Re: [Paddlewise] Sleeping bags for kayaking

I've been using down bags for the last quarter of a century and have never
got the interior of one wet.  My first bag, which was second hand when I
bought it, is still going strong.  Great value for the money.

My second bag, which I purchased about five years ago, has a Goretex shell
and Goretex stuff sac, so I no longer have to worry about a light shower or
heavy dew if I have not bothered to set a tent, and have no worries in the
event of tent failure (and off topic, it is a heck of a lot easier to use
for a quick warm-up during breaks while skiing).

As far as accumulation of dampness over several days goes, in my area
(northern Ontario) it is seldom humid and seldom rains or drizzles without
surcease for more than a few days, so airing out is not a problem.  If it
is not raining, I just unzip and invert the bag and take the roof off the
tent prior to breakfast, and by the time I have eaten, the bag is aired
out.

For the last decade I have used dry bags, and have never had a problem, for
when a bag becomes worn enough that pinholes might occur, I retire the bag.
 I've never had a bag tear open.  My sleeping bag always gets packed in my
newest dry bag.  (For canoeing I simply use barrel packs, which eliminate
the need for dry bags.)

I expect, however, that I am in the minority in my preference for down.

Richard Culpeper
www.geocities.com/~culpeper

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