The Sleeping Bag and Pad

For sleeping, you need a good ground pad and a good sleeping bag. I haul a large ThermaRest pad, big enough and thick enough to get my entire body off the ground.

They claim to be self-inflating but thats not totally true. You usually end up blowing air into them to fully inflate them. I've heard it said that this is a bad idea because it introduces moisture into the pad in winter which subsequently freezes. If you're worried about that, try a closed cell product. I've never had a problem.

The bag is a Wiggy's Negative 60 Antarctica and is the warmest I have ever owned or slept in. Lots of folks are hooked on down sleeping bags because they are so light and they compress to such a small size, and thats true. I know because I own one. One of the pitfalls of down is that compression can eventually take its toll on the insulation, and more importantly, down bags are subject to moisture issues on extended trips. Your body will put moisture into a bag, and sooner or later, the down feathers will lose their insulative quality, possibly wadding up and freezing.
Wiggy's bags are lamilite insulated, and will conduct water out of the bag. On a long journey, it is inevitable that moisture finds its way into a bag ( NEVER exhale into a bag when sleeping), and I plan on drying my socks in my  Wiggy's bag with no ill affects what-so-ever.The lamilite is cut from one single sheet, so there are no baffles to create clumping of insulation and cold spots.The bags are designed to drape over your body for superior insulation, employ stout YKK #10 zippers and come with a complete guarantee.
One of the first camp chores I do in the morning is pull my bag out of the tent, turn it inside out and let it air . Pack it away when you are in the final stages of breaking camp and your bag will be fresher and drier.
 Wiggy's bags are happy visiting the washing machine and don't mind being compressed. I have slept quite comfortably at -30 F in this setup. I own 4 sleeping bags with different ratings made from different insulating materials;down, polarguard, quallofill, and lamilite.When it comes down to hard-core winter camping, I choose Wiggy's. No quality bag is cheap--you get what you pay for--and this bag is aces in the cold.