Okay, The future Mrs. Arkansas Man, is wanting a down bag for Christmas. And I would not mind having one myuself... I have been looking at various stores on-line, such as REI, Campmor, Cabela's, Bass Pro... you know, all the usual places. I have seen some bags, in the $300 - $400 range and out of my league or shall I say budget... However, I also see Down Bags rated anywhere from 0 - 45 on sale in REI and Campmor for a much better price of $130. and lower. Now this bag would be a three season bag, not much camping in the winter, and if we do... it don't get much below 30 for very long here in Arkansas. My question is: Has anyone on this board ever purchased a bag similar to these from either of these places for those prices? Or, have they used any Campmor Down Bags, the lower end Kelty Bags, or some of the others they have listed. REI has an Icicle Creek Down bag listed at a good price, but you can't find any information out about it on-line. Thanks in advance for your help...
Bruce

Arkansas man I purchased a couple of Kelty Lightyear Rectangular long bags rated for +25 the end of August and used them on a trip into the BWCA in early Sept. They worked very well:) I decided on the rectangular bag for the extra foot room....don't much care for the mummy style.
They come with a very nice stuff sack and a cotton storage bag.
They stuff down quite small I would say about 7 inches in diameter and about 15 inches long and weigh in at a little over 3 lbs.. I wrestled with the same question before I decided the budget would like these best. At this point which is only 1 trip they did the trick....like all down bags....water is the enemy so I stuffed an inner liner from a Duluth pack into the stuff sack and then stuffed in the bag just as an insurance policy. We had a couple of rainy cool days but nothing below 45 degrees.

Look for a bag with a minimum of 600 fill, more if the cost is within your budget. A 25-30 degree rating is pretty good for a 3 season bag. If roominess is a must then go with the rectangular cut but remember it will be cooler cuz your body has more area to warm. I like a modified mummy - roomy yet tapered enough to help conserve your body heat. Fit the bag to your height, if you're 6' or taller go with a long otherwise buy the regular (again it has to deal with the space your body must heat up). I like a full length zipper that goes around the foot area, you can unzip at the foot if your feet get too hot. A full zipper also allows you to completely unzip the bag and spread it out like a quilt on those warm nights. Look for an offset baffle design to help keep the down in place and no sewn-through seams. Avoid what they term "continuous baffles". A continuous baffle allows the down to shift, within it's confines, around your body. They purport that this system of having the down shift allows you to adjust the down yourself to compensate for variations in temps - all I've ever found is that the down shifts on it's own and you end up with cold spots - I think it's just a ploy to sell an idea to justify a cut in production costs. The bag should have a full length draft tube alongside the zipper to keep in the warmth and keep out the cold drafts. Some stiffening along the zipper is also helpful, it keeps the zipper from catching on the fabric. A hood is nice but not always necessary - I use mine stuffed with clothing for a pillow. The foot of the bag should be a "box cut" style - this allows room for your feet. You may also want to consider bags that will zip together for those cozy nights with the new missus :-) North Face, Marmot, Sierra Designs, Mountain Hardwear, Kelty - they all make good bags. Deals can be had at Campmor, Sierra Trading Post, REI and Ebay. If you're near an REI go crawl inside a few then go shopping. Down getting wet is not the issue it used to be, the fabrics used now are so tightly woven that very little moisture actually reaches the down. I would, however, still pack the bag in a dry bag or similar bag when in use and a larger, breathable bag when in storage. If your budget can stand it, spend a bit more for better quality and more down fill - it's worth it in the long run. We've had down bags for 30 years that are still going strong and have only been washed once! Use long johns or PJ's and socks or use a liner to keep the bag clean. Whew, didn't mean to get so long winded, hope the info works.

Great answer Femme Feats. I can't add anything more to what you said. I have a bag that meets most of what you talked about. It is the REI Sub Kilo. It may cost more than $130, but it has been a great bag and has many years of service left in it. It is one of the pieces of equipment that goes with me every trip and does not fail me.

My wife got me a Sierra Designs Thor bag for our anniversary. Its a 600 down fill bag that is rated to 0. It is suppose to be waterproof and breathable. The only time I have gotten to use it, incidently, was when we went to the BW in June. I was doubtful about down bags before, but I was really satisfied with it. I'm not sure how waterproof it is since I didn't get it wet. But it kept me at the right temp and was comfortable. The only thing is that it does take longer to stuff and is a little harder because you have to squeeze all the air out. But I really like Sierra Designs gear. I think this particluar bag runs about $250. My wife got it off Ebay though for probably close to half that. So always check Ebay for good deals on new gear. I don't know how well those generic, or store brand bags are. I'm sure you probably pay for what you get though and I'd rather play it safe with a name brand bag that will last instead of something that might not have good stitching. Hope you find something though.

Give Big Agnes a look also, altho haven't seen thier down product on-sale where I've been looking and the list price is closer to 200 on most of 'em I think. I really like their using sleeping pads for bottom insulation and putting the effort into getting decent loft on top...and I love not sliding off of the dadburn pad all the time I pitch camp on any kinda slope.

Okay, I bought Mrs. Arkansas Man, a Kelty Lightyear Down Mummy bag rated to 25 degrees, it has 600 down fill... found a good deal on it at Cabela's... $99.00. It packs down very nicely... to 6 x 12... read some good reviews on it. She really likes it, and it appears to be a good deal so I finally broke down and bought me a Kelty LY Down bag in a Long for a good price too $109.00 I am a warm sleeper, but I am sure I will enjoy it... Anyone else use a Kelty Lightyear down?

Bruce

I also went with the Kelty Lightyear bags and find them wonderful=:)

I have had Kelty Lightyear 45 degree bag for several years and enjoy it very much. I was camping on Mountain Lake last may and the temps dropped down to into the twenties. Had frost on the tent in the morning. I had to wear long johns and a hat but was perfectly warm throughout the night. Because I am a warm sleeper I start out the night with the bag half zipped and while tossing and turning during the night I end up with the bag totally unzipped. I then have a hard time zipping it back up in the dark. This is the only problem I have had with this bag. I like the foot zipper. The new Cabela's spring master catelog has the bags on sale. Thinking about getting another one only the rectangular model for $89.99, and letting my son have the mummy model. You can't beat them for price and compressability.