Sleeping systems - bags, pads, matts, liners

1kg is pretty light though right?

Tommy, do you favour down on the whole?

I'm no expert but I did spend some time looking at things before I bought, and of course, I want to justify my purchase. For me weight was very important too as I am trying to cut my weight down (I'm using homemade soda can stove, only one set of cloths (worn) + dry top and pant to sleep in e.t.c).

From all my research it seems

1. down has a higher warmth to weight ratio
   
2. down packs smaller
   
3. down lasts longer
   
4. down is more expensive.
   
5. synthetic maintains more of it's insulation when wet than down and if it does get wet drys out easier.
   
   

So for me it seems that if you are careful you can gain massively with down. The time to use synthetic seems to be if you may be doing extended sessions in a bivi bag where condensation may build up, or you don't have confidence in your shelter or you will be camping in a very wet environment e.g caving. I think I've read that on some north pole expeditions they prefer synthetic because it's a very damp cold and the expedition can be long resulting in deterioration of insulation properties. If you are on a bike tour though even if your bag does get a bit wet you can always pop into a laundrette and use a big drier to dry it out.

I spent just over a week in Scotland this autumn in consistent rain in a cheap Argos tent and manged to keep my bag dry.

1kg is pretty light though right?

I would've thought it's maybe a bit heavy. You can get tents that are sub 1kg

That's dead helpful Tommy, both for me and generally, cheers.

Initially it's for Italy in late Spring (i.e. hot) but I want it to be useful for Spring/Summer/Autumn trips around the UK. I really think down is the way to go. I'm prepared to spend the money on something decent and confident I'd be able to keep it dry; I just want something reasonably versatile to justify the cost.

The Ellis Brigham site is pretty helpful.

Snugpak's are top notch! I have a summer season one, pack up super small , and a 2 season one, that also rolls up fairly tiny considering how warm it is :)

If you're gonna be in Italy in spring then I would get a cheapo one that's super thin and light.

p.s. for any camping you need a good sleeping mat that will stop the cold from coming up thru the floor.
Thermarest. Highly recommended.

p.s. for any camping you need a good sleeping mat that will stop the cold from coming up thru the floor.
Thermarest. Highly recommended.

+1

Sleeping mats are almost more important than bags for me

+1 snugpak

I have snugpak travelpack extreme, using it in summer in UK i totally roasted to the extent that i could not sleep in it.

Describes it's 'comfort' zone as 2 to 12 degC, with a low of minus 3 degC (although it wasn't that cold in swanage).

I just checked and they are down to £31 on one site, which is about £5 less than what i paid, and i thought i was getting a bargain.

http://www.outdoorgb.com/p/snugpak_travelpak_xtreme_sleeping_bag/?utm_source=froogle&utm_medium=directory&utm_content=GBR&currency=GBP&country=GBR

1100g, pack size 17cm by 17cm. Although it was mentioned earlier that 1kg is a bit much for a sleeping bag, it doesn't really feel heavy at all compared to other bags i have or have had. Lightness and pack size, cost, and 3 season use were the only criteria i used when spending a long time researching this, and this is what i ended up with.

oh and i also use a silk liner...

Yup, I have a Thermarest Prolite on order. They are awesome.

p.s. for any camping you need a good sleeping mat that will stop the cold from coming up thru the floor.
Thermarest. Highly recommended.

bringing alpkit into it again, their mats are around half the price of thermarest, and may not be as prestigious, but they're still pretty fantastic for the money. I have regular airic, and also a couple of fat airics for when i have the car, or people crashing on my floor.

check out Mountain Equipment Xero range - fantastic bit of kit. I chose it over the Rab Quantum as it has neck baffles, full zip and a fantastic compression system to wrap a snug fit and much warmer than its rating. it's a massive upgrade from my old Lamina bag which was/is decent bag. either bag should suit your needs.

the general rule to bags is to buy a colder bag than you might think you need but l take opposite view as you have additional clothes to wear if it gets too cold and l'm a warm sleeper ;)

forget silk liner and get some silk pajamas - multi-use unlike one use liners. agree on getting a good mat.

bringing alpkit into it again, their mats are around half the price of thermarest, and may not be as prestigious, but they're still pretty fantastic for the money. I have regular airic, and also a couple of fat airics for when i have the car, or people crashing on my floor.

+1 on alpkit - took a pipedream 600 to Nepal with a silk liner - was absolutely wonderful - kept me nice and toasty even below -10

Recently purchased one of their mats too - great bits of kit and soo much cheaper than thermarest etc.

So Mr. Lanterne, you've switched from synthetic to down then? Which in the Xero range do you have and when do you use it?

the pack size sold me as l like ultralight touring. I have Xero350, but wish l got the lighter 250 as its warmer than its rating for UK 3season.
the ironic part is that l will be looking for a synthetic as l may be transplanted in China where the humidity will kill down!

Oh no! What exactly do you mean by transplanted? Sounds gruesome.

I've been looking at the PHD website and they have to be worth considering. They're very light, they pack tiny and they aren't as expensive as a lot of others. I honestly wouldn't know which temperature to go with though. I envisage both chilly (almost frosty) nights in the Lake District in early Spring and hot Summer nights in Italy, and obviously I'd ideally like neither to be too cold nor too warm respectively. Hmm.

I just took a synthetic sleeping bag (from Halfords, I think) when i went cycling around southern france a few yrs back - it was the middle of summer, though, so pretty warm! warm enough to wear a t-shirt at night. sorry this post isn't really very helpful.

I just took a synthetic sleeping bag (from Halfords, I think) when i went cycling around southern france a few yrs back - it was the middle of summer, though, so pretty warm! warm enough to wear a t-shirt at night. sorry this post isn't really very helpful.

Your post sounds exactly the same as mine. Mine is equally as unhelpful, I also apologise.

I have Therma Rest mat and they work well, self inflates up to a point and I have a Mountain Hardware sleeping bag Thermic Micro I believe but may need to check, was handy knowing some at Ellis Brigham with a 30% discount ;o))

Where are you based Superprecise? as you could try a night out in the garden with my sleeping bag, quite warm and snug.

On your own I might add so don't get any funny ideas.

I've had the same synthetic Ajungilak 3 season for over ten years. It has all the features you'd expect - neck baffles, hood, full length zip and solid compression system. It's also extremely light.

It's survived frequent dunkings in rivers and the sea; plentiful coatings in dust and mud; freezing nights on damp, heatless boats in winter and boiling tents at numerous summer festivals.

The thing looks good as new, keeps the heat in when its cold and has enough air circulation to keep you cool on humid nights. It also dries out quickly, even in damp conditions.

Unless I ever need a winter bag, I can't imagine ever needing to buy anything else.

This thread is brilliant, it makes me want to sleep in a big lovely warm soft sleeping bag.

Fuck my cold bed. Fuck it to hell.

the pack size sold me as l like ultralight touring. I have Xero350, but wish l got the lighter 250 as its warmer than its rating for UK 3season.
the ironic part is that l will be looking for a synthetic as l may be transplanted in China where the humidity will kill down!

Sounds interesting, where about in china are you thinking of going.