Sleeping Bags

[pinarello]

hmmm..... and why exactly would i want to do that?

and since i bought a bag which is rated to have a comfort range below 0 C you would hope that it will be still too warm in those freezing stores.

[Drifting]

hi drifting

yeap, i can certainly do that, but for a 'live and in colour report' you need to be a little patient; the trip to the overland is scheduled for march and since i live in adelaide there is no way of putting the bag on trial beforehand.

cheers petra

That'd be great Petra- thanks!

[Earthling]

I couldnt restrain myself and have just bought a Western Mountaineering Ultralite Sleeping Bag new from Ebay. Cant wait for winter to try her out

http://www.hermitshut.com/wemoul20dedo.html
Has some cheap ones with free international shipping.

[pinarello]

hi drifting (and whoever else is interested)

two months back i promised an update on my new 'marmot pinnacle' sleeping bag, once i used it.
spent 5 nights last week on the overland and had an absolute blast. i was just blessed by splendid weather, not a single drop of rain fell on me, and the temperatures were just extremely pleasant.

in regards to the bag i am very happy with it, but to be honest the conditions weren't really any challenge for the bag. it was above 0C during the nights and i was usually rather hot in the bag. it didn't get wet either, but then the nights seemed to be quite dry anyway. nevertheless i have a rather crappy tent, which i don't think is well ventilated and the sleeping bag wasn't damp or wet in the mornings when i got up. the bag didn't loose any feathers so far and everything just seems to be well made.

i would certainly buy it again, but i am also not the most experienced person, so i guess my opinion has to taken we appropriate care.

petra

[Drifting]

thanks for that!

[Nuts]

The Helium and Pinnacle are both Very nice bags and great value. The Pinnacle is rated quite a bit lower than the Helium. We have both models (mens and womens) if you would like to take a look? drop a message when your next coming down this way

[Taurë-rana]

An update on my WM Versalite - it's very light, and lovely and warm, it took me a while to warm up in it after getting chilled, but I have to go to bed with a hot water bottle at home for half the year so that's just me. I had a fair bit of condensation on it most mornings, and some mornings it was wet enough for me to be concerned about what would happen if it was that wet several days running with no opportunity to dry out. It has DWR coating but it isn't waterproof.
I'm thinking of getting one of these: which I can also use to sleep under the stars (if it ever gets warm enough here).
I think that given the fact that I have a single person tent, and therefore a lot of condensation, I would have been better to get a sleeping bag with a waterproof cover.

The Versalite also has a small hole in the cover already - the casualty of a sudden breeze when spread on a rock, does anyone have any suggestions for the best way to mend it?

[randal]

Hello Taure-rana,
Yacht chandleries will have 1oz. adhesive strip rolls, generally in various colours (+ clear) and widths used for patching spinnakers. The feel and weight would be about the closest to WM shell fabric that I am aware of. Product is also good as tent/thermarest repairs.
Cheers,
Randal.

[Jellybean]

The Versalite also has a small hole in the cover already - the casualty of a sudden breeze when spread on a rock, does anyone have any suggestions for the best way to mend it?

Hi Taurë-rana,

I used a clear, self adhesive patch from my bike puncture repair kit to successfully repair a small hole in my Helium (a few dollars from the local bike store if you don't already have a bike puncture repair kit at home). A tent repair kit might help with larger holes. (My MSR tent repair kit has some larger, clear, circular self adhesive patches - amongst other things - which should be usable for a bit larger tears). Clear patches are good as they are harder to see once the repair is made (compared to a patch that is not the same colour as your bag).

Cheers,

JB

P.S. Re the sleeping bag cover, make sure the material is really breathable, otherwise you may end up with condensation inside the sleeping bag cover!

[Earthling]

For my girlfriend we were looking at the WM Versalite as well, however after getting my WM Ultralite and seeing how light and how not waterresistant the shell is, we opted to go the WM Apache with 2 ounces of free overfill from Hermits Hut. Works out to be 50grams heavier than the Versalite but should be about the same temp wise. The Apache has a much more water resistant shell which at times (ie condensation) is always a safer thing to have. Especially her not having a lot of outdoors experience...sometimes safer to be a bit more reserved in ones choices.

She has little fat on her frame, so she is a cold sleeper and tends to get cold quickly in the outdoors if not rugged up. However, if rugged up all gooooood. Extra soups and teas and themals in someones bag this winter....
So far so good with the bag. Hit extremes of 5 to 7c in the backyard tenting out and so far shes been warm with the zip slightly open. Cant wait to get her into some sub zero temps

Taure one option you have is to put your bag up on Ebay for a buy it now price and get another bag from HH or the like. Sometimes its better to bite the bullet rather than make do. Many people still dont buy from overseas and prefer to buy in Oz so a gooood price is definetly doable.

[Taurë-rana]

Thanks for the advice JB and Randal. Earthling, hindsight is a wonderful thing, I think I would have bought the Apache knowing what I know now. The sleeping bag cover from Montbell is light, breathable - basically a Gore-tex type material, and waterproof, so if I can get hold of one I think I'll give it a try. Is the Hermit's Hut in Aus or the US?

[Earthling]

Is the Hermit's Hut in Aus or the US?

US:
http://www.hermitshut.com/blowout.html
They did have free international shipping for WM gear, however it looks like that promotion is finished for the time being...

Looks like the UL Sleeping bag cover is a good option. Light, plus its going to increase your warmth.
Ive bought a couple of Montbell products and there always light and very good quality.

I think that given the fact that I have a single person tent, and therefore a lot of condensation, I would have been better to get a sleeping bag with a waterproof cover.

What sort of tent do you have? Just that condensation is not a given just because its a single. My Tarptent Contrail gets little or no condensation and my old double skin Vango was a tight squeeze for two but hardly ever had condensation issues.

[Taurë-rana]

I have a Vango Helium 100, very happy with it's performance in howling wind and rain, now its main pole has been shortened. I wouldn't recommend it for anyone much bigger than me though, and I think a stand alone style would be useful. The only night on my last 6 night walk that I didn't end up with condensation was a warmish, very, very windy night. Other nights the condensation was falling on my face when the wind blew. It's not such an issue on the tent, it's just that it forms on the sleeping bag top surface as well.

[Ent]

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[Taurë-rana]

Hi T
A good cased of trade-offs you encounter with shaving grams.
Cheers Brett

Yes, it's hard to know which way to go at times. I actually could carry at least another kg comfortably although it's always better with less, but now I think I'd rather carry a bit more and be warm and comfortable. It's all a learning process though, and that is the problem with having to buy gear to get the experience so you know what gear you should be buying

[north-north-west]

It's all a learning process though, and that is the problem with having to buy gear to get the experience so you know what gear you should be buying

And by the time you know what to get you already have enough bits and pieces to equip an entire scout troupe, and are flat broke into the bargain.

[enduro]

I'll eventually make it through the whole thread and learn a lot about what you all have.

I have two bags :
A cheap but light summer bag for warm WA autumn/spring.
A Marmot Hydrogen 850 weight down bag (rated to -1 for comfort) with all the goodies for cold weather. Has hoodie, internal baffle. Water resistance outer. Toastie warm in the conditions I have been in - 1200m in the Stirlings. Got to just above 0C and I was toasty in my bivy.

I'm off to the Overland Track for Nov and wondering if the Marmot Hydrogen will be enough. Maybe I ought to get one of those down inners that I have read about on this forum, or maybe I should just take my ultralight bivy and use that as a heat retention shield in the tent?

6 nights very cold does not sound attractive - but how will I know I have the right bag?

[etrangere]

I'll eventually make it through the whole thread and learn a lot about what you all have.

I have two bags :
A cheap but light summer bag for warm WA autumn/spring.
A Marmot Hydrogen 850 weight down bag (rated to -1 for comfort) with all the goodies for cold weather. Has hoodie, internal baffle. Water resistance outer. Toastie warm in the conditions I have been in - 1200m in the Stirlings. Got to just above 0C and I was toasty in my bivy.

I'm off to the Overland Track for Nov and wondering if the Marmot Hydrogen will be enough. Maybe I ought to get one of those down inners that I have read about on this forum, or maybe I should just take my ultralight bivy and use that as a heat retention shield in the tent?

6 nights very cold does not sound attractive - but how will I know I have the right bag?

I'd recommend one of the thermolite reactor liners by StS. Great reviews on the REI.com website if you want to check.

[sthughes]

Last weekend I spent a -0.2 degree night in my -1 rated Marmot Arroyo. Despite using a silk liner and thin thermals I was only border line on being warm enough. I woke up three times and on the third time chucked my polarfleece trousers and jacket on top of the bag and then slept soundly. That was in a coolish, partly mesh, 2 man tent by myself, I highly doubt I would have been cold in my Microlight. A very small tent with a solid inner makes a huge difference to warmth.

I find these very lightweight bags make me cold entirely differently to warmer bags. By that I mean I never felt like my core temperature was cold at all, just the top side of my body (mainly shoulder area) where the bag I guess had less ability to loft.

[north-north-west]

I'm a wuss when it comes to sleeping bags - the warmer, the better, I reckon. My Mont Nemo is rated to something utterly ridiculous (like about -20 odd). Most of the time I use it up here it ends (and sometimes starts) the night unzipped. I might get a bit hot and sweaty, but I don't ever feel cold.

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[ninjapuppet]

Its 749grams, $200 from wild earth, and packs very small about 18cm x25cm
i spent a -3 degree night in my vango venom 225, which was advertised as being one of the smallest bags rated to MINUS TEN (-10).
i couldnt sleep that night from 3am onwards. i was absolutely shivering that night even with heavyweight thermals and a silk liner. I had to get up and do sit ups and pushups and pullups and boil up some water (at 6am in the morning).
2nd night became even colder but i had my down puffer jacket, 2 more layers of thermals on and chucked in 3 litres of boiled water, and managed to sleep briefly waking up only once throughout that night at 4am. that was because when i rolled over onto my side, the steam from the boiled water condensed and I think it formed a thin layer of ice on my back! All the down is located on top which is great for back sleepers but rolled onto my side, and I was in for a rude shock!

This is absolutely false advertising. I realised that the number 225, meant that it was supposed to have 225 grams of down (and probally low loft down too)
Note that other brands like WM often have double the weight of down fill, at 850 power, and not even rated to -10 degrees.

boy, did i regret not doing my research!
I later found out that its rated +10 to +4 degrees as a comfort range, and +4 to -10 is the extreme range.
i certainly dont want to find out what its like at -10. At that temperature with only the bag and no clothes, i seriously doubt anyone can sleep right through.

However to its credit, i think its one of the smallest bags around that i have seen, and it'd be great to use when backpacking around in youth hostels and summer camping.

[enduro]

It's all a learning process though, and that is the problem with having to buy gear to get the experience so you know what gear you should be buying

And by the time you know what to get you already have enough bits and pieces to equip an entire scout troupe, and are flat broke into the bargain.

I tend to agree. Having read many reviews before I purchase a product I do not that nealy all reviewers fail to tell us what temps they were and accessories they used in when writing: "and I was toasty warm all night"

[sthughes]

Yep I think comparing either properly European Standard rated bags or simply comparing loft and fill volume is the only way to compare bags. If neither of those bits of info is available then it's probably not a good bag anyway.
I hope my post didn't come across the wrong way. I am happy with my Marmot Arroyo, if I had been properly cold i would have used my down jacket as a blanket, not a pillow! Now having spent a night at about it's comfort rating limit I have a baseline to shop by in future. I now know that when wearing thermals I am pretty close to the theoretical person used in the European standard, which is helpful to know.

[corvus]

Looking for European standards could start here
http://www.tundrasleepingbags.com/Prodl ... =5&origin=
I have a Pure and Dry -5 weighs around 900g with an unbelievable loft ,what attracted me to this manufacturer was that it gets really cold in a Polish Winter and that the Down is "ethical" in its sourcing from older birds .
They are not cheap but in my opinion very well made and more than adequate for our colder months ( you will still need thermals and or extra clothing when camping on snow like most bags under a proper -20 rating ) and the water repellent shell is a bonus .
Just my two bobs worth on this my number six (and last ) bag
corvus

[Ent]

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[Ent]

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[corvus]

[quote="Brett"]

Interesting comment Sthughes given that you normally sleep half out of the bag so I would have expected the -1 to be good for a few more degrees below for you.

Cheers Brett
. After much mucking around I have settled on sleeping in full woollen thermals and dumping the silk liner as they keep me warm with calls of nature, stop chaffing and mean I often wind up using the bag as Donna which suits me for a less restrict sleep. The thermals act also as the emergency change of underwear so now do double service. quote='Brett"

They also are designed to frighten not only the locals but your "so called mates" the sight of a six foot umpteen plus, knobbly 100kg plus individual cavorting in scarlet thermals is a sight to behold or eye diversion for the sensitive
corvus

[north-north-west]

Scarlet thermals?
I want a set. NOW!!!!!!!!

As long as they're merino, of course. I don't do polyprop.

[Ent]

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[north-north-west]

Thanks. Will have a look around to see if anyone up here stocks them.