Can anyone recommend a rectangular sleeping bag that will accomodate a stomach sleeper? Preferably something with a temperature rating down to 30, maybe even 20 degrees F? Primary uses will be multi-day paddling and/or hiking trips. Lighter weight and small packsize are definite a definite plus.
I see a Eureka 20/40 bag that looks promising - anyone ever try it?
big agnes and/or exped
I have a Big Agnes bag, good down to 15 degrees. I like goose down because it is really breathable and I don’t get that clammy feeling when it’s warm out. This bag has no insulation on the underside - just a big sleeve for the pad. The exped pad inflates to about 2.5 inches thick and you will not regret it. Inflatables have come a long way from those things that always popped. Everyone who laid down on this pad for 30 seconds showed up on the next trip with one of their own.
It’s not exactly rectangular but it’s pretty roomy, enough so you can get dressed in it.
Is there a special bag for that?
– Last Updated: Mar-10-14 7:25 PM EST –
All my bags are the mummy style, and I usually sleep on my side, but sometimes on my stomach. With that kind of bag, you zip yourself in while on your back, then roll to what ever position you like, and the bag moves with you. It's really quite easy to sleep in any position you wish. Having a preference for a rectangular or semi-rectangular bag is fine, but I think any bag should accommodate any sleeping position. You can probably shop for the temperature rating and the quality level (price) that you prefer, and whatever you end up with should be fine for however you sleep.
Edit: I'll add one more thing. In case you haven't shopped for sleeping bags in a while, be aware that the temperature ratings tend to be generous. There's an old joke that says a bag rated for 20 degrees won't keep you warm enough to sleep if the temperature is 20 degrees at night, but at least you will still be alive when morning comes. The ratings aren't quite THAT exaggerated, and how warm a particular bag seems to be will depend a lot on who's using it, but many people need a bag that's rated a fair amount (maybe 10 or 15 degrees) colder than the coldest temperature they plan to sleep in.
sleeping bag
I bought a down bag. 20* rectangular , at ems on line last year. packs down quite small. Love it. i am a side sleeper and mummy bags don’t work so well for that. this is a perfect bag for that sorta thing
For the last two years
I have been using my down mummy bag unzipped like a big comforter and sleeping directly on my therm a rest pro lite pad in the spring, summer and fall. I really like sleeping this way. I am much more comfortable and I have not been cold once. I like it so much I am considering buying a down blanket and just carrying that on my next trip. I’ve been considering what I might use like a sheet on top of my pad to keep it from getting badly soiled, but so far I have slept in long underwear and its been fine.
I don’t get that
Mummies work fine for side sleepers—you just have to turn with the whole bag, not turn inside the bag.
Sleeping positions
"Any bag should accommodate any sleeping position"—but they don’t.
Specifically, a hooded bag that has no insulation on the bottom isn’t good for a side sleeper. Visualize zipping yourself into the bag while lying on your back and snugging up the hood. What happens when you turn on your side? One of two things:
- You turn inside the bag and find your face buried in the hood.
- You take the whole bag with you as you turn. Now your face is fine, but your backside is exposed to the cold.
More than half of all people are side sleepers. They might not be happy with Big Agnes sleeping bags.
Before you buy a sleeping bag that holds the mattress in a pocket (like Big Agnes), try it in the store in all positions and make sure you like it. Wherever the bag is stretched taught over you (like over your shoulder or hip if your a side sleeper) creates a tented air space that’s hard to close up by pulling the bag close to your body. The same goes for the huge Big Ages foot----you can’t pull the bag around your feet because it’s held in place by the pad. That creates a large space to heat up.
I don’t think the argument that “you compress the insulation under you, so you don’t need insulation on the bottom” is totally valid, especially for a side sleeper. A side sleeper will end up needing that bottom insulation as you turn in different positions.
How about semi-rectangular?
A semi-rectangular sleeping bag will give you plenty of room in the shoulders and hips, but it will taper a bit around your feet, helping to keep the insulation closer to your feet.
I have a rectangular and a semi-rectangular bag and I don’t notice any constriction around the feet with the semi. I do notice too much foot room with the rectangular in very cold weather and I end up twisting the bag around my feet.
Two LL Bean recommendations:
http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/77723?page=llbean-down-sleeping-bag-with-downtek-rectangular-20
http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/77727?feat=pprv
Check the LL Bean outlet if there’s one near you—I saw some incredible prices on down sleeping bags last week.
2nd LL Bean
I recently bought 2 of their bags over the last 2 years, both are down and I picked up the long ones (6ft 6in). Both compress very well also when using a very good compression dry sack. Great company policy also. I believe that they are also the new treated down which I believe is just a way to get people to buy the less quality 650 down. Doesn’t matter to me when paddle camping.
Semi rectangular - 35F and
rectangular - 20F
I happen to like the 20f better, because I sleep on my stomach and stretch my arms out.
I’m not getting into the debate of down vs synthetic, I believe they both work well for the different environments.
Down
I’ve been using down for years in wet environments. I’ve never gotten a sleeping bag wet and I don’t feel that’s really a consideration even for kayak and canoe camping. It’s just not that hard to keep a sleeping bag dry on the water and in your tent. I no longer even put my down sleeping bag in a waterproof bag (the stuff sack is water resistant coated nylon but not waterproof)because my kayak hatches are watertight. I think the payoff of the lighter weight and added warmth of down outweighs any fears about down getting wet.
Those are the two Bean bags I have and I love them both. I did an experiment with them this winter, putting the 35 semi-rectangular inside the 20 rectangular and sleeping outdoors with no tent at about 5F. It was way too hot and I had to unzip the outer bag and take off some clothes. I respect Bean’s temperature ratings; they’re fair.
side sleeper
I don’t like rolling over in a mummy bag and then trying to find the zipper in middle of the night. Just saying. It’s not for me, I like more room.
I’m with Thirsty.
You can be warm AND comfortable at the same time. I’m anti mummy. (Except in winter)
Can’t recommend a bag but
Can’t recommend a bag because the bag I use is no longer available, but I too can’t use a mummy bag. I tend to migrate and move around a lot when I sleep. I’ve been using rectangular synthetic bags for the last twenty years and they work just fine.
I usually use my sleeping bag as a blanket and in those 20 years can recall using them zipped only a few times. I use a two inch Thermarest inside a fleece cover my wife made for me - sort of like a big pillow case for the Thermarest.
My first bag was an REI synthetic rated for 20 degrees. After about 12 years use it compressed enough it was no longer warm enough for some of those nights on the Spring or Fall Ozark Rendezvous when it got into the 30’s.
I replaced it with a zero degree rectangular synthetic bag from LL Bean (no longer listed online) figuring it would last longer because it would take longer to compress down. I’ve had it almost eight years now and have been through a quite few 30 degree nights with it and have never used it zipped up yet. When it’s too warm to use that bag I either use a fleece blanket for very warm temps, or my old compressed REI bag for in between temps.
As an added note, when I turned 60 about six years ago I started using a cot with the Termarest on top for base camping trips. A really great set up. In fact I sometimes use that set up at home when my sciatica gets real bad. I leave the cot in the car for down river camping trips. It’s sorta heavy and won’t easily fit in my tent.
Two ways to roll
– Last Updated: Mar-15-14 5:09 PM EST –
Roll IN the bag, or WITH the bag, whichever you prefer. But only if you have insulation on the bottom. If it's quite cold and you're using the hood, rolling with the bag keeps the hood in the right place, and it solves your problem of wondering where the zipper is---it's always in the same place.
I don't use a mummy because a semi-rectangular bag is roomier but doesn't have too much air space in the foot. Perfect compromise between two restrictive and too baggy. Semi-rectangulars are available with and without hoods.
There isn’t one made that doesn’t .
suck!
They are all too slippery.
When I become president, I am going to make a law that all sleeping bags must have a velcro strip on the bottom that matches to a velcro strip on the tent floor or the thermarest
jack L
Slippery is good for the sleeping bag
but not good for the mattress. The Big Agnes Insulated Air Core, for example, is a very slippery mattress that will slide you to the corner of your tent on the slightest slope. The Exped Synmat 7 doesn’t have that vice. But you want the bag to be slippery so you can turn in it and with it and get it where you want it on the mattress.