Snugpak Expander?

[Alamo]

Hi,

I've been looking for a decent sleeping bag for a while now, but being quite wide (52" chest) means that I just can't zip the average 80cm bags up.

Could anyone please tell me by how much the Snugpak Expander panel extends the chest width of their bags? I've looked online and there seems to be opinions ranging from 50mm (2 inches) to as much as 325mm (13 inches).

Also tried the Gelert Freedom 400 DL XL today which claimed to be 90cm wide. With quite a bit of a struggle I could just about zip this one all the way up, but unfortunately the bag was then so tight that I felt like I'd been shrinkwrapped and I doubt the zip would have lasted long before bursting. Later inspection of the bag showed the upper outside measurement of the bag to be only 84cm and not the advertised 90cm.

Looking forward to hearing from anyone who can help with an answer regarding the Snugpak Expanders.

Alan

 

[cave_dweller]

I just bought a Snugpak "winter" with the expander panel. I'd say the panel varies along the length of the bag - maybe 4 - 5 inches around the chest area, less as you go further down. If you have a 52 inch chest, I recommend you try to find one in a friendly store and try it. I'm a 48 inch chest and it's ok for me (snug but manageable when it's done up tight, but plenty of space when the looser zip is used). I don't know if it would be a good fit if I was much bigger though. Hope that helps.

 

[woof]

As CV says, the snugpak elite range have an expander panel built in. There's a guy on SOTP who's the same size as CV, and he's slling a couple 7 says they are roomy for him, hope thais helps

 

[Alamo]

Thanks for the info.

I had been under the impression that additional "Expanda" panels were available for all Snugpak bags, but I have now learnt that this is not the case with the Elite range. After speaking with Snugpak, it appears that the advertised chest width (165cm with stretch) of the Elite bags is an external measurement and not internal as one would expect. I haven't had the opportunity of trying one of the Elite bags as yet so can't comment on that one, but as many people already know, bag manufacturers season ratings are generally taken with a pinch of salt and it has been my experience that many of them must also be using their own unique forms of measuring dimension too.

cave_dweller - Snugpak stockists seem a little thin on the ground in my area, but will make further enquiries and hopefully test drive some of their range soon. You say you have the 'winter' but I've been unable to find any info anywhere about this particular bag. Is 'winter' the correct name?

woof - thanks for the heads up re SOTP. I have contacted the seller and am awaiting a response.


Alan

 

[woof]

No probs Alan glad to help.

Rob