Feathered Friends...

[Odyssey]

I vote for the wool sock method of nighttime comfort. And a tuque. The socks are only for sleeping in, just like the rest of the sleeping attire.
You're a lucky lady Iskweo, having a collection of Mom's hand-knit socks. I have one remaining pair knit by my late mother. They aren't wool however, they're some kinda manmade polywollywhatever fabric. Very comfortable. But I only wear them for sleeping comfort; I'll never get another pair now, so these have got to last a lifetime.
I like the looks of those down bags, and the prices. I had to check ours because I removed the irritating tags long ago, so I've forgotten what they are. Two Hollofil bags and two down bags. I think we're set. I just wish ours crushed smaller. There must be a difference in fill quality? Or maybe it's a 3-season versus summer weight thing. I don't know.

 

[ppine]

FF makes some great sleeping bags. I was looking at them recently. For people that live and work outside most of the time, it makes sense to just buy a couple of different temp ranges and don't look back. But do the rest of us really want to spend $900 for a sleeping bag? I have never bought a really warm bag rated for zero or below. I have camped in the snow on ski trips with a 20 degree down bag, good insulation from the ground, good clothes and a blanket. I have camped in below zero weather in a wall tent with the same bag and blankets.

Now I don't take the cold so well. I bring multiple sleeping bags and blankets for truck camping. I am about to buy a rectangular synthetic bag so the down mummy can fit inside of it. The shoulder seasons have more appeal than ever before. I camp in the desert in winter. Having the right sleeping equipment is really important, but I will probably never spring for a really expensive down bag.