Singlecell,

Unless you plan on doing "fun" winter camping (if there is such a thing), I would skip on the investment. For prep planning purposes, maybe you can look at Army sleeping system instead. It's a 3 piece set (inner, outer and hood) that would cover everything from spring/fall - using only one bag - to the winter when you combine the bags. Add a fleece liner for cleanliness and extra comfort/warmth and a bivvy bag (keeps the thing dry anywhere and adds about 5C worth of heat) and you could do that for probably $150 at an Army surplus. I've slept in Army bag with the 4 layers mentioned and hood in -30 weather comfortably. Comfortable once inside but getting in/out wasn't fun....

i agree whit helicopilot nothing compare the modular sleep system MSS army sleeping bag can be used 4 season even on warm summer

I'll vouch for the system too. what they didn't mention was they have(or at least had) a tie in cotton liner that you could air out daily as it captured much of the bodies moisture instead. This kept the bag dryer overall and made washing easier as you only had to wash the liner most often.

Knuckle, that liner is still issued, but most guys splurge a bit and buy a fleece one. Serves the same purpose but in hotter times, you can sleep in the fleece liner on top of your fluffy sleep system. Liners are very important as part of any sleep system, they keep you bag clean and dry!

I now only have the inner bag and the hood left these days. I lost one 1/2 and the liner heading for a bike run back in the 80's along with a tent. I was packing a new squeeze me on the bitch pad and she didn't have the common sense to notice crap was falling off as she was just too busy discovering why girls like riding motorcycles that vibrate. 😎 Seems someone following got to make like a bandit with my army issues. 👿

Since then I've made a few liners from roll up blankets that Walmart sells for $10.00. I sewed on some ties and they work okay as a replacement. The bag I've had since the 70's and it is still in decent condition along with my army issue duffle bag too. The military can indeed make crap to last!

I thought I didn't bother posting this, guess I did. Thanks very much for the responses.

Yeah. I gave my head a shake. I could use the extra money in the account, these little expenditures add up. I need to buy new bike wheels and tires for the spring. Like I said I also was very pumped to purchase a 22 LR. and a Dominion Arms Grizzly 12.5 this spring/summer when the grizzly becomes available on Canada Ammo. I also have much more to prep in regards to food.

Thanks very much for the reason everyone, I'll keep that military sleep system in mind. I personally don't enjoy going to army surpluses. They're occupied by scum selling stuff for WAY more than the typical price. Gross. Kabar fighting knife goes for 180!!! I got it for 90 online, and now Al Flahertys is carrying them for their proper price, roughly 70-75 bucks. Thank god for Al Flahertys located in downtown Toronto.

But yeah Army Surpluses are greeeeee-heee-eeessssy!

I carry a -40 (C, not F 😉 ) bag with me in my vehicle, in winter. I consider it a good investment, have yet to use it. Having spent a fair amount of time in sleeping bags over the years, I have learned that I prefer low maintenance, so it's synthetic down all the way for me. Crushes into a single stuff sack, convenient, warm, easy, pricey. Mine has to be about 15 years old, at least, and it still seems to be in good shape when I inspect it in autumn.

My biggest concern is an extended Winter Power Outage and here in Canada a few days in winter without power and heat could become deadly in a hurry.

Like Danux, I had my eye on a high quality sleeping bag thats rated for below -40 C. The price scared me and I kept my eyes open not wanting to part with the cash, then as luck would have it, it went on sale $100 cheaper and I jumped on it.

That was a few years ago now, I have yet to really put it to the test but I know I'll be comfortable if I ever have to. The peace of mind is worth the investment.

Excellent Idea. I think all snow belt states should have this available to motorists.

"."

The Canadian Down Bag System is real Toasty. The Cotton Flannel liner is the first thing to warm up before the Down does so it takes the frozen edge off when you climb in. My experience has been about 20 minutes @-35*C and the insulation has kicked in. By morning you're cozy warm, but someone has parked a dump truck on your Bladder!

The other Mil sleep set I have is the USGI it uses Polyester fills to insulate which is arguably not as warm as the Down.
The Polyester will dry much easier than if your down bag gets wet and we are talking about Bug Out and such here, shits already gone bad wet bag is a likely factor.
These are designed with brass snaps so all three layers will connect and work in unison. so the inner outer and Gore-Tex shells Zippers will all line up and allow easy access for Ingress and Egress. (These are not Swedish Twins) 🙄
The huge benefit with both these systems are they are made in North America and been field tested by Thousands of people in almost any set of conditions you can expect in this Environment.

Cheers

Oh Knuckle, I have Spare liners and an Outer Bag too if you want to re build your CF Sleep set.

Totally agree with army issue.

We have two of them and they are great for summer and winter and can keep you warm and dry

we also have a hammock tucked into our sleeping bags

“…I want to keep my credit card empty for when the Dominion arms grizzly comes on sale. I also have done a PISS POOR job of saving, though, to give myself credit…”

The key to staying warm is loft (to trap air) and layering. If you have to prep on a budget, why not look into buying a couple of lower priced sleeping bags at Walmart and slip one inside the other? On the upside, if you run into a little feminista prepper, you could always zip the bags together (the heat will take care of itself). Having two slightly lower rated bags also means you can go to one bag when the temperatures start to rise. What you don’t want is for the STHF the day BEFORE you have the money for your big purchase. Look into lean manufacturing and just-in-time shipping, and you’ll see just how little stock your average retailer carries; they’ll be wiped out in about an hour in an emergency. The same goes for food stores. Warehousing space doesn’t pay (it’s overhead for a retailer); retail space (the sales-floor) is what pays. Stores today get their stock in smaller, more frequent loads to keep inventory low, so they’re going to run out fast.

With respect to the Dominion Arms Grizzly, yes it would be good in a close-quarters, self-defence situation, but what good is it beyond that? If I had to prep on a budget, I’d try to stretch my dollar by buying guns that can do double-duty. A Remington 870 Tactical with a folding stock and 18.5” barrel has enough barrel length to make it an effective hunting firearm with slugs, as well the compactness of a self-defence gun. It can also be fitted with chokes to tighten the shot pattern when firing birdshot. From what I’ve heard, the Grizzly is cylinder choke only. Couple that with the 12.5 inch barrel and you’ll have a rather wide shot pattern that’s useless for anything far away. When it comes down to only hunting, stretch your dollar by buying over-and-under combo guns. Both Baikal and Savage make .22LR or .22WMR over .410 GA combo guns, which are good for taking small game (the Baikal IZH-94 MP Scout, and the Savage Model 42). The Savage Model 42 also comes in a take-down version (breaks in half) so it can be hidden in a backpack. For larger game and birds, Baikal makes a .223, .308 or 30-06 over 12 GA rifle (the IZH-94 Taiga). If you know anybody that’s a gun club member, ask them to check their club's bulletin boards for used firearms. I have a friend who’s bought many used guns and he has no problems hitting his targets.

Stay away from newer 870's. My first firearm purchase was an 870 because it is what my father has, and I was sorely disappointed. They are now made cheaply compared to the good old models. You might get lucky and get one that works fine, or you might get one like I did that jams constantly. After sending back to Remington to be 'fixed' (It is not) and also brought to a local gunsmith, it seems that the poor ones are not really fixable. Old 870's are good quality, since my father's is going on 40 years now. To replace my 870 I got a Winchester SXP that I love. The best part about it is it came with 2 barrels: a 12 inch and a 28 as well as a set of 5 chokes, so it can be used for anything.

If you're still looking for firearms (Since I know the OP is quite old), try https://www.thebigegunshop.com/ ] . They have used gun sales as well as an auction. If you watch closely you can sometimes find a real steal on some good used firearms, especially shotguns.