Tag Info

I think you've covered all the factors except shape. The shape is either rectangular or tapered at the feet (aka mummy). Tapering means less weight and less space to heat with your body, but also a bit less freedom of movement. Rectangular sleeping bags can often be connected together, which is good if you're a couple and want to share body heat (amongst ...

I had a pair of Yaktracks for a couple of winters, and they turned out not to be what I really wanted. They do work very well on packed snow and you can walk inside most places without having to take them off. However, they work poorly on hard ice, which make them less than ideal for walking around town in the winter. The hard metal coil spring doesn't ...

The key factors are going to vary from person to person. You'll ultimately have to decide for yourself what's more important. As far as warmth goes, that's going to depend on where you are going, and how well your body handles the cold. Just like you noticed, sleeping bags fall into one of those classic triangle patterns with the other factors you listed: ...

Warmth -- This is after all why you are buying the bag. Not all bags rated for the same temperature will provide the same warmth. Fit -- A bag that fits you closely, but not tightly, will provide better insulation and is more comfortable in my view. For this reason I prefer mummy bags. Rectangle bags will provide more movement room, but will generally ...

I think your criteria are all good, in that you should choose one that is suitable for the environments you will be adventuring in, but price is almost irrelevant, and unless you are hiking really long distances weight wouldn't worry me. For me, critical features would include: battery life signal range and coverage water resistance temperature ...

I've been using Petzl Spiky Plus for four seasons. I like that they are mostly soft rubber and can easily be put in a small backpack pocket. They only have six microspikes per foot but they grip really well. Sadly two of the spikes came off when a friend borrowed them, I never did find out why but they still work quite well.