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Post by leadbelly on Apr 21, 2022 11:07:13 GMT -8
i have never used one, mine have always zipped on one side or the other, but I may be sleeping in one with a center zip this summer - testing it.
thoughts/observations appreciated.
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rebeccad
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Post by rebeccad on Apr 21, 2022 17:23:03 GMT -8
I use a quilt 🙂
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ErnieW
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Post by ErnieW on Apr 22, 2022 4:15:18 GMT -8
Never knew there were center zip bags. Isn't where the zip is the place you want to most loft and least want zipper leakage? If the point isn't to keep you as warm as possible wouldn't a quilt be lighter?
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BigLoad
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Post by BigLoad on Apr 23, 2022 19:06:57 GMT -8
Never knew there were center zip bags. Isn't where the zip is the place you want to most loft and least want zipper leakage? If the point isn't to keep you as warm as possible wouldn't a quilt be lighter? I don't know if this is true in general, but the few center-zip bags I've seen in person were only partial-zips, about 18". |
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franco
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Post by franco on Apr 23, 2022 19:58:23 GMT -8
Patagonia has (had?) some with a full zip. I liked the idea of the Sierra Design bags without a zip at all  but I don't think they were very popular. |
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BigLoad
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Post by BigLoad on Apr 23, 2022 21:15:53 GMT -8
Patagonia has (had?) some with a full zip. I liked the idea of the Sierra Design bags without a zip at all but I don't think they were very popular.
It looks like their pupae have escaped.
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Post by downriver on Apr 24, 2022 7:40:04 GMT -8
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zeke
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Post by zeke on Apr 24, 2022 8:57:16 GMT -8
When I was in my 30s, we zipped 2 bags together to make a bag for 2. That zipper ran down between the sleepers, but when one of us got up in the middle of the night, both of us got a cold draft. That's my only experience with a zipper down the middle of a bag. Don't think I'd like it in a one person bag, as I cannot figure out how the draft collar would work and how I'd figure out which hand to unzip it with.
ETA: I wandered through 2 outdoor stores last week, and bought nothing. A tent in one window caught my eye, but I decided I didn't need a tent specifically for a few of my kayak sites. In some of them it wouldn't be feasible at all. I may be recovering from a gear addiction, as I seem to be finding it easier to walk out without buying anything. Or, maybe it's just a sign that I already have too much gear.
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driftwoody
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Post by driftwoody on Apr 24, 2022 12:04:00 GMT -8
I'm struggling with the urge right now to purchase a no-zip option, aka quilt. I've been hammock camping 6 or more years using a sleeping bag for top insulation. It didn't take me long to realize the necessity of a bottom quilt which I bought from Warbonnet to go with my Blackbird, but my half zipped sleeping bags turned on the side have worked well. They just have more weight & bulk than a topquilt with equivalent insulation.
REI has a 30% off sale on its Magma Trail 30* TQ with 850 down, 19 ounces. It's received mostly good reviews and $230 is hard to pass up. I just need to decide if I want to spend that much to save a few ounces.
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zeke
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Post by zeke on Apr 24, 2022 12:48:54 GMT -8
driftwoody That's a hard price to pass up. The long is wide enough.
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driftwoody
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Post by driftwoody on Apr 24, 2022 13:01:58 GMT -8
zeke, the regular & long are both listed as 56" width in the REI website. What I have to decide (aside from purchase) is whether to get the regular (72" length) or long (78"). I stand a half inch taller than 6' and always opt for 78" sleeping bags, but I'm thinking 72" should be alright since it's not coming up over my head. What is your experience with TQ vs SB length?
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zeke
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Post by zeke on Apr 24, 2022 13:36:53 GMT -8
driftwoody As a mostly side sleeper in a hammock, I can go a bit shorter, but I always get the long so if I need to go to ground I can use the extra length to cover my head if I want to sleep in, or if it gets colder than expected. I always opted for 78" bags, also. One thing I have noticed is that some manufacturers measure the quilt before closing the footbox, meaning it is 6 inches shorter than advertised, once fully assembled. Sewn footboxes are particularly bad about this.
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BigLoad
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Post by BigLoad on Apr 24, 2022 14:22:17 GMT -8
One thing I have noticed is that some manufacturers measure the quilt before closing the footbox, meaning it is 6 inches shorter than advertised, once fully assembled. Sewn footboxes are particularly bad about this. Even so, I think I'd go for a sewn footbox in a quilt. Even in summer, my feet get cold at night. That's why even at home, I sleep in wool hiking socks year-round. |
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jazzmom
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Post by jazzmom on Apr 24, 2022 14:26:33 GMT -8
The thing that doesn't make sense to me about center zip bags is what do you do when you actually want a little draft? There are many nights where I start with my bag partially unzipped, then zip up during the coldest hours of the night. But if the zipper is in the middle and you unzip it, you don't have a "cover" anymore, which is almost never what I want.
On the other hand, cold spots along the zipper wouldn't worry me. All of my winter outerwear open down the middle and it's not a problem; just needs a good design with overlaps and baffles.
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rangewalker
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Post by rangewalker on Apr 25, 2022 18:39:28 GMT -8
Center zip bags kinda come around every decade or so. GoLite just before they flamed out introduced a line of them. The US Army had them in the '50s after the Korean War. As you know every good trooper is a back sleeper, ready to rock n roll, with the front opening bag.
I really think the quilts with a good foot box and functional pad straps are the best new thing in a while. My discomfort with them is I don't like contact with my pads. I usually sleep in base layer, but still, get creeped by the tactile thing of most inflatable pad fabric. My daughter's thru-hiking friend was showing me her kit this winter, her pad looked like my ancient shop floor from the grime. i am looking at a 40 F deg rated synthetic fill quilt paired with a Sea to Summit liner for summer and desert bikepacking and hiking in '23. I have an old Golite bag, not center opening, 40 F deg, that is about used up. It is Polar Guard batting. It is just the thing for hot weather and inside a bivy.In summer, I often just sleep in the liner and just pull the bag up over in the cold morning.
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