Down sleeping bags, advice please

[Cuckoo996]

I'm after a new sleeping bag this year.
My current one (synthetic fill snugpak TSB) takes up so much room in my 70l bags, that I'm struggling to fit the other kit.

From what I have seen on YouTube, down fill bags compress really small, but give as good as synthetic if not better.

In my opinion, not all you see on YouTube is to be trusted as 100% accurate. (after all a lot of youtubers are sponsored to review gear, so they may say anything just to get the sponsorship, who knows?)

So boys and girls, I know the cons of down bags, especially if they get damp, but do they compress as small as they say?
The only down bag I've ever owned is the old army Arctic bouncing bomb, and my snugpak in compression bag is very near the same size......huge!

If it is the right move to gain more room in my bag, what would you recommend?
Ideally I'm after 3-4 season, and would like it to cope with sub zero temperatures, and would like to spend no more than £250.
Also open to searching for used older makes and models.


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[nigelp]

Check out the seeping bags from Alpkit. Great quality and reasonable price.

I’ve used down bags for over 25 years and not had any problems with using them in the UK in winter conditions. Yes they do compress very well, much better performance to synthetic equivalents.

 

[Erbswurst]

The swiss made filling of the UK made Snugpak sleeping bags isn't much more voluminous than cheap down. The in your case perhaps too thin Special Forces 1 has a pretty wide cut but doesn't have much more packing volume than cheap and rather narrow down bags that I have compared to it in a Decathlon shop, that had the same temperature recommendation.

If you really put serious money onto the table and buy an expensive down bag you save a lot of packing volume though.

For whet cold weather around the freezing point a high end synthetic filling like you get it in a UK made Snugpak bag is in my opinion the better choice. I suggest to consider a bigger rucksack.

Down bags are good for mountaineers who count every gram and people who intend to sleep in dry cold weather conditions that stay for sure far below the freezing point.

 

[nigelp]

https://alpkit.com/products/pipedream-600

on offer.

 

[Broch]

https://alpkit.com/products/pipedream-600

on offer.

Excuse my ignorance, I haven't had a down sleeping back for 40 years, so know nothing about them, is DownTek actual natural duck down?

 

[nigelp]

Excuse my ignorance, I haven't had a down sleeping back for 40 years, so know nothing about them, is DownTek actual natural duck down?

It’s a PFC free treatment to make the down water repellant. I have that bag and it is very good for the money - Alpkit are one of only a few places I can buy a right hand zip bag!

 

[nigelp]

Down bags are good for mountaineers who count every gram and people who intend to sleep in dry cold weather conditions that stay for sure far below the freezing point.

Also good for those that want a small pack size and great warmth to weight ratio. They work perfectly well in all UK conditions, except maybe sleeping out in the open or in a bivvy bag in the rain. You just need to look after them.

I have used down sleeping in the UK sleeping in a tent, bivvy, under tarps, bothys all year round. Mountains and lowland situations.

 

[Wayne]

I only use Down bags. I camp over 200 nights per year. The weight and compressibility of Down is far super to synthetic bags.

For those that complain that down isn’t great when wet. Have you tried sleeping in the middle of winter in a wet synthetic bag? I have it’s miserable.
I camp in all conditions down to minus 25-30. Decent kit and knowledge on how to manage your gear counts. Dry bags are your friend.

 

[Watch-keeper]

I prefer down as a filling it always feels much more comfortable to sleep in compared to synthetic.
I think to really benefit from down (weight/pack size) you need to spend a bit on a good quality product with a high fill power and a lightweight shell. My current set up are down quilts from enlightened equipment which combined have taken me to minus 10c and all sit snuggly in its own dry bag inside my main dry bag. Combined they pack significantly smaller and are much lighter than an equivalent synthetic bag.
As for the major con of getting wet, yes you can completely soak a down bag to the point it won't insulate but it is fairly difficult to do especially if you have prepped well enough.
Getting so wet your down bag is unable to insulate means something has really gone wrong and you should have some sort of contingency plan in place to cover this.

I also have a couple of synthetic bags reserved for when my kit might get some abuse as ultralight down kit does need to be handled more considerately.

 

[Goosegog]

I have a terranova elite 550.. packs down very well but no where near a rating as sold as -5 comfort to -20 extreme... .. Honestly I sleep pretty warm and at -10 you'd be shaking ya bits off... not a very good buy but ok for spring

 

[Cuckoo996]

Hi again folks, my mate bought a Robens Lite 900 4 season sleeping bag, and he be allergic to feathers! So it's now mine and I pick it up from Plymouth tomorrow. Thanks for all your advice

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[SaraR]

Be nice to your down bag. If you don’t have to compress it as small as possible, it’s better not to. It’s also a good idea to get it out asap when you set up camp so that it has time to loft back up before you’re going to bed.

 

[Suffolkrafter]

I wonder if too much gets made of the 'getting down wet' thing. I've had both down and synthetic bags over the years, in all sorts of conditions, but I've never once got any bag wet enough to worry about it's ability to insulate.
I currently have an oex leviathan ev 900. I bought it as it was relatively cheap. There are far better bags out there but it serves me well enough, and I can pair it with bivi bag or liner if i need to. As per many reviews, it leaks down which is annoying. I look after it though, and save it for wild camps in the mountains. For family camping I have an old ME lamina synthetic bag which has seen better days. But if the kids decide to roll around in it and drag it about, I don't have to worry.

 

[Watch-keeper]

I wonder if too much gets made of the 'getting down wet' thing. I've had both down and synthetic bags over the years, in all sorts of conditions, but I've never once got any bag wet enough to worry about it's ability to insulate.
I currently have an oex leviathan ev 900. I bought it as it was relatively cheap. There are far better bags out there but it serves me well enough, and I can pair it with bivi bag or liner if i need to. As per many reviews, it leaks down which is annoying. I look after it though, and save it for wild camps in the mountains. For family camping I have an old ME lamina synthetic bag which has seen better days. But if the kids decide to roll around in it and drag it about, I don't have to worry.

I think too much is made of the "getting down wet" , in my experience I haven't managed to get my down bags to the point of having no insulation even after doing some pretty stupid things. I think there is a bigger risk to down clothing as it is more likely to be exposed to the elements or excessive sweat maybe under another layer.

 

[MikeLA]

I read somewhere of the use of cheap but warm duvets, pack really small, not tight like a mummy sleeping bag but just as warm. Going to look into this more. People use similar in hammocks so why not is ground dwellers.

 

[Watch-keeper]

I read somewhere of the use of cheap but warm duvets, pack really small, not tight like a mummy sleeping bag but just as warm. Going to look into this more. People use similar in hammocks so why not is ground dwellers.

Hi Mike
This is the set up I use but mine are purpose made camping quilts. I prefer them because I move a lot in my sleep (side and front sleep) and they have more space to do this. I have 2 quilts one for the summer months and then one for the cooler months but combined I have used them down to around -10c. The packed size is smaller than an equivalent mummy bag and the weight is also lower too. They don't work too well with mummy style bivy bags but it's not impossible, but I do use a mossi net style bivy bag with greater internal volume which works well. Also I use mine with a hammock and on the ground and they work equally well in both scenarios.

 

[matarius777]

I read somewhere of the use of cheap but warm duvets, pack really small, not tight like a mummy sleeping bag but just as warm. Going to look into this more. People use similar in hammocks so why not is ground dwellers.

I use a Chinese Ice Flame top quilt in duck down, it's brilliant, warm down to around 5⁰C in a hooped bivi. When tarp camping, I use a tyvek bevy bag that's open at the back but with a foot box, it works really well in conjunction with the quilt. Both were from Aliexpress. I'm thinking to get the goose down version with some extra down put in, in a large size (you can ask them to do that). That will be great to use as an under quilt as well, for the depths of winter.

 

[MikeLA]

Hi Mike
This is the set up I use but mine are purpose made camping quilts. I prefer them because I move a lot in my sleep (side and front sleep) and they have more space to do this. I have 2 quilts one for the summer months and then one for the cooler months but combined I have used them down to around -10c. The packed size is smaller than an equivalent mummy bag and the weight is also lower too. They don't work too well with mummy style bivy bags but it's not impossible, but I do use a mossi net style bivy bag with greater internal volume which works well. Also I use mine with a hammock and on the ground and they work equally well in both scenarios.

Well that’s many reasons I should try them, mainly i move around sides and back sleeping and the pack size.
Going to give it a go ( I only own the issue bivi bag and an old Arktis diagonal zip one)

 

[Watch-keeper]

Well that’s many reasons I should try them, mainly i move around sides and back sleeping and the pack size.
Going to give it a go ( I only own the issue bivi bag and an old Arktis diagonal zip one)

I can sleep in a mummy bag but I find i get tangled up in it and find it frustrating and constricting and I don't always get a good night's sleep.
There is only one bag I have tried that was pretty good and it was one of the Nemo range of bags with a funny shape.
With the bivi bag thing, because the quilts I have are much wider and I don't usually strap them to the kip mat they don't fit too well in the bivy bag but you could probably get away with it.

 

[MikeLA]

Tried mummy bags always got stuck or struggled finding a zip. So always used centre zip bags. The duvet is a good idea.