can anyone recommend a winter down sleeping bag

[BILLy]

Hi
As tital please, my budget is £150-£200 i want one for winter conditions really, and are they worth paying that much for one? only because i had the money for xmas and wanted to invest,(more nights in the woods) I dont like being cold sleeping at night,
Kind regards
Bill

 

[redandshane]

No doubt about it a down bag is a good investment. Lower end of your budget take a look at the Vango down bags top end and a bit over look at Rab bags Its very individual as I dont know if you use a bivvy bag or would put a fleece liner in Both these measures greatly increase the versatility of any bag.Also a huge difference between in a tent,ground dwelling under a tarp or in a hammock.I use a Vango in various permutations and a lot of my bushcomrades use Rab bags none of us ever complain about being cold and we camp out all year round.

 

[JAG009]

I can recommend the Rab ascent 900 it a good warm bag ,its just over your top budget but worth it ,I have had mine out down to -12 (on the ground with just a foam roll matt) and was toasty all night ,it can pack down not to bad and its not to heavy 1.5kg or there abouts

 

[BillyBlade]

At that price point I'd look at the second hand market. As others have said, a good down bag is one of the best investments you'll ever make. I have a marmot Lithium and the difference it makes to a nights sleep from compared to a cheap bag is incredible. How small and light it packs down to as well, coming from military issue arctic bags, is a revelation.

Good luck, I hope you get sorted.

 

[BigX]

I'd agree with Jag. You'll probably get a Rab Ascent 700 for your budget, but as you're in North Wales, it might not be enough.

As redandshane says, it depends what you're doing and where. In a tent, in the woods, the 700 will probably be fine, although bear in mind it was -12C in the Highlands last weekend and if you're bivvying on a peak, you might freeze! You might find the older version of the 900 at a discount (the latest version upgraded to hydrophobic down a while back).

I use a Kelty trailogic 20 which is fantastic - light, packs down VERY small and - can't believe this isn't on all sleeping bags - has waterproofing on the head and foot where you touch the tent/bivvy the most..

However, it's only rated to -7C (roughly the same as the Rab 700) so I make it work in winter by using a fleece liner, sleeping dressed and most importantly, using a Thermarest NeoAir Xtherm mat which is brilliant, but pricy. The problem with winter is the ground is cold and as your sleeping bag is compressed in that direction, it isn't helping much.

Definitely worth investing in a down bag though!

 

[Filterhoose]

Rabs rock. I've had my 4 season for around 15 years now. It's never let me down (no pun intended). I've used it in Bothies where temperature was as low as -10. I keep it clean by sticking it in an old army navy stores gortex bivvy bag and stick it in the tumble drier now and again to maintain the loft.


Windy

 

[Dogoak]

At that price point I'd look at the second hand market. As others have said, a good down bag is one of the best investments you'll ever make.

I'll second that, looked after properly and they will last years. I'd definitely be checking the s/h marked, ebay etc; maybe not the best time of year to be looking for a winter bag at an absolute steel but there will be some bargains about, patience is the name of the game.

 

[baggins]

how big are you? SWMBO just picked up a womens fit rab bag at go outdoors at £148. it really is a lovely bag (if you don't mind purple, lol!). and rated to -15 (-6 for women).

 

[Old Bones]

The Rab Ascent 900 is £165 from here at the moment: http://www.joe-brown.com/15336/products/rab-ascent-900-down-sleeping-bag.aspx

The 700 is £199 from here: http://www.climbers-shop.com/9925603/products/rab-ascent-700-lz-sleeping-bag.aspx

Alpkit has a decent guide to buying bags here https://www.alpkit.com/spotlight/choosing-a-down-sleeping-bag , and a comparison chart here: https://www.alpkit.com/sleeping-bags/compare

And they have an announcement -

[h=1]Sleeping bags to return in 2015
[/h]They have been a long time coming, but a new range of sleeping bags will be adorning our shelves this year. We are expecting them to be popular, so make sure you are signed up to our newsletter and we will keep you in the loop.

However, the Rab 900 is a really good deal at that price. I've got a really old synthetic bag, and for packability/weight to warmth, I'm going to buy a down bag next time. Dont forget a decent drybag for it - Alpkit of course, or possibly the Podsac Airstream which they are doing at a good price at the moment http://www.podsacs.com/i/q/CCPDACS/pod-airstream-lite-compression-sac

Have a look on the Outdoor Magic Bargain thread - there are often deals/flash sales that come up. And dont forget to try a bag out in store - Cotswold and Go Outdoors will both have Rab bags at least, so you can see if they are comfortable, etc.

 

[BILLy]

how big are you? SWMBO just picked up a womens fit rab bag at go outdoors at £148. it really is a lovely bag (if you don't mind purple, lol!). and rated to -15 (-6 for women).

Hi
Only a little guy 5`8" 12.10lb
yeah went last week to check that one out, not to bothered about coulor, tried packing it and un packing it, it could do with changing the stuff sack to a compretion one that can compress it even more but nice bag, un sure how low i need it to be, mostly uk weather, but dont want to pay for another one if a trip to scandinavia came up, Ill keep looking and at the second hand market
cheers

 

[BILLy]

The Rab Ascent 900 is £165 from here at the moment: http://www.joe-brown.com/15336/products/rab-ascent-900-down-sleeping-bag.aspx

The 700 is £199 from here: http://www.climbers-shop.com/9925603/products/rab-ascent-700-lz-sleeping-bag.aspx

Alpkit has a decent guide to buying bags here https://www.alpkit.com/spotlight/choosing-a-down-sleeping-bag , and a comparison chart here: https://www.alpkit.com/sleeping-bags/compare

And they have an announcement -




However, the Rab 900 is a really good deal at that price. I've got a really old synthetic bag, and for packability/weight to warmth, I'm going to buy a down bag next time. Dont forget a decent drybag for it - Alpkit of course, or possibly the Podsac Airstream which they are doing at a good price at the moment http://www.podsacs.com/i/q/CCPDACS/pod-airstream-lite-compression-sac

Have a look on the Outdoor Magic Bargain thread - there are often deals/flash sales that come up. And dont forget to try a bag out in store - Cotswold and Go Outdoors will both have Rab bags at least, so you can see if they are comfortable, etc.

Thats excellant info Old bones thank you very much

 

[petrochemicals]

I wouldn't get a down one, as nice as they are, they are high maintenance. loveley expandable down, but once it's damp it's not as much fun. I'd get an expensive synthetic, and they are around your price bracket. small compaction. I have a primaloft coat and that's sold me on the benefits.

I reserve judgement on hydrophobic down.

 

[rorymax]

Thats excellant info Old bones thank you very much

Regrettably the Joe Brown offer has long since expired Billy.

 

[rorymax]

I wouldn't get a down one, as nice as they are, they are high maintenance. loveley expandable down, but once it's damp it's not as much fun. I'd get an expensive synthetic, and they are around your price bracket. small compaction. I have a primaloft coat and that's sold me on the benefits.

I reserve judgement on hydrophobic down.

Can you make a few recommendations petro?

Thanks.

rorymax

 

[Wayne]

I wouldn't get a down one, as nice as they are, they are high maintenance. loveley expandable down, but once it's damp it's not as much fun. I'd get an expensive synthetic, and they are around your price bracket. small compaction. I have a primaloft coat and that's sold me on the benefits.

I reserve judgement on hydrophobic down.

I have been using exclusively down bags for over 10 years averaging 200 nights a year in a sleeping bag in all sorts of shelters ranging in temp from +15 -20C.

I have never had issues with with down. I look after my kit but that's just good practice. I once stupidly didn't pitch my tent right in the dark in a hurry in mid Jan. Woke up at 2am feeling wet. Thermarest and Rab bag lying in 2 inches of water.

I was pretty cold after going outside finding the issue fixing it and bailing the tent. I expected a pretty miserable couple of nights in a wet sleeping bag but after a while it warmed up to an acceptable level and hanging the bag close to the fire it dried out enough for the next night to be toasty.

 

[coolerking]

USGI MSS or Carinthia 4...? then save some of your pennies for some other kit.

 

[petrochemicals]

I have been using exclusively down bags for over 10 years averaging 200 nights a year in a sleeping bag in all sorts of shelters ranging in temp from +15 -20C. .

I'll admit that my kit can take a bashing though I do try to take care of it. drips from tents dampen mine along with general humidity in a rainy rainy country, I think the condensation from a bivvy bag was bad, and surprisingly the damp around the head where you breathe led to a loss of loft over time. they are nice to have though!

 

[Old Bones]

Regrettably the Joe Brown offer has long since expired Billy.

Sorry about that - it was that price a while back and then vanished - so I thought it was back. Did sound too good to be true! Trekkit have them for £229.50, and Down Sleeping bag has it for £225.

The Rab 700 does seem to be a more standard UK winter bag anyway, so perhaps look around for those, including the OM selling thread, but Trekkit have them for £204.

Carinthia 4...? then save some of your pennies for some other kit

The Carinithia 4 is rated to a comfort level of minus 15 (although its described as a 3 season bag!), but weighs 1.9kg and costs about £223.

The Rab Ascent 900 is rated to a comfort level of minus 18, weighs 1.53kg and costs £225 (if you shop around).

Your saving very little in pennies, but you are saving over 400g in weight.

I'm not convinced that down basically becomes porriage at even the first wiff of rain - yes, synthetic is better with moisture, and thats why the military tend to go for it. But synthetic isn't waterproof, and I wouldnt want to sleep in a wet bag, full stop, even my current synthetic bag. Wayne's experience seems to be the norm for most down bag users - take care of it, use a dry bag, etc. The biggest barrier to buying a down bag is the extra cost, and for me thats been the case for a long time!

 

[brambles]

The Carinithia 4 is rated to a comfort level of minus 15 (although its described as a 3 season bag!), but weighs 1.9kg and costs about £223.

Shop around - I got my Defence 4 200 brand new on eBay for £100

 

[BILLy]

Thx guys really good info, saves a lot in trail and error I'll keep looking, mind you how I research stuff the winter will be over before I get one, BTW do you all use the same bag all year round in the uk to a degree, like flick it open if it gets to hot