best sleeping bag for hiking Oregon PCT in June/July

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kaflower
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Joined: January 11th, 2018, 10:36 am

best sleeping bag for hiking Oregon PCT in June/July

Post by kaflower » January 11th, 2018, 10:39 am

trying to find a lightweight sleeping bag for june/july Oregon pct hike. any suggestions are much appreciated!

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5th
Posts: 121
Joined: April 27th, 2015, 9:11 am
Location: Eugene

Re: best sleeping bag for hiking Oregon PCT in June/July

Post by 5th » January 11th, 2018, 12:16 pm

kaflower wrote:trying to find a lightweight sleeping bag for june/july Oregon pct hike. any suggestions are much appreciated!
I don't have a specific recommendation, but get a warm one. You'll be hiking in the snow.

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xrp
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Joined: May 2nd, 2012, 10:26 am

Re: best sleeping bag for hiking Oregon PCT in June/July

Post by xrp » January 23rd, 2018, 5:10 pm

That all depends on the summer!

You could want something good down to the 20F range.

You could get by with something good down to the 40F range.

It all depends on what the weather patterns are like for the summer.

I myself just added an Enlightened Equipment Enigma 20F quilt to just such occasions.

I already have an EEE 40F quilt for those warmer nights.

If you are planning now for early summer, I'd err on the side of warmer.

bghiker
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Joined: April 26th, 2016, 6:26 pm

Re: best sleeping bag for hiking Oregon PCT in June/July

Post by bghiker » January 28th, 2018, 10:14 am

I have a 20 degree bag and that is plenty warm for me....it depends on how cold of a sleeper you are...If you are tent camping (I'm a hammocker) then an insulated sleeping pad makes a lot of difference too...

Tom of the Woods
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Joined: July 10th, 2016, 6:27 pm
Location: Rogue Valley

Re: best sleeping bag for hiking Oregon PCT in June/July

Post by Tom of the Woods » January 31st, 2018, 6:46 am

There are a lot of variables. Summers are not all the same. It depends on which part of the Cascades you're in. If you're going clear through, it can depend on which direction you go. The south end can be downright hot and that becomes more probable as you get farther into July. You can have temps exceed 100 degrees at PCT level during the day and, depending on wind direction, stay over 70 at night. You can also have temps in the 50s with snow overnight though that's less likely.

I have a selection of bags. I look at forecasts to see how predictable the weather is. Balance caution against probability.

My most common summer bag is a Western Mountaineering MityLite .. 40 degree semi-rectangular. It lists at 26 ounces.

For that time of year, at least in the Southern Cascades, mosquitoes are a problem. You might want to consider your bag plus your mosquito protection as a system. I often use a Bearpaw Wilderness Designs bug bivy which barely slows the wind an has no real effect on warmth but I can switch to a regular bivy and bump the effective warmth of my sleeping bag by 5-10 degrees. This opens the door to other combinations of gear.
- Tom

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