 20* or 30* Feathered Friends Osprey?

Offline John Nettles

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Re: Sleeping bag recommendations, bike tour from SF->NY and return
« Reply #7 on: January 15, 2025, 05:17:30 pm »
While I am familiar with FF (have 1 bag from decades ago), I do not see the Osprey on their website.  Any of their bags that meet your qualifications will work as FF is another great company.  I just like WM's warranty better (assuming they have not changed it).

Offline davidbonn

Re: Sleeping bag recommendations, bike tour from SF->NY and return
« Reply #8 on: January 15, 2025, 06:40:42 pm »
Feathered Friends makes good sleeping bags.

For my money in the 20F+ range the Western Mountaineering bags usually have a better warmth-to-weight ratio.  I'd also second the recommendation of the WM Megalite as it is a superb and versatile bag.

Your proposed route will take you through some very spectacular country, but in April and May it will be chilly even at lower elevations.  Eastern Oregon and Idaho at that time of year are not warm places.

Offline Westinghouse

Re: Sleeping bag recommendations, bike tour from SF->NY and return
« Reply #9 on: January 17, 2025, 04:31:23 am »
It might be very cold that far north in March. I cycled the east coast in 1990. In May in New York the temperature fell below freezing one night. You need a bag rated for low temperatures. You should know the pros and cons of down and synthetics. I bicycled from Florida to California in the dead of winter 1984-85. My tent cost $8.00 from Eagle Army and Navy store. My sleeping bag cost $15.00 at a department store. But that was farther south. You better have a good tent and sleeping bag.

Offline davidbonn

Re: Sleeping bag recommendations, bike tour from SF->NY and return
« Reply #10 on: January 17, 2025, 12:16:03 pm »
I'd probably make that trip with a 30F bag or quilt.

Although I'd also bring a pretty warm sleeping mat, be fussy about where I chose to camp, and keep a keen eye on the weather forecasts the whole way.  And I'd conservatively interpret those weather forecasts.

Offline Westinghouse

Re: Sleeping bag recommendations, bike tour from SF->NY and return
« Reply #11 on: January 18, 2025, 12:38:50 am »
Watch out for those inflatable, lightweight, sleeping mattresses. I bought one from gear doctors. It was good for 26 nights and then deflated permanently. I pumped it to capacity and submersed it in water and found no leaks that were obvious. It deflated again under no pressure from weight on it. They sent me another one. It lasted 14 nights of sleep and deflated slowly. Submersing and searching for leaks was useless.  My guess is the air leaks out through the material in myriad little openings that are so miniscule as to be impossible to detect clearly. I do not know what is to be reasonably expected of the durability of an air mattress that cost $80.00---$100.00, but 14 nights of sleep or 26 does not seem fair or reasonable. Does anyone know of an air mattress you know for a fact stands the test of time and endurance? Not from price or ads but from experience in the field.

Checking many advertisements for these mattresses online, one glaring omission stood out after a while. They went on and on about the comfort of the product, which is a legitimate claim, but not one said anything about their actually sleeping on one for a period of time that would justify the cost. One said he used one nine nights. That is poppycock. If you are dishing out cash in the sum of $100.00 or more, you need durability cross country, not only for 10 or 15 nights, but all the way.

Offline John Nettles

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Re: Sleeping bag recommendations, bike tour from SF->NY and return
« Reply #12 on: January 18, 2025, 01:28:53 am »
Does anyone know of an air mattress you know for a fact stands the test of time and endurance? Not from price or ads but from experience in the field.
I have some older Therm-A-Rest NeoAirs (Generation 1 & 2 I think) and have not had any issues with them.  I probably have 150-200 nights between the two.  I have gotten leaks but those were caused by thorns sticking them and patched with a Tear Aid patch. 

When I get a leak, I usually have to apply fairly significant pressure to force some air out as the holes were small.  For one, I had to literally sit on top of it in the bath tub to find the hole. Since that hole appeared in the same area as one that got a thorn in it the night before, I assume the tiny one was a thorn also.

As a side note, I have had about 5 of their little battery operated air pumps but they are total crap.  They crapped out quicker than your sleeping pads did.  I only paid for 1 and the rest were replaced for free under warranty but they all crapped out in less than 2 weeks use.  I finally gave up using them because they are totally unreliable. 

I wish I could use a closed cell sleeping pad but they are just a bit too thin for me. 

Tailwinds, John
« Last Edit: January 18, 2025, 01:32:33 am by John Nettles »

Offline davidbonn

Re: Sleeping bag recommendations, bike tour from SF->NY and return
« Reply #13 on: January 18, 2025, 10:36:45 am »
I have had good luck with a Big Agnes air mattress I bought on sale at REI for about $50.  It has lasted about 120 nights over the last three years.  My only complaint is that it is obnoxiously heavy and bulky.  No leaks so far.

I also have one of the $30 Flextail pumps from Amazon and it is working fine.  Also for three years.

My experience with air mattress type pads is that they usually end up leaking at the valve first.  The old Therm-A-Rests from the 1980s and earlier with the metal valves lasted much longer.  A secondary failure mode was if/when the material delaminated but that usually took ten years or more.

Closed cell foam pads are lighter, warmer, much less expensive, and can never leak.  Unfortunately they pack poorly and are less comfortable.