Buffalo Sleeping Gear In Arctic & Jungle?

[Monk]

Can anyone here give some feedback on the Buffalo sleeping bag system in cold conditions and hot humid areas?
Brynglas mentions how he used the inner and a pertex in a jungle environment.
When used in cold/Arctic areas, how warm is that pile liner? Do you wake up from condensation/moisture buildup?
Jungle/hot area...does the system suffer from being too hot or a moisture buildup?
Washing/cleaning...just soap and water or you have to reproof the stuff?
Monk

 

[george]

Hi Monk

I used the buffalo bags and other similar pile/pertex types in the rainforest for around 6 years and I swear by them.

They can get soaking wet and you just wring them out and then go back to sleep! The forest can get pretty cool at night in some places - especially in mountain regions and during the monsoon, so the warmth of a fibre pile bag can be really welcome. At other times I would just use the bag to line my hammock with and sleep wrapped in a sarong that I carried with me.

The real beauty of the buffalo (and similar bags) is that they dry a lot faster than anything else - try soaking a snugpack or similar construction bag and lying it in the sun to dry! Even if they (pile/pertex bags) are wet they are still warm enough to use. The other advantage that they have is that if you get the bag infested with fleas or similar bugs (and you will if you sleep in some villages! )they are a lot easier to get rid of from a buffalo type bag.

The main drawback that they have is that they are much bulkier and heavier than snugpack type bags - however I reckon the other plus points far outweigh this. If you're only using a lightweight summer version then we're not talking massive weights anyway.

You ask about washing - I would just use soap and water and hang it in the sun, no reproofing or anything else. Yes you do get moisture buildup in any sleeping back in the tropics but as I said before with buffalo type bags this isn't a problem.

Hope this helps

George

 

[tenbears10]

I think they will be great in arctic conditions. This is what I beleive they are designed for. The full 2 bag system should be warm enough but this is personal taste. You can always were a buffalo top in the bag if you are cold.

I have read reports that the clothing can even be too warm in a Scottish winter but as I said activity level and personal taste are the most important factors.

Have you seen www.montane.co.uk I don't think they do sleeping bags but their clothing is a bit less industrial than Buffalo. http://www.rockrun.com/shop/prod.html?d=5&t=291&p=2035&sid=cfa4560b472648b3ea06c777f2c3dc5f
They have tops half price at the moment. I like the eight smock and I've seen that half price somewhere, post a link later.

Bill

 

[tenbears10]

http://www.ultimateoutdoors.co.uk/specials.php

The shopping basket isn't working but it says £99.99 although it apears in the basket as 200. Quite expensive though but looks a good smock and warm as toast.

Bill

 

[Monk]

Thanks for the feedback everyone! I am shopping around and I wanted to see how they actually were before laying out money.
Monk

 

[Brynglas]

I've had my buffalo system for over fifteen years now, hving initially bought it when I completed my Commando training. My three bag system comprises of the outer pile/pertex bag, inner pile bag and the pertex liner. I used the pertex liner and pile inner in jungle conditions in Brunei, Hong Kong, West Africa and Belize for extended periods and found them fantastic as they just shrug off the wet conditions and are easy to regulate the heat.

In cold conditions, the bags really perform well too, I've used mine down to below minus 20 and quite possibly a bit lower and I have absolutely no complaints about the performance.

The downside of Buffalo bags is that they are bulky, however I can generally put up with this for the ease of use and reliablity offered by them.

Mine is still going strong after all these years, and all I've had to do is replace the zip, the kind people at Buffalo even added a gussett to accomodate my expanded girth as the bags had become a bit too snug over the years.

 

[Adi007]

Brynglas, I think that your story there highlights the benefits of sometimes paying a little over the odds for something - you are rewarded in good, solid, reliable after-sales service years after the product left the shop (as opposed to caring for the customer ending as soon as they get the product out the door).