Down sleeping bag advice

[Northern Light]

I need to cut the weight of my sleeping bag, so am going for down, rather than synthetic.
I`ve got a shortlist of ( in no particular order..) Rab Ascent 700, Alpkit Skyehigh 800, Nanok performance down -10, Cumulus prime 400( or 550).
Do any of you have experience of these bags, or suggest an alternative before I part with my hard-earned.
Budget is limited ( £200 ish), for use in the Scottish highlands / lake district from March - October ( in a tent)
For info my current bag is a Nanok comfort -5, which is great, but 1.9Kg, and also a bit on the cool side in Glen Brittle in early May!
Thanks

 

[Squidders]

From personal experience the Alpkit was a little tight, a little cold and the zip a little snaggy. Nice and light though.

 

[Trunks]

Ever thought of a top quilt? With down, the feathers under you offer virtually no insulation, but the fabric and feathers add to the weight & pack size.

At least with a down top quilt, you are only carrying what you are using


Sent from myPhone

 

[Shewie]

I'd go for the Alpkit Pipedream 600 over the Skyehigh, it's slightly lighter but has a better quality down. I've never compared them side by side but I should think the PD600 packs smaller too, you might want to check that though.

If you can stretch the wallet a little further then PHD are worth a look too.

 

[yeha]

I have the Alpkit SH800 in large. 1st time I've woken up because I was too hot. This was early March high up in the Dales. My lad has the large SH600 and that's very nice too. I use a silk liner as well.

 

[treefrog]

Depends how much you feel the cold when asleep. With the bags you've listed I would melt using them March to October. For that season range i use either my PHD minim 300 or Rab Summit 300 (depending on tent or bivi) and a Rab Summit 600 for winter.

There is down and then there's down when it comes to sleeping bags. Down has a percentage of fluffy feathers mixed in with pure down. The highest quality down has less of the fluffy feathers. These fluffy feathers weigh more than down feathers and have small quills which eventually poke out of the seam or through the weave of the fabric and they don't insulate as well. By spending money on a good quality down bag it should last for years, pack smaller and loft better as the higher quality down doesn't degrade as quick due to the low fluffy feather content. A 750 fill power sleeping bag will be about 15% lighter than a 650 fill bag of the same temperature rating. ​

 

[rg598]

Unfortunately with down, if you really want to save on weight, you have to go with high fill down (750+). 650 fill down is comparable to synthetic insulation in terms of insulation per weight. I have no experience with the bags you have listed, so I can not offer anything specific. I use a Western Mountaineering Antelope 0F down bag in winter.

 

[Northern Light]

Thanks for the replies. I was worried that one bag would be too much of a compromise for my intended use.
I`d ruled out the pipedream as I don`t like to feel restricted in a narrow bag.
I`m not sure how I would get on with a quilt -
I`ll have to look again at fill , but am worried that the better fill will blow the budget!
Thanks for the advice, some food for thought.
Does anyone have experience of the cumulus bags?

 

[sandsnakes]

I am a fan of the Millets Eurohike down 500 bag. its a four season for under £100 you can pick them up in the end of year sale for about £60.

Yes i know its Milletts and not trendy or full of an image of 'daring do', but having slept in a down pattern 58, two differnt down Berghaus, military issure modern arctic, it has been the warmest and most comfey of the lot.

So the answer is shop around on price and maker.

Sandsnakes

ps done the chilterns in mid-winter snow and a bivvi bag in it, very comfey.

 

[Shewie]

Unfortunately with down, if you really want to save on weight, you have to go with high fill down (750+). 650 fill down is comparable to synthetic insulation in terms of insulation per weight. I have no experience with the bags you have listed, so I can not offer anything specific. I use a Western Mountaineering Antelope 0F down bag in winter.

Don't forget though Ross, our 650 fill is the same as your 750, I've never understood why but apparently it's true.