merlin is it magic?

[Man of Tanith]

does anyone have of these? http://www.sasskit.co.uk/product.php?id=89 i am toying with the idea of getting one in an attempt to make my kit smaller to make it easier to fit in a rucksack less than 100 litres,
is it warm? does it compact as small as it claims? will it fit a 5ft 10 slightly tubby bloke in it comfortably?
its a lil pricey and i dont wanna spend the money to be disappointed at it.
cheers in advance
Sam

 

[Asa Samuel]

If it is what it says on the tin, I think it is magic.

 

[m.durston]

i had the snugpak special forces 1 bag which is in the same sort of range as the merlin in temp ratings, size etc.
great as a lightweight summer bag but i wouldn't use one past +10c as i tried it down to +3c and spent a very uncomfortable night gibbering in my sleeping bag.
in respects of size i am the same height as you and could be described as slightly tubby as well and i fitted in my bag easily with as much room as you would expect a mummy shaped bag to have.

if you are set on a snugpak lightweight summer bag have a look at the softie elite 1.
cheaper price around £55, same temp rating, smaller pack down size and it has an expanding zip/baffle for the larger bushcrafter

 

[Mesquite]

does anyone have of these? http://www.sasskit.co.uk/product.php?id=89 i am toying with the idea of getting one in an attempt to make my kit smaller to make it easier to fit in a rucksack less than 100 litres,
is it warm? does it compact as small as it claims? will it fit a 5ft 10 slightly tubby bloke in it comfortably?
its a lil pricey and i dont wanna spend the money to be disappointed at it.
cheers in advance
Sam

I've got one and yes it does pack down that small. But I found snugpack are a bit over optimistic in their ratings so you might find it a bit cool to use.

I bought mine from here which is about the cheapest going. If you're worried about fitting in you can always get an expanda panel . That'll give you loads of room

 

[hornbyben]

I bought one of these and I agree with m.durston, they pack down quite small, but the temperature rating is optimistic. I took one on holiday to Tasmania. My wife and I were in a fairly remote place with a night time low of about 4ºC. I had a T-shirt and shorts on, but still had to included some situps in my sleep regime, and couldn't wait for the morning to come. We had a 2 day hike planned for the next day, and so I ended up buying a 1 kg blanket from a general store for additional warmth for the next night. Needless to say as soon as we got back to Australia I bought a nice 800 loft down quilt, which weighs less, packs smaller, and is considerably warmer (although it does cost more as well).

Not a bad bag as long as you're aware of the limitations. I definitely agree that 10ºC is about the lowest you'll be comfortable.

 

[Man of Tanith]

so the general consensus is its good but not as good as it claims?
blast the search for a small warm sleeping bag without having to sell a kidney to buy it continues
thanks everyone
Sam

 

[myotis]

so the general consensus is its good but not as good as it claims?
blast the search for a small warm sleeping bag without having to sell a kidney to buy it continues
thanks everyone
Sam

Might be worth having a look at http://www.alpkit.com/skyehigh/ for £13 more than the merlin you can have a down bag (however, I see they are out of stock, a recurring problem with the Alpkit stuff).

Alpkit has an excellent reputation here, but I'm not sure how the sizing compares with the Merlin

Graham

 

[wentworth]

The merlin is a really thin bag. Wamth is equal to loft (thickness). I remember when this bag used to have a -5 rating, then when it went to 0, now it seems to be +5...