June 27, 2008

Merlin Sleeping Bag (courtesy, MEC)

Do you have a question of your own?

There are two parts to the answer of this question. The first part: No, that really won’t work so well. Vapor barrier liners work by reducing evaporative cooling, the cooling that comes from moisture on your skin as it, well, evaporates. So you need that layer very close to your skin, not outside of the bag. The proper sequence would be: You’re inside the vapor barrier liner, the silk liner goes outside of the vapor barrier liner, and then the bag goes over all of that.

The second part: Do you really think you need that much stuff? It does get cold on Kilimanjaro, but nighttime temps aren’t going to dip much below -10 C (15 F). Most any good three-season sleeping bag, maybe with a silk liner, should be adequate for that. Marmot’s Helium (US$359) would be perfect. It weighs just under two pounds, has 850-fill down, and is a good-fitting bag. The silk liner would take that down to -15 C.

Up your way, MEC sells a house-brand bag called the Merlin (C$260), a -10 C bag that has down fill and a stripped-down design for light weight (33 ounces, so a touch less than the Helium). Nice bag!

Hope you have a good trip; everyone who goes loves it. Just take lots of hand sanitizer.

The 2008 Summer Outside Buyer’s Guide is now online. From riding to trail-running to camping, get reviews of nearly 400 gear must-haves.

RECENT QUESTIONS I'm looking for the lightest breatheable bivy sack out there, any suggestions? What is the best way to carry water on a hike? Are there any high-def cameras that can zoom into a six-foot square—from 60,000 feet? What’s the best pair of winter running shoes? What shoes provide light-and-fast performance and support? Search the Gear Guy

GEAR GUY FEATURES Check out the bio of Douglas Gantenbein, aka the Gear Guy. Readers' Mailbag: The Gear Guy digs into some of your more bizarre, obscure (and let’s face it, downright weird) posts from years gone by to see if he can make sense of it all, or if it’s just time to run up the white flag. Previous column: Beat the Cost of Gear. The Gear Guy reports from the 2005 Outdoor Retailer summer trade fair, with his rundown of ten products to watch in 2006, plus the inside scoop on what shook down at the bi-annual gearapalooza.

MORE GEAR The Outside Gear Blog 2005 Buyer's Guide State of the Art: 2005 Bikes