Tesco down bags, anyone got one?

[Gotte]

I bought one today on a whim, but I'm not sure.

http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.200-7415.aspx

It tends to get a half decent writeup on the outdoormagic forum.

http://www.outdoorsmagic.com/forum/forummessages.asp?URN=5&UTN=17074&last=1 & SP = & V = 8

I've only just unpacked it, so have to wait a couple of days for it to loft up, but from what I can see, it's just made all wrong.
There's down in the underside, and around the foot, but on the top section, hardly anything.
It's rated as good to about 4 deg, but I unless down is a super insulator, I just can't see how such a thin scattering of down on the top is any good at all.
Ironically, it would probably be better for me, as I tend to sleep on my side or stomach, but I can;t believe that's how it's been designed.
Just wondered if anyone had any experience, and whether they can confirm this is how it's supposed to be, or if I've just got a really badly made one.
It was only £35, so not too expensive, but that might just be £35 down the toilet if it proves useless.
My other idea was maybe trying to put some extra down in it myself. I'm competent enough with a sewing machine to believe I could do it, but a quick google leads me to believe you can't just buy down. I even had a look at quilting suppliers, but no down. And if I were to buy a down quilt to canibalise, then it's another £40 or £50, so I might as well have bought a better bag.

I can still take it back, so nothing lost, but I'd be interested to know if anyone had bought one and rated it (or didn;t, as the case may be).

 

[Chambers]

I have one and its not bad for the price paid and the size it packs down to but I am deffinately only using it as a fairish weather bag, nothing more

 

[benjy]

Hi,

I have a tesco down sleeping bag, had it since early summer 2009, which I bought it to use for summer backpacking trip in the UK and Europe.

I've not noticed the distribution of the down that you mentioned, mine seems pretty even, although I will check as I've never really looked too closely.

I've used mine multiple times and thought its been a great bargain buy. The size is great for backpacking, and it is warm enough to be used in this country from Early may to mid september. I think the rating to 4 deg is optimistic, but I find all sleeping bags optimisitic in that respect. One of my friends also has the bag and highly recommends it.

Perhaps, as you say you have a bad one, or maybe the design has changed since I bought one? Might be worth exchanging for another.

 

[Ronnie]

Thanks for the write up - I was looking at these the other day and was quite tempted. I think I know better now

 

[Gotte]

It is actually bulking up a bit now. I still wouldn't say it was thick across the chest, but better. It feel a bit more like a summer bag. Probably better than its closest rival I've seen, the Decathlon summer bag, which is impressively small for a synth bag, and light, and er, cheaper:

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/EN/s15-ultralight-l-113788044/

But rated at 15 deg, which is higher than the rating for the tesco bag.

I'm going to give it another day, then try it out (admittedly in a bedroom with the windows open). I'll let you know.

 

[bigandy]

take it to a launderette with a couple of tennis balls put them in the dryer this does tend to loft them up and reasonably even

 

[Gotte]

Thanks for that.

I left it for the prescribed 48 hours, and tried it last night. and I have to say, I'm surprised. It coped rather well. Last night it was about 3 deg in my loft, according to the fridge thermomenter I had in there. I slept with the windows open, and on my thermorest, with the Tesco down bag and a cotton sleeping bag liner. I was wearing thin cotton pyjamas and socks, which I figure I would be wearing anyway in those kind of temperatures. I'd also always be using a liner to keep the bag clean.
And you know, I was never cold. I slept on my stomach a bit, which helped seeing as the loft in the base is a bit thicker than the top, but then slept on my side, and after I woke in the morning at around 6.30, with the windows still open, snow outside and my extra synthetic army bag by my side unused, I tried lying there on my back to see if the thinner loft at the front lost heat, which it didn't seem to do. Lay there for about an hour, but still warm in my bag.

Of course, I wouldn't say I was ever over hot - I never had the desire to open the hood and let a bit of heat out, but then again, I never expected I would.

I found the Velcro fastener to be good and strong. The zip is Right hand side, which I seem to remember reading they all are, and the hood toggle to the left, which kind of works for me, as I tend to sleep on my left side and a zip is uncomfortable to lie on. I also found it easier to adjust the toggle with my right hand (I have to do it with my left on my other bag).

It isn't an overly roomy bag, but long enough for me (I'm 6ft), but it was okay - I never felt trapped in it or straining at the seams.

So all in all, I have to say, my first impressions were wrong, and seeing as it's rated at lower comfort level of 4.9 deg C, and I was sleeping in a room a little lower than that, and I do tend to sleep cold (if that's the right way of putting it - I go to sleep feeling warm, but then cool down considerably in the night), it performed okay.

How long it lasts is another matter - but the stitching seems okay to me, and actually, the baffles inside would be relatively easy to unpick in places and extra down added (if I could actually get hold of any), which could mean for a cheap bag, you could actually bump its rating up.

So all in all, thumbs up.