Hikermor, I always hear good things about down, but I am just more comfortable with synthetics, I've never owned anything down that I know of and am just not well-versed in it's proper use and care.

Montanero, I'll look into those wiggy's bags, any specific recommendations there?

Tjin, I mentioned my bag preferences in my previous post above, and you pretty much summed up my reservations about that beaume bag, I could not really find much about them with a google search either, other than links to sellers and such.

You're welcome BPJ, hope this proves useful for both of us, getting some great input from everyone so far.

AFLM, it appears to be minus 25 F, but who knows for sure. And I'll look into that softie 10 bag for sure.

QJS, that seems like it may be an option, but I have reservations about anything strapped to the outside of the pack as tjin and hikermor mentioned. That said, I have straps at the bottom and sides of my pack, presumably for attaching stuff to it in the manner you propose. In fact, my CCF pad currently gets attached horizontally to the bottom of the pack via the bottom straps. I've not really fully explored all the options for attaching stuff to this pack yet, but it sure seems pretty versatile. When you mentioned the bungee straps, i immediately thought of using them along with the molle type webbing I've been attaching carabiners to on the outside of the pack. However, I'd like to have as much IN the pack as possible, especially the sleeping bag, in case of rain (the pack has a built in rain cover and i always carry extra contractor bags as well). I'll be exploring the options for attaching gear this weekend for sure.

Another vote for a wiggy's bag from Phaedrus, I'll definitely be looking into those, again some specific recommendations would be awesome.

clearwater, I'm hoping using our fleece liners will reduce the need for frequent laundering, but if we do we'll be sure to follow manufacturer's instructions to help the bag last.

Thanks for all those great tips Jeff, I'll be sure to keep those handy.

Ken, I'm not sure that will work with the hammocks, besides I am one of those weird (maybe??) ones who enjoys snuggling into a nice warm sleeping bag at night.