Cumulus bag

[WaltzingMatilda]

Hi all,
I'm planning to start doing some overnight bushwalks with a group this year. They frequent coastal Sydney camping spots and Sydney's national parks, Shoalhaven area and the Blue Mountains, amongst other places.

I like ultralight in general. My current thinking is to get a Cumulus X-LITE 400 (-1ºC comfort ; 575g plus custom full zip) for cold weather trips, and a Cumulus MAGIC 100 ZIP (13ºC comfort;240g) for summer trips.

https://cumulus.equipment/intl_en/sleeping-bags/down.html

Additional details: I'm male, about 180cm height, and I own a Mont Moondance 1 tent and a S2S UL Insulated Mat (R3.1) and some merino base layer garments. I sleep hot (i think).

Do you reckon I'm on the right track regarding my sleeping bag choices and comfort temps? I'd be grateful to the forum for any advice or suggestions.

Cheers and best wishes,
WM.

[slparker]

Would you consider a bag for cold weather and a quilt for summer? A quilt is even lighter and in warm weather i invariably used to lay my bag over me - until i bought a quilt....

[JohnnoMcJohnno]

I can't speak to the particular models you have nominated, but I do own a couple of Cumulus bags. I like the quality, I like the price, I like the light weights and being part-Polish I like the country of origin. I am a 185 cm tall male and one of the reasons I chose Cumulus was because their standard bags are recommended to suit heights of 185 cm, whereas quite a few other companies state 180 cm as the maximum recommended height. May not matter to you but for me it meant I could confidently buy the standard size rather than having to buy a larger bag of a different make.

It's difficult to comment emphatically on the temperature ratings because we're all very different, but I think you're on the right track. For what it's worth I used to sleep hot when young but am now in my 60's and I find the Cumulus comfort ratings right on the limit for me. I have used my Panyam 450 (also -1 deg C comfort) in the Blue Mountains in Winter when it got down to -5. I was sharing a tent with two others though and slept well enough. One option that may be worth considering is purchasing a light quilt for summer instead of the Magic 100 ZIP. You could use that on its own in summer but potentially add it as a blanket to the X-Lite if you were expecting extra cold conditions in winter. Good luck with your choices.

[Moondog55]

I think Pierre Feutry has a Cumulus bag for sale at the moment.
I saw it on GearFreak last week, maybe contact him ?
I'd be layering a LW synthetic over it in white season for the temperature boos and condensation management but that's an easy and decent way to get an extra 10 degrees

[johnrs]

Cumulus is good gear but have a look at another Polish company here https://malachowski.pl/pl/info/malachowski-spiwory

[WaltzingMatilda]

Thanks, everyone! I really appreciate your input. I like the idea of a summer quilt. I've found a few online, however they are a bit heavier than the Cumulus Magic 100 full zip bag (240g ; 13ºC comfort). I'll keep looking and see what I can find...!

Have an excellent day
Cheers and thanks,
WM.