WM Bag Choice: Ultralite or Summerlite for Bay Area BP'r

[mmark]

Hi,

First post, but I've been reading the boards for some time. Anyways, I'm in the Bay Area and do most of my backpacking with in 4 or so hours of San Francisco. Most of my trips are weekend trips from late spring to October or so (planning trip for next weekend). From what I can tell, the temperature rarely goes below 30F. I'm also a somewhat warm sleeper.

Just wondering if which of the two sleeping bags would you guys recommend for the climate out here. I've been in both the summerlite 6' bag and the ultralite 6' bag and both fit about the same.

Question is: Is the summerlite bag warm enough to about 20F with thermals, (just in case the temp dips low), or should I go with the ultralite?

My personal preference is to use the summerlite, save 7oz, and some room in my pack.

Thanks,
mmark

[Seeker]

(for the reading masses, the WM Summerlite is a 32* bag).

so you're trying to get 12* out of it? add a hat and you're probably gonna be close... my WM Caribou (35* bag) has taken me to about 28* with a set of really lightweight longjohns and a fleece hat, and i sleep really cold-my metabolism just seems to shut down at night. i experiment a lot with my hammock and underquilts in my back yard. you might do the same on a cold night this winter. even a porch or balcony works. you wouldn't even have to spend the whole night. just a few hours, to ensure your temperature isn't dropping over time. if you get cold, you have a safe place to bail into. or you can go in and get another layer or a set of thicker longjohns and try it for a couple hours, to see what happens.

[Mike_in_FHAZ]

also consider that the Ultralite is a continuously baffled bag. You can shift most the down to the bottom and use it in the 40* range, or it will probably keep you warm (as you say you are a warm sleeper) down to 20 without pajamas or a hat. That makes it an all year bag for me here in the variable climate of Arizona. Consider, the Summerlite with an 8oz silk liner might work like the Ultralite, but you're not saving any weight. I cant say for sure, I dont have the Summerlite, but I am truly in love with the Highlite and the Ultralite. So, long story short, I would take the Ultralite with confidence over anything else in 20* weather. Peace...

[mmark]

Well, I tried the summerlite last night wearing light long johns (just as seeker suggested) with the temperature at 48F according to weather.com this morning. I didn't want to be in just boxers in case one of my neighbors called the cops about a stranger guy walking around my complex.

Anyways, I tested the bag using an Insul Max-Thermo Mummy mat, and with the bag zipped up all the way. Couldn't sleep about an hour into it cause I was sweating and starting to over-heat. Probably could have been comfortable at colder temps just wearing the long johns, 30-35 or so. So, from this test, and what Mike_in_FHAZ mentioned, I'm going to try the Summerlite with the silk liner for those cold nights. This way, I won't need to carry the extra weight when the weather is good. I feel that the bag is plenty warm, and that I'll just need to remember the silk liner, and warm thermos and hat for the 20F days.

Thanks,
mmark

[PBF Support]