In my first post Sleeping Bags Whats the difference Part 1 Down Bags I discussed down sleeping bags.  Then we looked at synthetic bags in the second part of this series Sleeping Bags Whats the difference Part 2 Synthetic Bags.

What can we take away from  these posts?

• Down is more expensive than synthetic.
• Down takes a long time to dry where synthetic does not.
• There are only a few types of down bags where there are quite a few synthetic types.
• When a down bag is wet it does not insulate where as a synthetic bag does.
• Down is lighter and less bulky than synthetic.
• Down is typically warmer than synthetic.

Questions to ask yourself when buying a sleeping bag

• What is my budget?
• Where will I be using this bag ( dry or wet climates)?
• What will my sleeping bag be used for (Expeditions, weekend camping, camping once a year)?
• Do I feel comfortable spending $$$ on this as investment for my gear collection?
• Will I take care of my down bag using the proper time and tools?

Now you are probably asking which type of sleeping bag I own and plan on taking with me on my Appalachian Trail Thru-hike. I currently have one synthetic and one down.

The synthetic bag I own and will use  is an Alps Mountaineering Clearwater 35 degree bag.

The down bag I own and will use is an Mountainsmith El Dante 5 degree bag. I would like to thank Mountain Smith for providing this bag.

The plans is to use the Mountainsmith  El Dante bag during the colder months in the mountains of GA and use it until It gets to warm and then mail it back home. I will have mailed myself the Alps Mountaineering Clearwater bag to a drop point ahead of time and be able to use it during the warmer months

I have not had a change to try either bag but I will be testing them out very soon so look for gear reviews of both bags.

Happy Trails

Adam