UKC

I've got a synthetic winter bag already so plan on using this Apr/May to Sept in UK so don't need a really warm one but not really sure which rating I need. If it was cold I'd bring the winter bag anyway but I do miss the snuggness on the skin of a down bag.

Ideally under £100, ideally in the sales!

Oh, and I'm a six footer so needs to be long.

In reply to Owen W-G:

I have been looking for a similar temperature bag recently. I decided that I want 3 season bag as a little bit warmer bag is not worse than cold bag! I would recommend Alpkit, but they are out of stock at the moment. There is one auction for Alpkit bag on eBay (Pipedream 400) at the moment, but it might be too short for you.

If you are not looking for a highest fill power, The North Face Blue Kazoo would probably the one I would recommend. However, it is not the lightest nor the cheapest. Honestly, I could not find any decent down sleeping bag under 100 pounds (I even checked foreign sites for that). Take a look at Cumulus range, they are probably the cheapest yet good bags.


P.s. I ended up buying Rab Neutrino Endurance 400 from eBay, almost twice cheaper than RRP. It was used once and with a liner, so I do not have problem with that.

In reply to PPP:


Thanks, thinking about it, I definitely don't want one that would be too hot for summer, what comfort rating would that be?

In reply to Owen W-G:

It really depends on the height you are sleeping at. Do you remember the sunny weather in second part of July? At least it was boiling hot (got sunburnt in one day and was on the top of Ben Macdui with shorts while army soldier was applying sun cream on his face!) in most of the Scotland. Few days before that I was camping in 900m height near Glas Maol and there was some steam coming from my mouth during the evening. So I suppose it was close to zero degrees, including the chill factor. That's why I went for 3 seasons sleeping bag instead of 2 - you can always unzip the sleeping bag, but suffering in cold is not too pleasant (I am talking from my own experience...).

It also depends on the sleeping system you use and your habits. Is it a tent or a bivi? Are you sleeping alone (you can share body heat with someone or even zip the bags together)? Are you cold or warm sleeper? Are you okay to sleep with thermal clothing if it gets colder? What mat do you use? What kind of liner do you use (it's very advisable to use one in a down bag)?

You can definitely get a 2 seasons sleeping bag and use winter bag between mid Autumn and mid Spring. It really depends on how weight concious you are as 2 seasons sleeping bags will definitely be lighter and smaller.

In reply to PPP:

this looks decent value

http://www.mountainwarehouse.com/walking/sleeping-bags/3-4-season-sleeping-...

In reply to Owen W-G:
To be honest the MW Everest bag doesn't look like a bargain at all. This has a better 'fill' and is slightly cheaper:
http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/vango-venom-200-sleeping-bag-p262789
or even this, a claimed 700 fill:
http://www.blacks.co.uk/equipment/62005317-blacks-cosmos-400-sleeping-bag-r...

In reply to Owen W-G:

I have a North Face Blue Kazoo that I managed to buy off here for £100. It is absolutely amazing!!!! It's not too bulky that it'd put you off packing it into your backpack but it'll give you a fantastic night sleep after long hike and it comes with two bags 1 stuff sack and a store bag so that it won't compress the down and will last longer. YOU CAN'T GO WRONG WITH IT!

Hope it helps

In reply to Owen W-G:

I should also add that I am 6ft 1 and this is a perfect fit, I believe it's the regular version.

In reply to Owen W-G:

I've used a Blue Kazoo for the last 6 years in the summer (if it's too hot, just use your liner and use the bag as a duvet), UK winter, and for an alpine bivvy shivering in all my clothes. It's pretty versatile, and once I got it washed (after about 4 years!) the loft returned to it's former glory. I picked it up for about £80 in a January sale in N Wales I think. In winter you get a bit cold, and in summer you get a bit hot. But for a one-bag-does-it-all, I can put up with that.

In reply to Owen W-G:
Honestly, I didn't like MW Everest. It is way too heavy as a down sleeping bag and the Mountain Hardwear Lamina 0 has even better temperature ratings and is lighter! Also, the prices are rather similar and would outperform in damp conditions. You probably know that the down is good as long as it is dry - otherwise, it looses its loft and almost all thermal insulation.

Mountain Hardwear Everest bag also has 20% feathers in it (which do not give much thermal insulation - other makers use to make 90/10 or even 96/4 fills). Also, the fill weight is only 475, which would mean that the bag wouldn't be that fluffy (fill power explained: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fill_power ). It looks like there is no difference between grey and white goose down, though.

I am not saying that the Everest bag by Mountain Warehouse is not good, but there are better options in the market. Again, if you are weight conscious and under tight budget, take a look at eBay, there are few good deals every week.

In reply to Owen W-G:

I went for the North Face Gold Kazoo after getting a good deal on one. Very lightweight and very warm. I've used it to about -2 sofar and was still snug and warm enough. The other option i looked at was the force ten down bags which you can usually find on sale somewhere online- well worth a wee look too!