Good video with a lot of knowledge dropped. The only thing I wasn't fond of was you're explanation of fill power didn't really explain it at all. I'll try to keep this short. Fill power ratings are rating the effectiveness of the down feather itself. A loftier (fluffier) feather is more effective. Therefore the higher the loftiness, the higher the effectiveness, the less you need of that feather to get the same warmth rating. So a 30 degree rated bag made with 650 fill down (like duck down) has more feathers and is heavier and packs larger but is also cheaper. A 30 degree rated bag with 850 fill power down (like goose down) has more efficient feathers so it uses less of them and is therefore lighter and packs smaller but is also much more expensive. All with the same warmth rating. But otherwise solid video. Keep spreading the knowledge!

I did a lot of research when I was purchasing a bag. I knew it was a vital pc of kit and as far as expense, I was looking at it as an investment. Buy once cry once right? So being sold on wgt + volume savings I choose to go with down. I purchased a 50° 850 fill summer bag. I love this bag and still use it today. But what this purchase taught me about down insulation I can't recall anyone touching on. Migration. That fill for that temp rating allows the down to move around and pile up at the ends of my quilt. So every night it should be shaken back from the ends. Not a game stopper but added fiddle Factor and like I said, something no one seems to touch on. Happy Trails Folks!

I’ve researched, and women’s bags sometimes have more fill in order to achieve the same temp value as the men’s version. This is because most women sleep colder.

Finally someone talks about hydrophobic down. Thank you so much!

Great video, Eric! You do an awesome job making these videos simple enough for the average person to understand, yet in-depth enough that even experienced backpackers will learn something. Keep it up!

Great info! I appreciate the approach of just giving knowledge about sleeping bags so people can make an informed decision, rather than recommending a particular bag. Such a personal choice, but this info makes it a lot easier to make the right choice! Thanks, man!

“Hwoofing”, is the technical Latin term for “warm air escaping” from a sleeping bag. And “farting” is the technical Latin word for “replenishing that lost warm air”! Very informative break down of what to consider when buying a sleeping bag that is fit for purpose. Thanks, cheers from Australia.

I have the attention span of a gnat, but I watched to the whole thing. Excellent and to-the-point. Thanks for the info. Much appreciated Eric. PS, you're the reason I hounded Mystery Ranch for months over a year when they were releasing their Bridger. As soon as it was finally released, I snagged one (and at about $100 off). The best pack I own. It's everything you said it'd be.

This is the most informative video I've seen on KZfaq. Great job!

Semi rectangular for the win. Marmot Yolla Bolly and the Sea to Summit Trek Down bags are great. They can unzip as a quilt as well.

I would like a Western Mountaineering down bag. But since I am only going out for a few section hikes a year I looked around at older US brands and found two Camp 7 bags made in Boulder that had spent years unused in someones closet. The best one has about 3lbs of down. The other 2 lbs. I know they are old but both appear almost new and work great for me. The best part was $200 for both. If you are willing to wait and watch you can find deals. One Osprey pack still had the tags on it for $100. My bag is probably a 1978 model that spent 30 years hung in a closet and used a few times. I have used it below 25 degrees several times. I think they were comparable to Western Mountaineering in their day. I got three Osprey packs, three bags, two pads, and a new tent for about $650. One boy bought a Neo air himself. Tent is heavy-North Face Stormbreak 3-but we each carry part of it. Fourth year in the tent. $168 on sale. Not optimal but it works

Fill power is a measure of loft volume per unit mass. It has nothing to do with "how much down they are cramming into the baffles." In other words, a higher fill power down can achieve equivalent thermal insulance for less weight.

Best video about outdoor gear I've ever seen. Really great and to the point. 👍

Good video! By using a good bivy sack,fleece liner, and quality long underwear your ratings would be more accurate then.Since I'm almost 70 years old I don't do any backpacking but car camping. I have my old go to 's the M - 1949 mountain bag from the 50's and the Intermediate and Extreme Cold weather sleeping bags from the 90's. Don't overlook the USGI MSS sleep systems either.Thanks .

If you don't have an up dated vid on this,you should do one.on topquilts as well,also now they have synthetic down as well.....food fer thought...

Thanks for the detailed cover up Eric. Really hammered through all the questions I had about making my buying decision.

I haven’t seen much on what to wear IN the sleeping bag, and how it effects warmth vs sweating.

Great video. So much information here.

I have an 2 person 20 degree quilt (850 fill) and a 1 person synthetic 20 degree quilt wide and regular length from the same brand and they pack to about the same size although the synthetic is slightly lighter I decided to go synthetic because that one I share with my dog and I figured it would get dirty or wet more often amd i wanted something easier to clean and more resistant to potentially less than dry doog... it took up more space than I expected but it's still very manageable in my bigger (45l) pack honestly a 30 or 40 degree would have been fine in most situations for my uses sharing a quilt with the pup he adds at least 10 degrees to the rating

Thank you for explaining this to me

Thank you for making me an expert on sleeping bags 🙌🔥

IME, women's sleeping bags also tend to be shorter than men's bags. Another thing to consider in temperature rating, is what is your reference temperature for the amount of insulation you need? This is an unusual concept that nobody has ever heard of, so let me explain. There is a general insulation rating system called the R rating. It's and engineering thing so based on maths. It basically established the difference in temperature between one side of the insulation and the other side. in other words, the inside and the outside of the bag. the outside temperature is simply from the weather conditions you are expecting. The inside temperature is how warm you need the inside of the bag to be for you to feel comfortable. This is the reference temperature. It would be whatever temperature you can comfortable sleep in just you sleepwear, with no other covers or insulation under you. If for example, if you're reference temperature in thermals is 25C, you will need an R rating of around 4.8 to be comfortable down to 0C however if you wearing a onesie as well as thermals gives you a reference temperature of 10C then the same insulation R4.8 will allow you to sleep comfortable down to -15C From this, we can see that the suitability of a given bag very much depends on the temperature at which an individual sleeps comfortable in their sleep wear (reference temperature) & that the user can change the capacity of an existing bag simply by changing their sleepwear. The problem is that sleeping bag manufacturers do not rate their bag in such a convenient way. They do not indicate the temperature difference that their bags can sustain for an average person & even the EU rating system fails in this regard. If they did though, things would be ever so much simpler. You could simply do a little experimenting at home to determine your reference sleep temperature, then go buy a bag with confidence that it will keep you warm. Of course any sleeping mat also has to match the sleeping bag as the crushed bag insulation under your body is worthless insulation.

Great video. Lots of helpful info on Bags. Thanks :)

Enjoyed your video , for me the clincher for me if I have to choose between two bags is which side the zip is on. I sleep on my right side and a zip at your back is a hassle Manufacturers should highlight zip side more prominently, and the industry should have a common way to describe exactly the zip side.

Very interesting explanations regarding sleeping equipment. I would have appreciated your comments about quilts. Also the covering materials of a quality down bag.

Awesome content! So informative. Thank you.

Awesome video. Found all that I was looking for.👍

You managed to misinform people on "fill" numbers. The numbers you mentioned are fill power and defines the quality of the down, i.e. the volume in cubic inches that an ounce of down can fill, and it does not indicate the amount of down in the product. The description for a down bag will have a separate spec usually in grams to indicate the amount of down in the bag. For instance, I own a bag that has 400 grams of 750 fill power down.

Question, is it necessary to storage in the same way as a down sleeping bag a synthetic sleeping bag? I mean a synthetic sleeping bag can be always storage in the same bag that comes with the sleeping or it is recommended to leave in a bigger bag as a down sleeping bag. Thanks

Man!, You almost had all the basis covered. You forgot to share with us what brands and models of sleeping bags you eventually decided to go with and why. I hope you can find the time to the review/conclusion. Other than that, a great source of information and learning. Keep up the good work, as always

Um I’m new to all this and just getting started to figure this out but literally just watched a video where a ladies finding were the temperature rating between men’s and women’s bags did differ. Otherwise for hydrophobic I’m amazed they didn’t just look into duck down but ok....

Also, one thing to consider while chosing, synthetic doesn't have to kill animals.

ohhh my XXXX could you, in your very informative video on the INTERNET use units that's used around the world. plz (SI units- Celsius) - or at least bring a conversion on screen.

Nice comprehensive review ... thanks ...

This dude could totally sell me a sleeping bag. I'm glad he's not trying. He could totally also do South Park character voice overs. Does anyone else hear it when he talks? 😅😁 Great job on the video by the way 👍

Good video! My preferred bag is a Sea to Summit Traverse Synthetic bag

Great info.

thanks, great tutorial.

Great video. But I wonder if Crossroad MIRAGE 210 is good enough for hot tenting in 0 degree Celsius

Thanks, can you do a review on sleeping pads soon?

Unless I'm misremembering (or it's different for the US) the extreme temp. is pretty much that it can keep you alive for up to 6h. I'm one of those lucky ones who're a bit too long for the short ones bags and have about 15cm (3') of extra space for my feet ^^' :p

Note for viewers: women's bags have more insulation than men's to achieve the same temperature rating for a female. They will be bulkier and heavier consequently

by far the oldest video of yours i have watched. I'm trying to decide between the diamond park, or the Echo park setup from BA. since I'm a motorcycler, the weight isnt a big deal. the stuff size could be though.

Mentioned everything but how what you’re wearing and how to dress comfortably for a sleeping bag. Is a temp rating for wearing a parka inside a sleeping bag or just a cotton tshirt?

Thank u!!

I was curious about hydrophobic down. Good vid. I would think duck feathers would be naturally hydrophobic, (water off a duck's back) but maybe the natural duck oils break down.

You should really put the items you show in your vids in the description

I've got both a synthetic and down. My synthetic Mont sleeping bag was not cheap but weighs about the same as my North Face bag and packs down to almost the same size. Maybe you get what you pay for?

ohhh no, 15:42 length in feet´s :(

if you have a waterproof bag does it still get clumpy?

Should a 5 ft 8 woman with two little dogs to fit inside buy a long or regular sea to summit, thank you

Do you really believe they can make down impervious to water, they cant even make a waterproof tent.

A note for people who want cruelty free products - down sleeping bags contain small feathers of ducks, geese. So try your luck with synthetic ones :)

I'm looking for a sleeping bag for zombie apocalypse

Hi, i was just thinking. I remember going back a long time , that down is warm and so on. Unfortunately the down feathers are farmed, harvested from livinf dicks etc in china Russia and very sad for the actual bird that gets plucked periodically.

Eric I was hoping you could help me out. I watched you in Dans video using a zenbivy. Would you recommend over a typical bag. You also were using a 10 degree 25” wide. You had mentioned you get the narroe version of the zen bag. Can you give me your thoughts? Thanks