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My uncle told me to skip the 20 degree bag for a Colorado trip last fall
He said his old 20 degree Mountain Hardwear bag was fine for October, but we got hit with a cold snap near Telluride. I froze my butt off for two nights before buying a 0 degree bag in town. Has anyone else had a bag rating fail them when the weather turned?
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river1821mo agoTop Commenter
Shudder just thinking about a 20 degree bag near Telluride in a cold snap. @kellyperry is totally right about it being a dare, because those ratings assume you're wearing a full base layer and a hat and, like, perfect conditions. My buddy's "waterproof" boots soaked through crossing a creek in similar "fine for fall" weather, and we had to cut the day short. It's like the tags are written for a different, much kinder planet. You trusting your gut and buying that zero degree bag was the only move.
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kellyperry2mo ago
Classic uncle advice right there. Those bag ratings are basically a dare from the weather gods. You learned the hard way that "fine for October" means "fine if October behaves itself," which it never does.
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lisa8392mo ago
Read a gear review that said bag ratings are just polite suggestions, not promises. Kellyperry nailed it about daring the weather gods, because my "water resistant" jacket gave up halfway through a light drizzle last week. Turns out fine print and fine weather are both full of lies.
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