Just got a Buffalo 4S

[Huweth]

Hi all,
I think this is my first post here though I've been a reader for a while.
After years of using synthetic and down bags I've picked up an old (with picture not writing) Buffalo 4S inner and outer on EBay for £62. At 5ft9 I allegedly need a medium, but only a large was available and my wide shoulders might have been too tight in the medium, so large it is! I love my down bags for the obvious reasons, but wanted something I didn't have to constantly worry about. It's in great condition and I'm pleased with how it seems. It arrived today stinking of Febreeze clearing poured on to mask the smell, so it went straight in the wash in the two halves (separately) with a small amount of non-bio and some soap flakes.

I was hugely impressed by how well they washed up. By the time the outer was almost dry on the line the inner was done in the wash. I hung them both up inside from a curtain rail and shortly after my lovely girlfriend came grovelling to me all red faced!!! It turned out she'd dropped the cat food tin on the floor, which 'comickly' splashed a lovely fishy dinner all over the hood of the outer. One was not amused! Thankfully my sense of humour returned quickly when I remembered how easy the thing is to wash. So I washed just the offending parts in the sink and it's drying, again. That was about half an hour again and it's yet again nearly dry.

So I just thought I'd check in with this 'amusing' story and any fellow Buffalo users can appreciate what I mean when I say "I'm glad that wasn't one of my down bags..."
If all goes well I'll be taking some school kids out for a bit of rough camping on Dartmoor this Thursday night and look forward to trying out my latest piece of kit.

Thanks to all who commented on Buffalo gear over the years, your reviews convinced me to give it a go.

 

[Retired Member southey]

Hello matey, great first post, I use a 4seasons system and love it, all year round, for the reason you say! have fun dude,

 

[Shewie]

Great bit of kit, I wish I'd hung on to mine

 

[bivouac]

I love my Buffalo Superbag. Sometimes i get it out of the wardrobe and just stroke it gently........................

 

[Joonsy]

Hi Huweth, never had one but often considered buying one, their user friendly nature is very appealing in not having to worry too much in their care and use but what has put me off is their weight and large pack size (though i have not actually seen one hands on just read about them) my thinking is that they are probably great if not having to carry it too far which has stopped me actually buying one, i have used the buffalo big face and mountain shirt which were very good but find buffalo sizing more suited to a tall thin person than the small person, i find the neck always too tight while the sleeves too long even though the chest is right, i tried a mardale and the sizing was much beter for myself, therefore i have wondered too about the sizing of buffalos sleeping bags, i will only know for sure whether to buy one when i get to see and try one personally.

 

[blacktimberwolf]

Hi, :welcome1: to the forum....................I had to google the buffalo 4S as I had no idea what you were talking about, .............I like mummy bags but that is just a little too claustrophobic & body bag(ish) for me :yikes:............glad you like it though.

 

[johnboy]

Buffalo P+P sleeping bags are simply awesome bits of kit...l I love mine.Welcome to the forum BTW..CheersJohn

 

[bivouac]

i have used the buffalo big face and mountain shirt which were very good but find buffalo sizing more suited to a tall thin person than the small person, i find the neck always too tight while the sleeves too long even though the chest is right, i tried a mardale and the sizing was much beter for myself, therefore i have wondered too about the sizing of buffalos sleeping bags, i will only know for sure whether to buy one when i get to see and try one personally.

I got a large Superbag in a sale and when i got it home i found it was far too long - i'm 5'8''. I took it back to the shop and they sent it back to Buffalo with a request to exchange it for a medium which they duly did no problem and the medium was perfect. I assume the 4S is a similar size. That was nearly 20 years ago now and the bag is still like new.
The thing about Buffalo gear is that it's designed to be a tight fit, which i find uncomfortable across my shoulders. I've got a Special 6 shirt which i got a little large so that it's comfortable to move around in but then you get cold spots so i always wear a base layer under it. I rang Buffalo about it (they do alterations to special order) and they suggested doing my own alterations by taking it in wherever the fit is a little loose, but my skills on a sewing machine aren't up to it. I tried a Mardale on in a shop and have to admit it seemed a good fit, but i love the feel of the pertex and pile on the Buffalo. Sometimes i get it out of the wardrobe and just stroke it gently.........................

 

[mrcharly]

I had the summer lightweight bag ('had', because my bloody son mislaid it).

Fantastic fantastic bag for rough camping.

I've previously used a basic goretex bivvi with synthetic bag, which was fine until water got in through the bivvi zip.

The buffalo was much much more versatile. I switched to hammock camping and never bothered with a tarp - just put up with a bit of damp, never cold tho'.

Wish I still had it.

Damn kids!

 

[wildrover]

I've had Special 6 shirt for a number of years now and love it.
As for the sleeping bags, I remember seeing them in SWAT and the Survival Aids catalogue back in the day and really wanting one.
I then had the occasion to actually see and handle them when the Survival Shop opened in Glasgow.
To be honest, at the time I was suprised at how large they packed, and as a result went with another solution.

However, if I'm honest, since then I have alway's had a bit of an hankering for one and picked an outer up on here a couple of months ago for a decent price( not quite the deal you got, but I'm not complaining).

Now It's obviously been used a bit but is in good nick and I can't wait to give it a try ( possibly in conjunction with my shirt etc.)

It's a bit different in shape/configuration from the bags I usually use, though even If It turns out not to suit for general use I'm sure I will hold on to it for winter use in the car boot (If not for recollections of the old days).

ATB
Chris

 

[DS1150]

It warms my heart to know that Buffalo bags are still out there and being used. I bought the outer bag as my first proper bag, 20 years ago after reading an old Chris Townsend book. It cost about 2 weeks' benefit money at the time and it was worth it. It was/is bulky but I loved the feel of the pile and the centre zip and hood. I sold it a few years later when I discovered goretex bivy bags. I still have a special 6 mountain shirt that survived intact with almost daily use up to a year ago when I chopped the pile out and made it into a windhsirt. Buffalo gear isn't the lightest or smallest but it is very hard wearing no-nonsense kit.

 

[Huweth]

Thought I should report back on using the 4S outer for the first time last Thursday night.
I got it's first outing on Dartmoor in a wood where I had taken 7 boys from the school I teach at to introduce them to camping under tarp. We had set up a large tarp for us all to sit and cook under during the evening, some of the boys slept under it too. The others had brought their own tarps. When I say tarps what I mean is one had some silage wrap (lives on a farm), one had some builders tarp (dad is a builder), and one just had some random non-breathable sheet. They all managed to set the whole lot up with little help which pleased me to no end.

I had taken some cheapo tarp that I remembered being bigger than it actually was. Even lying diagonally under it my feet were still poking out. I slept on my dutch closed cell foam mat (for the first time). It felt really good to be able to just chuck the mat on the floor unlike my thermarest type pads. It was also great to not worry about the Buffalo bag on the spikes of Holly leaves on the ground. The dog could happily snuggle up to me with wet fur and muddy paws too! I was a little worried that it might be too cold in this bag, but infact I had to unzip it a little during the night as I was a little hot - suprising given how thin it is compared to 'normal' bags. The night passed with only one incident. At about 2AM we were all awoken by the grunting of a stag right in the middle of our camp! We couldn't see it as it was so dark, and the boys woke up shouting "F**k it's a badger, where's my knife! It's going to get us!". After telling them it was just a deer they calmed down a lot quicker than the dog who would have not doubt chased/killed it had he not been on a lead tied to the tree. My dog (George) then realised it was actually scary and tried to sleep ON me for the rest of the night, but I didn't mind when I remembered it was my Buffalo bag he was lying on.

In the morning we awoke to realise it had rained a little in the night. The Buffalo bag was by now completely dry at the exposed feet even though the ground was still wet. Once again I was glad it wasn't my down bag. No hypothermic boys was also a good result. We made breakfast, packed up and made the 2.5 mile walk back to school. All in all a good introduction to bushcraft for these lads, and they and more want to do it again in a couple of weeks. Next time a female teacher wants to come so we'll have girls too, but hopefully no screaming due to 'bugs'...

So I'm very impressed by the Buffalo bag so far, but it needs to be tested in more cold conditions, and especially with the inner installed. I didn't notice the extra weight of it in my rucksack, nor the bulk of the dutch sleep mat. A happy combo. I was so impressed that as luck would have it I picked up another second hand 4S outer in medium for my lady (hardly used - the bag I mean, not the lady) from Ebay for the princely sum of £21! It should arrive in a few days. It's her birthday next month and she wants a Selkbag to use inside the Buffalo. Should make a good combo as she's a cold sleeper.

Thanks for reading and happy camping,
Huw

 

[colly]

(hardly used - the bag I mean, not the lady)


did you really say that. i hope for your sake she doesn't visit here......

 

[Huweth]

(hardly used - the bag I mean, not the lady)


did you really say that. i hope for your sake she doesn't visit here......

Thankfully she doesn't! Just thought I'd inject a little fun. I hope she'd see the funny side if she did read it, but if she didn't I will just threaten to take all the warm cozy things I bought away from her. I'm sure she'd shut up then...

The medium 4S arrived today and looks great. It's in better condition that the one I got for myself. When the lady gets home later I'm sure she'll jump straight in. Yesterday she came home with a 'space rug' for me. It's basically like a monks habit/jedi cloak made from brown fleece. It's very silly but also a nice warm thing to laze about the house in this cold winter. It could even be a practical thing to take car camping to lounge around in on a cold evening, like a sort of outdoors dressing gown. OK, maybe not...

 

[mrcairney]

They look interesting. I've only got a Rab topbag (not hammock related, it's an alpine jobby) but it's no 4 seasoner. Might have a look at pairing it with a Buffalo thermaliner...

 

[Huweth]

Thats funny about the Rab top bag. I'd often thought about getting one a few years back. What are your thoughts on using the thermaliner? Stick the whole Rab bag inside it or outside? I wouldn't consider the thermaliner warm by any standard if thats what your thinking, it's basically just the same as the silk sleeping bag liner I sometimes use, just synthetic. If it's warmth your after the 4S inner would work, but given that it takes up about a 10 litre dry bag it kind of defeats the object of having a top bag.

 

[mrcairney]

Ah, I wasn't sure what the thermaliner looks like as there doesn't seem the be any images of them, so thanks for clearing that up! I bought my Quantum when it came out and it's does me well really, but I REALLY fancy going tentless this winter. It's gonna be a cold one.

 

[Huweth]

Yeah I want to go tentless this winter too. Might see if I can convince the kids from school to give it a go too, but to be honest it might be dangerous as their parents (and the kids) don't seem to have much understanding of kit. They think a -10 bag will keep them cozy to -10. Don't want to make them learn the hard way!
I think this winter will be a hard one again. I've been keeping an eye on the gulf stream and it's pretty weak still and not going to get any better as winter approaches. Have a look at www.exactaweather.com for UK long range forecasts. I used his website the last few years and he really is pretty accurate so I'm inclined to believe him again this winter. I have my winter tyres ready to go on at the end of the month and a mountain of logs for the wood burner. Also bought a Subaru Forester a few months back so I can get out onto Dartmoor in the snow for a bit of winter fun. I guess you're used to snow in the Pennines? Down in Devon they get excited about snow even if it isn't enough to cover the tops of the grass blades! Winter is definately my favourite season.