Re: [Paddlewise] Sleeping bags for kayaking

From: Kingfisher Wilderness Adventures Ltd <kingfshr_at_idmail.com>
Date: Sun, 24 Jan 1999 22:59:08 -0800
Wes Boyd wrote -

"On the other hand, a high-end bag out of something like Quallofill will
stay warm to some degree if it gets wet, and will dry more easily than
down, but a Quallofill bag will take a huge drybag, and that drybag will
be a bear in a small hatch.

The issue is nicely balanced in my own mind, but does anyone else have
any ideas?"

If you enjoy paddling year round like I do, you may consider purchasing 2 bags.  A medium weight bag as well as a lighter "overbag".  I find the mid weight bag is suitable for most of the year, the "overbag" used by itself is perfect for summer and the two together make a good winter combination.  

Having two smaller bags is also easier to pack into your kayak than one large one.  I find my light thinsulate overbag fits easily into a 5 litre dry bag and my mid-weight synthetic bag into a long 15 litre bag.

I think down is the best insulation you can buy for most environments, but the marine environment is not one of them.  I choose synthetic insulations for my paddling bags because of the warmth they provide when wet.  I have never had my bag get wet on a trip but their is a first time for everything. In a first aid scenario in which I was the "victim" I was covered with a sleeping bag to prevent shock and hypothermia while laying on the beach in the rain with the tide coming in with a "broken leg".  I was amazed at how quickly I warmed up under the bag even as it got soaked in the rain.  The person who owned the bag slept in it for the next 5 nights and it kept her warm, that would not have been the case if she had a down filled bag.

Andrew Jones
_______________________________________________

Kingfisher Wilderness Adventures Ltd.
Suite 211 - 1641 Lonsdale Ave.
North Vancouver, BC, Canada
V7M 2J5
Ph.  604-831-6180
e-mail: kingfshr_at_idmail.com

www.kingfisher-adventures.com
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Received on Sun Jan 24 1999 - 23:01:32 PST

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