How are they, or should is the REI store brand better? What else is good out there?<br><br>Will be going to Yosemite next week, any and all info will be highly appreciated. I get cold easily as I am a skinny little runt. I tend to wear a jacket in anything less than 60F, but I can run around all day in the heat (80+F) with long pants no problem. What temperature rating should I get? I have seen some 3-season bags marketed, should I get a cold bag and a rest-of-the-year bag, or should I get a one-bag-for-all-seasons bag?

Wiggy's bags perform as advertised, at least in my opinion. I would buy another Wiggy's over REI or EMS, etc. They will help you select the right bag.

Im sold on Wiggys. Temperature ratings are like gas mileage, " your's may vary." Some folks sleep warmer than others. It's called metabolism.

Skunk,<br><br>Although I haven't ever owned, used or even seen a Wiggy bag, everyone I know who has one (must be 9 or 10 people), raves about them. If I didn't have a very nice sleeping bag semi-permanently loaned to me by the National Guard (it sees more use on camping trips than on drills), I would invest in one myself.<br><br>Andy

I just ordered a 0-degree bag from them plus compression sack, $186 shipped. How important is a ground pad? Please let me know ASAP so I can order one too.

Skunkabilly,<br><br>I don't know much about Wiggy's bags, but if it works with a compression sack, then some sort of ground pad will be absolutely critical. You will be losing huge amounts of heat through the bottom without one. Please don't consider doing without- in the summer, you'd be better off taking the pad and leaving the bag at home, it's that important.<br><br>Fortunately, they're relatively cheap.<br>

The best sleeping bag is quickly compressed between your body and the ground. Aside from insulating you from the ground a sleeping pad gives a measure of comfort. You may want to shop around. If you are an active sleeper you may find the pad and you seperated by morning. Various pads have non slip surfaces and even loose belts to keep you all together. A ground cloth is also adviseable. I just use my poncho. This keeps the ground moisture separated.

Wiggy's is asking $70 for a 72" ground pad. Since I just spent $140 on boots yesterday and $180 on a bag today, if I don't feel like spending $70 just yet, could I lay another sleeping bag underneath? I have a $30 Coleman bag from Target.

I have Wiggy's best bag and have used it in temperatures near zero. It is a quality product that works as advertised. A Thermarest pad is the best.<br><br>Dan

I don't know if you've said where you're going, or how cold it's liable to be. If the sleeping bag you're talking about using underneath doesn't compress much, and it's not too cold, you could be fine.. but, if it were me, I'd head right over to a local surplus store and buy a lightweight closed-cell foam pad for $10-15 max, and be sure of sleeping warm. Not necessarily soft, but toasty and a little hard is MUCH better than soft but cold. I've bought them as cheaply as $6. <br><br>I gather you're car camping (or you wouldn't be talking about using two bags), so you might want the full length pad- many people opt for shorter pads (just cut it) for backpacking, and use clothing or packs for pillows and to keep head, legs and heels off the ground. I used to carry one smallish cotton stuff sack to use as a pillow (with clothing inside)- much more comfortable than nylon, and you generally aren't using the bag hood (which would be between you and a pillow) unless it gets REALLY cold- I save the bag hood for the last step. These days, I might try to find a fleece sack instead. I use a balaclava- you might try that, or any sort of knit or fleece cap before using the bag hood if you start to get cold- just put it out, within reach, and reach for it like another blanket at home. It makes a huge difference in apparent warmth.. not as effective as the bag hood, but a lot less restrictive (you can turn your head), and I sleep better than I do with the hood. It's also handy for keeping warm when you stop during the day after hiking or work, and cool off quickly. It can make more difference than a jacket, and it's a whole lot easier to keep handy, and to put on and take off.<br><br>Everybody's different. I have a couple of inexpensive cotton mummy bag liners that I don't use in the field.. for a week or more before a trip, I'll sleep in one of the liners, on the pad, on the floor next to my bed. It takes me a few nights to get used to sleeping on a hard, flat surface again (I actually sleep better once I'm used to it- I have to relax much more), and the constriction of a mummy-style bag (that's what the cotton liner is for). It's much easier to acclimate to this in the comfort of home, and I find that if I do, I sleep much better my first nights on the trail, where it's critical. The real bag is generally too hot to use indoors. YMMV, of course.<br><br>If you have the discipline to do it, most people sleep much warmer if they change into dry clothes or underclothes (whatever you're going to wear) before bedding down- the ones you wore all day contain a LOT of moisture from your body. You can change in the evening, then wear that set the next day. If it's cold enough to worry about it, though, it can be very hard to convince yourself to strip down and change instead of just climbing into the bag.<br><br>I've had two Therm-O-Rest pads, and they are very comfortable for their bulk, and temptingly small when packed.. but they weigh more than closed-cell foam, they're not quite as effective as insulation, they're expensive, and eventually they do fail.. like all inflatables, at the worst possible time... and when they do, you can spend a very cold, miserable night. Two AM in a dark tent is no time to be trying to diagnose leaks and/or valve problems. I went back to foam.<br>

In moderate weather, I often sleep in a zip-up, hooded sweatshirt. In cooler temperatures, I sleep in a watch cap. Presumed Lost's use of a balaclava is sounds great for even cooler weather.<br><br>The use of sleeping pad is essential for me. The ground is typically too hard for a comfortable night's rest. Lying on the sleeping bag so compresses it as to reduce its insullative effect allowing you to leak a great deal of body heat. The pad eliminates that. If you don't know what you need & want, get a $10-15 model. Walmart also has them. For car camping, I use the luxuriously soft "Deluxe Camp Bed," 72 X 30 X 3," @ $65 from Cabela's.<br><br>John

>>In moderate weather, I often sleep in a zip-up, hooded sweatshirt. <<<br><br>That sounds luxurious for car camping- I have a huge one I wear lounging around the house in the winter. I have a morbid fear of cotton in true wilderness, but I don' t think you're suggesting backpacking it.<br><br>>Presumed Lost's use of a balaclava is sounds great for even cooler weather<<br><br>With the new synthetic fleeces, the balaclava has really come into it's own. Unfortunately, most are cut too snugly (I'm a big guy with a head to match) and I bought 2 or 3 before finding one that really works well for me. They do a number on your hair, though. :-)<br><br>When it comes right down to it, a HUGE amount of camping/backpacking/survival skill amounts to just one thing- controlling the flow of heat in and out of the body. Our bodies are pretty much drip-dry, the only reason we really care about rain or snow is the thermal effects. Tents, tarps, pads, sleeping bags, rain gear, parkas, jackets, clothing, hats (I'm a big fan of hats in wilderness), fires, even stoves and cooking gear are all really ways of coping with this one issue.<br>

Check the URL below to see my 'Wiggy's Report'; scroll down to the posting by 'mobax'.<br><br>http://www.myccr.com/SectionForums/viewtopic.php?topic=708&forum=20

mobax,<br><br>I could not get that url to work. Could you check it?<br><br>Thanks,<br><br>John

That would work, or just get one of the G.I. ensolite pads from the major outfits ; Campmor, Major SurplusNSurvival etc.