I finally gave up on my old sleeping bag after a freezing night in Yosemite

I was camping near Tuolumne Meadows last October and my 15-year-old down bag just stopped holding heat around 3 AM when it hit 28 degrees. I spent the rest of the night wearing every piece of clothing I had in my pack. That trip convinced me to buy a new 15-degree synthetic bag, and I haven't been cold since. What's a piece of gear you held onto for way too long?

3 comments

3 Comments

leelewis1mo ago

Honestly, I still trust my old down bag more than any new synthetic fill.

rivershah1mo agoTop Commenter

But have you gotten soaked with a synthetic bag lately? The new ones dry crazy fast and still keep you warm when damp, which is a game changer for real. Down just can't do that.

aaron_flores841mo ago

Have you ever had a down bag get soaked through on a multi-day trip? Once that happens and you're shivering through a cold night, it's hard to trust it again. I switched to a decent synthetic for rainy season trips and never looked back.