Bought a $40 sleeping bag on clearance and it kept me warm in 28 degree weather

I grabbed a no-name bag from a discount bin at a local outdoor store in Boise last fall, figuring it would be fine for summer car camping. Then a cold front came through during a trip in early October, and the temp dropped way below the bag's 40 degree rating. I woke up at 3 AM feeling cozy, which really surprised me since I expected to be shivering all night. The secret seemed to be a thick wool blanket I laid under it and a cheap foam pad underneath that. But it made me wonder how much of the price tag on expensive bags is just marketing hype. Anyone else had a cheap piece of gear work way better than it should have?

2 comments

2 Comments

lane.joel9d ago

Haha @lilyb27, I once slept warm in a $20 bag using an old yoga mat and my kid's fleece blanket!

lilyb2710d ago

Oh man, I used to think you absolutely had to drop a couple hundred bucks to get a decent sleeping bag. I was that person who would scoff at the cheap stuff on the rack. But then I grabbed a random fleece liner from Target for like 20 bucks and paired it with my old army surplus wool blanket, and it changed my whole mind. I've spent nights in 30 degree temps in a crappy 50 degree bag and stayed toasty just because I had a good base layer and a pad underneath. It really does make you wonder how much of the high end tech is just fancy marketing. Now I look at the price tag and think "nah, I can make this work with some layers.