Looking for Answers about Sleeping Bags?

I haven't dealt with bed bugs yet but I'll talk about what could happen at high and low temperatures with the sleeping bag. I'm assuming that washing the bag normally won't work since they should be able to hold on and stick around.

If you are trying to go the high road and heat the bedbugs up to 50°C the best way would definately be by hot water. The problem with other ways of heating is since the metallic components will heat more than the rest something like the zipper could burn a hole into the synthetic lining of the sleeping bag as well as burn down it would also contact. When using hot water as well you would have to make sure that the bag is properly dried to avoid the down getting damaged or becoming mouldy.

In general terms it would be better to freeze the bag to -20 it would be safer for the bag since theres no risk with damaging the materials.

If you have any more questions please feel free to call the Service Center at 1.800.663.2667. You can ask for me my name is Andrew and my extension is 427.

Most of the MEC mummy bags are cross compatible - buy a left and right hand zip. Zipper length is the same on all sizes. Some of the ultralight bags may have so much taper at the top of the zipper they are hard to close- I have not personally tried these.

Note that MEC bag use an "International" zipper with the slider on the left side, US manufactuers have the sliders on the right and are not cross compatible with MEC or European bags.

Moisture would be coming from both the damp environment in Vncouver, and the person using the bag night after night, through evaporative persperation loss.
Synthetic bags are best for very humid, damp, conditions...though lighter in weight, down loses it's loft when wet...synthetic bags still retain some insulation and loft when wet.

Check out the NorthFace twin peaks..
2 zippers, 2 person bag $159us at thenorthface.com .There are also other manufacturers, or as u said, connect 2 bags. good luck.

You've essentially answered the question yourself. We offer a small size in all of our bags to accommodate women but to also meet the needs of other members requiring a smaller bag.

You should not store a sleeping bag in a compression sack. Compressing the bag for long periods of time will cause the bag to lose its loft.

Most MEC sleeping bags come with a large breathable storage sack. I you do not have one, the product number is 5015-389.

I don't use one. Put some other gear in your backpack and stuff the sleeping gab into any free space you can find. It takes less room.

Kimberley Don

I would recommend the MEC Gosling Sleeping Bag +5C Product Number: 4010-703.

This is a down bag that is very light and compressible. I would also recommend investing in a liner (available in cotton and silk) to help keep the bag clean.

MEC does not offer a rectangular bag in the -40 range (nor do we offer a 25 lb. bag!)

We would be looking at the the MEC Thor -30 or a Special Order for a Western Mountaineering Bison -40. I am not sure id Woods puts their bags through 3rd party testing so I cannot compare warmth; however, I know the Thor has been used in the Arctic and on Mount Everest. But both bags will be much narrower fitting (and 1/5 the packed weight)

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MEC sources the down used in sleeping bags from suppliers that operate in an ethically responsible manner, in line with our own MEC values. This includes best practices in animal husbandry, within the context of these ducks and geese being raised for human consumption and the down and feathers being a by-product of the food industry. MEC has requested that the supply of our down will not come from farms that use the practice live plucking, the removal of down during the birds molting period. Since the supply of down is a by-product of the food industry, the handling of birds is managed to a high standard to ensure that quality and safety for human consumption is maintained. To meet this high food processing standard, the humane handling of the birds is critical. Overstressing or mismanaging the birds before and including the slaughtering process will dramatically affect the quality of the meat.

If you would like to know more about MEC's Ethical Sourcing Policy, please go to:
http://www.mec.ca/Main/content_text...