run the set-up that gives you the best chance to not die - and highest confidence level.
Not my tracks, that snow was useless. Snow in November and April is usually annoying, like someone who shows up to a party too early, then doesn't know when to leave.Here. Snow. It was already a shitty mess on Friday. Those are @pooriggy's ski tracks I think.
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Survival rule: compressed insulation, is NO insulation. It’s air that keeps you warm (alive) not the down/prima-loft. If the system it tight in the bivy the R value is gonna be greatly diminished. A lot of BA bags don’t insulate the bottoms at all, maybe that’s why JP uses it, to save space for the bags insulation to fully expand in the bivy
Edit: down is useless if it gets wet. The newest down is “treated” to better retain its R value when damp. Synthetic insulation works (to some degree) even when wet. But of course it’s heavier and doesn’t pack as well.
I feel like this is why my current Marmot isn't doing all that it can. I bought it second hand from Rob May so it's been well-used and is very compressed. Not to mention has a hole or 3 that have been Gorilla Taped. I'm pretty confident a new -20 bag will be warmer than this old one. We're a Big Agnes Dealer at the shop so I can EP one for a fairly minimal investment and test both set-ups. I'll need a new -20 bag for the shorter races anyways so it won't go to waste.
Don't you need a -57 bag??
Just to think about something else, I'm pretty sure I'll need to use my Thermarest Pad if I go the Big Agnes UL route. The Big Agnes Foam Pad technically only goes down to freezing while the Thermarest is the warmest on the market. I'll have to see how it all fits I guess? Hopefully it actually gets cold so I'll have a chance to test some of this stuff.
Camp out thurs night - record cold coming
Just to think about something else, I'm pretty sure I'll need to use my Thermarest Pad if I go the Big Agnes UL route. The Big Agnes Foam Pad technically only goes down to freezing while the Thermarest is the warmest on the market. I'll have to see how it all fits I guess? Hopefully it actually gets cold so I'll have a chance to test some of this stuff.
Stop over in Seattle for a real test:
https://www.adventure-journal.com/2018/04/man-spends-night-therm-rests-freezer/
11 degrees though. Still too warm for what I need. It does make me feel at ease knowing I have 2 Thermarest pieces in my kit.