sleeping bag help

smokyjoe

Tenderfoot
Jun 16, 2012
85
0
london
ok so iv looked at so many bags now and im stuck..
it needs to be as small and light as poss, i meen pack down to nothing and very warm that i can use it all year round in this country with a hammock and on ground.
please heeelllpp!!!
would love links and details
£150 to spend
 

ged

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Jul 16, 2009
4,995
29
In the woods if possible.
Man-made fibre bags which are warm enough for what you want will not pack down to nothing. They also tend to be on the heavy side, approaching two kilos isn't unusual, although you didn't mention weight. Good down bags are better from those points of view but they're expensive and you don't want to let them get wet. Make sure you aren't allergic to down before you spend the night in a down bag.

A night in a sleeping bag that's too warm for the conditions is more uncomfortable for me than one that's too cool because I get drenched in sweat. You can layer sleeping bags like you can layer clothing, so I have more than one sleeping bag to choose from and they weren't all expensive.

Beware the temperature ratings that are bandied about by people who sell sleeping bags. The minimum temperatures they quote are usually for survival not for comfort, you can add at least ten degrees Celsius to most of them for any kind of comfort, and more than that depends on the individual anyway.

You compress parts of the insulation of a sleeping bag when you lie on it and that significantly reduces its effectiveness, so what you lie on is easily as important as what you sleep in. Look into sleep mats (possibly under-quilts for a hammock, but a mat will do the job and will work on the ground) as carefully as you look into sleeping bags. Mats can collect condensation so consider that the base of the bag might need to be something like Goretex if you have a closed cell foam mat or the bottom of the bag might get damp. I use a bivvy bag to avoid the problem.

There's a whole religion about what, if anything, you wear when you're in a sleeping bag. I'm firmly in the clothing, er, camp. :)
 
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Diamond Dave

Full Member
Mar 2, 2006
924
231
Ilkeston
As I'm in the market for a new sleeping bag I sent Ged a PM asking about condensation and down bags.The information received back was good but it did raise another question ? When using a hammock how do you get in the sleeping bag then in a bivvy and then in the hammock.....I can see a video being sent to Harry Hill.
 

Shewie

Mod
Dec 15, 2005
24,259
26
49
Yorkshire
As I'm in the market for a new sleeping bag I sent Ged a PM asking about condensation and down bags.The information received back was good but it did raise another question ? When using a hammock how do you get in the sleeping bag then in a bivvy and then in the hammock.....I can see a video being sent to Harry Hill.

There's a couple of tricks to getting in, everybody seems to have their own technique but it usually involves wriggling about like a giant green maggot for ten minutes.

No need for a bivvy in a hammock though, I tried it once in an old Hennessy just for a laugh
 

sandsnakes

Life Member
May 22, 2006
993
31
69
West London
Millets Eurohike do a down bag, I use it all year round. Proved to be better than my Berghaus.

Its a very reasonable price as well.
D500 Featuring a boxed-construction, this season 4 sleeping bag by Eurohike is high in warmth and comfort and its down fill insulation makes this an ideal choice for cold temperatures suitable for conditions up to -21C. Providing excellent warmth to weight ratio, this lightweight sleeping bag retains heat and its down-fill will ensure you are kept warm and protected wherever you are headed. Great for the lightweight backpacker, this pack-size sleeping bag comes with a handy compression sack for further ease of transport.

£70 in there sale


S
 
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martsim73

Full Member
Jul 30, 2012
160
0
Wimborne, Dorset
Easiest way I found was to unfold the sleeping bag and bivi, put sleeping bag in bivi then literally bunch both up so you can get your feet into the bottom the bag(s). Stand up and pull up around you... Then sit in hammock and twist in as you'd normally do. Done! LOL.... It's all experimentation and done with a smile on your face. :)
 

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