Down sleeping bag with Goretex?

**Mr. Ron** · #1 11 Mar 2005

Hello.
On my last roadtrip through California, i encountered a lot of rain...i mean, LOTS of rain. My Frank Thomas Goretex pants and BMW jacket with Goretex liner preformed much better then expected, and the Bibler tent finally proved its worth (and thats half-price on E-bay). The only part of my kit that was a problem getting wet was my synthetic fill sleeping bag. Even after a heavy rainfall, the inside of my tent would be dry to the touch, but by morning i would have condensation on my sleeping bag. I used whatever i could to wipe off the "sweat", but the bag would always get packed a little wet. This was never a problem for two weeks, always ended up with a dry bag in the end, but i wonder, what do you guys with down bags do in this situation. Who has time to dry your sleeping bag before you hit the highway? Is Goretex the answer to the down sleeping bag equation?

**Rene Cormier** · #2 11 Mar 2005

I have a Marmot -15C, 800fill goose down bag with the GoreTex shell. Amy had the same bag with the regular nylon cover. I don´t think we ever had a bad nights sleep because of wet sleeping bags. However, if it is dumping all day we will usually resort to grabbing a hostel for a night, which also allows us to dry all the wet stuff.
On camping mornings, one of the first items of the day is get the bags in the sun and get the moisture off. If your tent is really wet from condensation, it may be worth to fix that rather than the bag.
If I needed to buy another sleeping bag again, I would get the same fill, but without the GoreTex cover. For my travelling, it is excessive.
Rene
www.renedian.com

**NHamilton** · #3 11 Mar 2005

Not necessarily recommended, but the tough ex-Royal Marine who was the first to walk unsupported to the North Pole a few years ago told me that his strategy on the ice, which he developed on exercises in Norway as a RM, was to insert a man-sized polythene bag into his sleeping bag and sleep in it naked. Then in the morning (having first got dressed, I assume) he would take the bag outside with all his night's condensation in the bottom. It would instantly freeze-dry and he would simply shake out the ice crystals and pack it away for the next evening. I don't know that I'd fancy it but he swore by it as a foolproof way of avoiding lugging along an increasingly heavier sleeping bag. Probably only works in -30 degC though ...
Neil.

**Mr. Ron** · #4 25 Apr 2005

Thanx for the replies guys! The tent is not the problem. Even after two days of rain, the walls are dry to the touch, but i'm still left with a little bit of condensation on the bag in the morning, so i guess my question now is has anyone had a problem using down sleeping bags durring their travells? I'm now ready to purchase a new bag and i'm still a little indecisive on which one it will be. I think i'll start a new thread.

**BMBaxter** · #5 26 Apr 2005

I use a down bag made with Epic Fabric(Manufactured by Nextec).The material is highly water- resistant,windproof,breathable,and it dries very quickly(unlike Goretex fabric which tends to become saturated).It is also much easier to wash.The only downside is that it adds cost to a bag(although still cheaper than Goretex).

**Namron** · #6 26 Apr 2005

I have always had this kind of a problem when the venting of the tent is not good enough to remove the moisture from inside the tent. You would think with the price of the tent it would have been taken care of though. This is the reason I always use a tent with a fly and mesh in the top of the tent.

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Namron '04 F650GSA, '03 Yamaha Venture, Calgary, Alberta Canada.
Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.