[Arsenul]

I was browsing walmart today when I saw this really cheap mummy sleeping bag rated for -5F. The link for it is down below but I was curious if this is worth getting for camping? Not sure if it's down or not, which is important to me, but it looks like it. Does anyone here have it and if so, what do you think of it? For those looking at it now, what are your thoughts? Do you guys think that this would keep you warm in cold temps?

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Everest-Mummy-5F-15C-Degree-Sleeping-Bag/2581360

 

[jrs]

Any sleeping bag which with sufficient loft (airspace) will keep you warm. Make sure you have an insulating layer between you and the ground, such as a roll-up pad with reflective side. While I'm not familiar with the name brand of the fill, I would choose poly over down as down tends to compress and offers less insulating properties. Plus, many of the newer poly materials will keep you warmer, even if damp or wet.

Go online to the manufacturers site and check out the dimensions. I am a bigger guy and many of the mummy bags are too small for my shoulders to fit and the zippers will not close.

 

[ninjasurvivor]

Looks good to me. It will probably keep you pretty warm, but where you will see the discount in quality is in the contruction. You might have a bad zipper or loose seams that come undone.

 

[slib]

That bag will do the job. I prefer a rectangular bag myself, as opposed to a mummy. What can I say, I like to be able to move my legs a little.

To add warmth, try laying a folded wool blanket between your bag and your sleeping pad. It'll wick away the moisture that would otherwise condense under your bag as your body's water vapor hits the cold air outside the bag. That way you reduce the heat loss due to evaporation of that moisture. Oh, and ALWAYS sleep with a hat on!

 

[minitruck83]

It's polyfill. Just my .02, but I wouldn't count on it down to -5f either, more like +25f. Even the Tennier system that claims -30f doesn't keep me comfortable @ +15f.
Ymmv

 

[fixesstuff]

If you set up your sleep system properly you should expect to get close to the rated range form the bag. A fleece liner would make things much nicer! Proper setup includes a good sleeping pad to keep your body heat from being transfered to the ground. Also a moisture barrier to prevent moisture from seeping into the bag and reducing the insulating properties of the fill.

Keep in mind your sleep clothing, yes I said sleep clothing is every bit as important as your bag. Silk pajamas are excellent but even a dedicated Merano would union suit would be excellent. Walmart has Merano wool ply under wear gear for $18 top or $16 bottoms, and they work fine.

If you add a breathable bivy outer bag to keep the abrasions off your system you are in business for cold weather at a fraction of the cost of the high end bags.

On the other hand if you watch Amazon you can pick up a complete good condition MSS for $35-$45!!

Good Luck, have fun and if you decide to put it together for yourself, there's a lot to be said for becoming immersed and learning stuff yourself!

 

[kfilly]

I second the military sleep system. I am using that as my bug out sleeping bag. It can be used year round so you don't need to buy several different bags. It cornea with its own bivy sack, and.it can be deployed quickly as a makeshift shelter. It is currently azi below where I am at, and I like the fact that I would be able to set up an emergency shelter in seconds should the need arise. That could be very important if hypothermia were to start setting in. Yes, the bag is heavy when all components are used, but I have a game cart to help offset that.

 

[DharmaBum]

Sleeping bags are not something to go cheap on, IMO. The cheap ones also rarely work to their advertised rating.

 

[ElevenBravo29th]

My experience has always been, cheap gear yields cheap results.

That bag is nothing I would own... except for fall nights.

For winter, TRUE winter sleeping gear, WalMart sells NOTHING I would choose.

Shop Gander, Sportsmans Warehouse, Etc... for real bags.

My personal pick would be something along the line of:

Alps
Kelty
Slumberjack
Wiggies
Big Agnes
Mountain Hardware
Marmot

These are the less expensive, but high quality bags in the list:
Alps
Kelty
Slumberjack


Cheap bags will translate into sleepless nights.

GL,
EB

 

[RazorCityDen]

The surplus USGI ECW sleep system is the best on the cheap option going IMO. A bivy cover and two inner bags to swap around for the conditions.

 

[danrodz]

The surplus USGI ECW sleep system is the best on the cheap option going IMO. A bivy cover and two inner bags to swap around for the conditions.

I can vouch for the USGI system, it has kept me warm at temps close to zero and I am a very cold sleeper. A decent pad to go under is a MUST. The USGI system is bulky and quite heavy but you can get the two bags on ebay for $35 shipped. Heavy duty zips and snaps won't give you any trouble. Like the old saying, you can have 2 out of 3 from cheap, light and good. With the USGI you get cheap and good and it keeps you warm. If you are on a budget (and I'm ALWAYS on a budget) it's a good choice.

 

[ppine]

The bag in question is rated for +5 F, but rated by whom? Probably a guy in China.
It is clearly some man-made fiber but called Micro Tek Z1 or something. The fill weight is 3.5 pounds. I can guarantee that it will be heavy as in 5-6 pounds, okay for truck camping but too heavy to backpack. Plan on it being good to say 15-20 degrees.

I liked the old WWII mummy bags with one bag inside another and a cotton cover. They were stuffed with chicken feathers and some duck down but worked great and were very versatile. The cheapest good bags are probably army surplus but not necessarily US army.

silent is right about zippers. Cheap ones don't last long. If a cheap bag gets wet the fill starts to migrate around. Some of the cost of a bag is in the internal baffles which you cannot see. I would trust an $80 bag way before a $30 one.

 

[JeepinCalifornia]

If you go that route, try it in the backyard, first.

You can also Google search the fill type and weight for quite a few discussions on this bag (and variations of it).

 

[SilentSurvivor]

3.5lbs of filling... probably would keep you warm. Some Ozark Trail bags don't have much in the way of dividers, so the filling can settle. Other than that, check the stiching and zipper quality... you get what you buy, not what you pay for. Air pockets and insulation keep you warm... if you are really 'bout it', just take a trip to Joann or Micheals or order some fabric online, sew it up, and cram it full of whatever you want.

I do have the OT Cocoon 200 which is a 32* mummy bag that is about the size of a football and I love it... but it is also an 80$ bag. A very well constructed 80$ bag.

 

[weasel]

An important item as a sleeping bag and going cheap will not fit together up very well.
Don't worry- as long as you are not exhausted you will wake up!
Had this once and it is really no fun to shiver the complete night having no rest.

From the customer feedback rating most of the customers have used that around 30°F. If it works there, fine. Do not expect to have the same results at -5°F. lol

Even the german military goes with Alunjilak- now a Marmot company. Look for the model Tynn Winter or Tynn 5 Seasons. You will find the differences.

Just buy that wally bag and use it one time out in the cold. This will cure you real quick. Wasted 30 bucks will not hurt that much...

 

[Fire/hunting guy]

Like a couple others said, I love the military surplus sleeping system I have, I would highly recommend it. http://www.amazon.com/ORIGINAL-US-MILITARY-ISSUE-WOODLAND/dp/B008LIE0QS
It has every condition covered, and all stuffs into a black carry bag. Perfect for bug out.

 

[Hick Industries]

I was browsing walmart today when I saw this really cheap mummy sleeping bag rated for -5F. The link for it is down below but I was curious if this is worth getting for camping? Not sure if it's down or not, which is important to me, but it looks like it. Does anyone here have it and if so, what do you think of it? For those looking at it now, what are your thoughts? Do you guys think that this would keep you warm in cold temps?

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Everest-Mummy-5F-15C-Degree-Sleeping-Bag/2581360

Do I think it would keep you warm in cold temps? No, no, and no.

I think that is a 3 season (spring to fall) bag that would keep you warm to about 25-30F. My idea of cold temps start at 10F and go down to below zero.

The military MSS is good down to zero or minus 20F, depending on what insulation you put under it and how you sleep.
I own a Wiggys bag and the Military Bivy. This combination is even warmer than the MSS (Tenney) bag, but it cost more.

But Honestly, if you plan to camp below minus 20F very much, you would be better off buying a premium 850 fill elder goose down bag. These cost $6-800, but you will not get cold.

 

[RKW]

I was browsing walmart today when I saw this really cheap mummy sleeping bag rated for -5F. The link for it is down below but I was curious if this is worth getting for camping? Not sure if it's down or not, which is important to me, but it looks like it. Does anyone here have it and if so, what do you think of it? For those looking at it now, what are your thoughts? Do you guys think that this would keep you warm in cold temps?

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Everest-Mummy-5F-15C-Degree-Sleeping-Bag/2581360

A couple of years ago I bought two of those bags. I put one in my wife's Honda Pilot and the other in my truck for emergencies. I opened both up to check for flaws, but to be honest I've never slept in one. Both had small slot shaped gaps in the footbox where the zipper ends. These were big enough to slip a nickle through sideways, otherwise they were actually decent construction. Those slots are easy enough to fix with either fabric glue or a one inch stitching job. I wouldn't trust the ratings though. At the same time I bought those I bought a couple of extra wide, rectangular summer bags with a 35 degree rating. I keep the summer bag and the mummies together. If you put the mummy in the summer bag you'd probably be down close to the mummy's claimed rating. BTW, for $27.97, it's not goose down.

 

[Steelhead]

Cheap and winter do not go together.

 

[strvger]

i see this bag as part of a sleep system. perhaps as the inner bag sliding into this: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Coleman-N...f09&bucket_id=irsbucket003&findingMethod=p13n

this 'system' won't be light or compact, but should keep you warmer than either bag by itself. and it won't break the budget.
i put my own 'system' together that uses a fleece mummy inner bag, thermolite mummy mid bag, then a hollowfill II tapered outer bag. each one is sized so it fits into the next larger bag allowing both to achieve full loft. that gives me the option of taking exactly what i need for the conditions at the campsite. i can be comfortable at 70F or well below zero.
and no matter what you buy, a good sleeping pad is a must, imho.