I'm planning for the GR10 in the Pyrenees. At altitude it can get down to zero degrees. For my sleeping bag I'm thinking the Vango Venom 200 down bag as it's cheap but not too heavy - every gramme counts. I'll have a thermarest prolite mattress and Alpkit bivi bag plus tarp. I know the bag is not that warm but with the bivi bag and wearing thermals should that be doable? I know it's one of those how long is a piece of string questions.
sleeping bag for zero degrees
- Thread starter boisdevie
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3 things to NEVER compromise on
1. anything to keep you dry (waterproofs)
2. anything you wear on your feet (boots)
3. anything to keep you warm (sleep system, warm kit)
1. anything to keep you dry (waterproofs)
2. anything you wear on your feet (boots)
3. anything to keep you warm (sleep system, warm kit)
Personally I wouldn't attempt that without a proper bag that was up to the job. Saving a couple of hundred grams for no sleep or worse isnt really a great gamble. I'd rather be knackered and have a nice warm bag to get into and a good night's sleep with slightly heavier kit...
How quickly do you need them as Alpkit's new range is coming out this year and would be worth a look. Personally I use a PHD Minim 300 and carry a silk liner, combined with a Bivi bag I've been toasty below -5. I was lucky to get the Minim 300 in one of their Biannual sales as PHD's prices are high, excellent quality kit though.
[QUOTE3 things to NEVER compromise on
1. anything to keep you dry (waterproofs)
2. anything you wear on your feet (boots)
3. anything to keep you warm (sleep system, warm kit) ][/QUOTE]
Both excellent advice. You can have it cheap, you can have light, and you can have it effective/durable/warm - chose any two. The Venom is rated on the Go Outdoors website down to plus 5 degrees. Sleep a litle cold and its all goes pearshaped (depending on when your going), and that might be bad news. Minus 5 might be OK for a rating, but down is going to cost you - the Rab Ascent 500 is about £200.
But if your walking a long way, every extra gram is going to feel very heavy! Try second hand (perhaps the classifieds on OM), or possibly the Rab factory shop - you never know what might come up.
1. anything to keep you dry (waterproofs)
2. anything you wear on your feet (boots)
3. anything to keep you warm (sleep system, warm kit) ][/QUOTE]
Both excellent advice. You can have it cheap, you can have light, and you can have it effective/durable/warm - chose any two. The Venom is rated on the Go Outdoors website down to plus 5 degrees. Sleep a litle cold and its all goes pearshaped (depending on when your going), and that might be bad news. Minus 5 might be OK for a rating, but down is going to cost you - the Rab Ascent 500 is about £200.
But if your walking a long way, every extra gram is going to feel very heavy! Try second hand (perhaps the classifieds on OM), or possibly the Rab factory shop - you never know what might come up.
I've done some time in those mountains. Trust me, you're not going to have fun using that bag. It's not up to it.
Everybody sleeps differently, but even as a hot sleeper I couldn't have done it. I borrowed a decent down bag before I went on the first trip as I couldn't afford to buy one before i was paid. Thank God I did.
Have a real think about it before you go. Trips like that are a lot of money to burn if your gear is letting you down.
Everybody sleeps differently, but even as a hot sleeper I couldn't have done it. I borrowed a decent down bag before I went on the first trip as I couldn't afford to buy one before i was paid. Thank God I did.
Have a real think about it before you go. Trips like that are a lot of money to burn if your gear is letting you down.
I'd agree with the advice above.
My summer bag is a Mountain Equipment xero 250, which as you'd imagine has 250 grams of decent loft down as filling. I'm a cold sleeper anyway but in the Asturias mountains one summer the temp dropped to zero and I was properly chilly and had to bang on all my layers, stock up on chocolate etc to keep warm enough to sleep through. If I planned to camp multiple nights at those temperatures I'd pack a warmer bag.
My summer bag is a Mountain Equipment xero 250, which as you'd imagine has 250 grams of decent loft down as filling. I'm a cold sleeper anyway but in the Asturias mountains one summer the temp dropped to zero and I was properly chilly and had to bang on all my layers, stock up on chocolate etc to keep warm enough to sleep through. If I planned to camp multiple nights at those temperatures I'd pack a warmer bag.
In addition to the previous posts suggesting that the bag may not be warm enough are you sure that the alpkit bivi will work for multiple nights with a down bag? I have never used one myself and this is a question I keep meaning to ask but I would be concerned that you would get moisture building up in the down which will reduce its loft. I know lots of people use them but I can't remember seeing an account of anyone using them every night for one or two weeks.
What time of year are you doing the gr10? Also are you sleeping out or using the huts and refuges? When we were there in the height of summer is was up to 30'c during the day and down to -5 or or so some nights. There were also some massive electric storms on some of the evenings and nights with flash flood style rains, and even some proper big hail. It's a truly stunning place though, we survived with 2 season bags, but with a decent tent..although wore our climbing base layers at night, but we were younger and harder back then (more stupid).
If unsure if it will be warm enough, I agree with above posts-better to err on the warm side. It's an expensive trip.
It would probably be plenty warm enough for me, though I don't know that bag. My 200g fill down bag gets used down to -3c before I start thinking of packing warmer but it's design means it lofts to 2", not 1" like most 200 fill bags.
The Alpkit bivi won't breathe well enough to keep the down lofted for that time, mine is struggling after 3 days in that fabric used on the Hunka. My Event bag will keep down dry for weeks, breathing inside the bivvy.
The old adage of " If it touches the ground, spend money on it" is always apt.
It would probably be plenty warm enough for me, though I don't know that bag. My 200g fill down bag gets used down to -3c before I start thinking of packing warmer but it's design means it lofts to 2", not 1" like most 200 fill bags.
The Alpkit bivi won't breathe well enough to keep the down lofted for that time, mine is struggling after 3 days in that fabric used on the Hunka. My Event bag will keep down dry for weeks, breathing inside the bivvy.
The old adage of " If it touches the ground, spend money on it" is always apt.
I'd say take along one of the SOL bivi bags, either the escape or the lite. They work really well to add a near season to your bag so you can get away with taking a lighter bag than normal. Plus you then don't have to worry about sweating in a heavy bag on warmer nights. I have used the escape lite a few times in combination with a vango 900 ultralite, in Norther Ireland between December and January at high points. The bivi turned what was initially a chilly night into a perfectly comfortable one.
That's if their new range come out on schedule, and I believe it;s a summer range.
Someone on OM asked about this idea a little while back http://www.outdoorsmagic.com/forum/...-bag-with-a-escape-lite-bivvy-help/65315.html - the general consensus was its a good idea in an emergency, but it wasn't really ideal for what the bloke wanted to do. If it works for you, thats great, but its not recommended.
Instead, we all said the same thing - spend the money on a better bag. To be honest, thats what people generally advised when he first asked about bags and what he wanted. You get what you pay for, and its generally cheaper and easier in the long run to buy the one that will work for you than try to 'upgrade' the one you've ended up with.
Instead, we all said the same thing - spend the money on a better bag. To be honest, thats what people generally advised when he first asked about bags and what he wanted. You get what you pay for, and its generally cheaper and easier in the long run to buy the one that will work for you than try to 'upgrade' the one you've ended up with.
The drag on your performance from successive slightly poor nights sleep willl be huge, a bag thatbleaves you chilly will ruin of end your trip. There are some things you dont want to compromise on, I would get the best bag I could not quite afgord, as said above PHD are outstanding, it will last years and you will not regret it.
Get the BEST bag you can afford that is better than you think you will need.......if you thing you will need a 200, get a 300 if you think you will need a 3 season, get a 4 season.
Hypothermia is not to be messed with. I know from experience.
Hypothermia is not to be messed with. I know from experience.
