Vegan/Ultralight Sleeping Systems

This is really a pretty simple topic. In the world of commercially available and generally accepted sleeping systems (bags) there are essentially two choices: down and synthetic insulation fill. Since this is a vegan blog, down is not a choice and thus, synthetic is the only choice.

Perhaps the main reason for writing this entry is to dispel the down myth as well as share my PCT sleeping experience. I'm sure many readers have at one point or another had a sleeping bag sales person or other hiker try to convince them that down is the only way to go. I got tired of hearing it. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know you can special order some $300+ down bag that only weighs 1 pound - but for less than a pound more one can get a comparable synthetic bag for $80-$200. Yes one whole pound does seem like a lot of weight to someone who cuts the tags off of their clothes to save weight, but keep in mind that most down bags actually come in between 1.5 pounds and 3 pounds.

Mostly, I think that down has been over hyped up. Although sleeping bag fabrics have improved and down is "less likely" to get wet, the last thing that you want is to find yourself several days hike from anywhere with a limp, useless down bag. Down is worthless when it gets wet. On the other hand a synthetic bag can be wrung out and still retain as much as 50% of its insulative value when wet. Getting a bag completely soaked is not as unlikely as it may seem. Although many hikers don't run into extended periods of rain on the PCT, it is also possible that you get stuck in a week of rain, never allowing your gear to properly dry out. Also, any one of the many river crossings is an opportunity for an unexpected swim and gear wash.

Down is the soft quill-less feathers closest to a duck or goose's skin. Some times these feathers are removed after the animals has been slaughtered as part of the meat industry. Often, particularly with geese, the feathers are painfully plucked from the live bird on regular schedule - in fact these are often the same birds being tortured for foie gras. For more information about down checkout PETA's factsheed: http://www.peta.org/mc/factsheet_display.asp?ID=121 or their video, Plucked Alive: The Torture Behind Down: http://www.petatv.com/tvpopup/Prefs.asp?video=down

My choice for the trail was a well used 35degF North Face bag. I still think that a 35deg bag is fine for summer purposes but in the mountains and desert it is important to know smart camping practices to stay warm inside the light of a bag. The bag that I started the PCT with was extremely compacted and was probably more like a 40-50 deg bag at that point. It got me as far as Aqua Dulce before I was able to switch it out for essentially a new version of the same bag - a 35degF North Face synthetic bag. After removing unneeded bells and whistles such as pillow pockets, watch pockets, etc. each bag weighed in at just under two pounds.

As mentioned earlier, I would say that good camping/survival skills are more important than the sleeping bag itself. The PCT Hiker's Companion has a number of good tips for staying warm at night. If you think that is going to be cold, it is important to shelter yourself from the wind, clear skies and cold ground. If you cannot completely shelter yourself from the wind sleep feet into the wind so that the wind doesn't go down your bag and so that the least amount of your body is exposed to the direct blasts. Clear nights act as blackbody radiators, literally stealing heat from you. This (and dew prevention) is a good reason to camp under tree cover if possible. Tree cover also means that it is more likely that there is a good layer of humus on the ground. Humus is the layer of organic matter than builds up on forest floors. This stuff is fluffier than lower strata of soil, thus it holds more air and helps to insulate your body from direct conductive body heat loss to the ground. If humus isn't an option due to availability or the site is sensitive and shouldn't be slept on, use extra clothing, backpacks and other gear to pile up under you. Finally, don't camp in a low flat spot. Flat spots at the base of a hill or mountain often collect extremely cold air that pours down the mountain and settles. One of the main thru-hiker tricks is to keep a little high calorie snack next to your bed to eat in the middle of the night when that 3am chill sets in. The extra calories give your raging metabolism a little more fuel to keep yourself warm.

Another sleeping option:
Although I haven't personally tried it, I am not convinced that the Jardine sleeping quilt is the worst idea in the world. The basic idea behind it is that the when you sleep in a sleeping bag you compress all of the fill underneath you so that it is effectively doing nothing. Therefore, R.J. suggests using just a quilt over you and some sort of closed cell foam type sleeping pad below you. "The Goat People" aka Rob and Katherine used quilts that they made and seemed pretty happy with them (especially through the sections when they had a warm goat to cozy up to). I think that each of their synthetic fill quilts weighed about one pound. I think that if my wife and I did more long distance hiking together I might make a quilt for the two of us to share. Also, I might try putting a piece of nylon across the bottom of the quilt to make sure the quilt doesn't slip off and to prevent warm air from leaking out around the edges.

Other down gear:
Most other down gear has an equal synthetic counter part. I hiked the High Sierra section of the PCT with a Patagonia puff vest made from synthetic insulation. Also, when I got to Stehekin there was a severe threat of snow storm - and conveniently a sale at the Stehekin Lodge ultralight gear shop - I was able to get a previous season Go-Lite puff parka for only $40. This is now one of my favorite pieces of backcountry gear summer or winter.