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Vent: I picked a cheap 40-degree bag over a good one and froze my butt off in the Sawtooths
It was between a $50 generic bag and the Kelty Cosmic 40, which was on sale for $120. I went cheap to save cash, and that thing was useless below 50 degrees. Spent three nights near Stanley, Idaho shivering and wearing every layer I owned. Anyone have a solid budget bag that actually works?
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troyreed2mo ago
Yeah, the "useless below 50 degrees" part is the real kicker. A lot of those cheap bags are rated for survival, not comfort, so you're already starting in a hole. Honestly, I'd check used gear sites for a previous model of a name-brand bag, you can often find ones that just got updated for way less. That Kelty you passed on is a classic for a reason, it's a known quantity.
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juliag102mo ago
Ugh, I used to always go for the cheapest gear too. One bad night like yours totally changed my mind though.
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willow4071mo ago
That Kelty 40 degree bag was $120 at the time? I remember when those were closer to a hundred bucks a few years ago. This reminds me of how people buy the cheapest tires for their car and then wonder why they slide around in the rain. We all do it with something thinking we're being smart with money but really we're just setting ourselves up for a bad time later. Hope you find a good used bag, the Marmot Trestles 30 is another one I see pop up on the forums pretty often for around that same price point.
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