Looking for a warmer sleeping bag. I do some multiday hiking in Tas, Vic and aspiring to do some (domestic) Alpine Camping. I have a friend who has one of the Mont Zodiac range bags and loves it for hiking. I have some other Mont equipment and the quality is excellent. I was thinking that if Alpine Camping some sort of water resistance on the outside of the bag would be a v good idea so was looking at the Kiandra or Brindabella bag. https://www.mont.com.au/sleeping-ba...rectangular-xt-sleeping-bags?cat=&technology= Does anyone have any experience with either of these or want to suggest something else? From what I can gather I'm an "average" sleeper, so don't sleep over hot or cold.
My experience with full water proof bags were they were a barstad to dry and clean. So sold mine on. And spent more money on the tent. I’ll have to check what the current bag is, it’s nice and toasty. I didn’t do the purchase.
Mont and One Planet are the top Aussie companies, but may manufacture overseas. Usually you'll want 800g or more of top quality down for winter in Aus. I just bought a Mont Main Range (second hand) for my daughter who was a cold sleeper. 1000g of fill in a mummy shape. It's heaps fluffy. She was getting cold in my wife's One Planet Bushlite Super whilst camping at Lake Eucumbene. The old rule of thumb back in the day in Canberra was a good winter sleeping bag always cost about a week's wages (think mid level public service I guess, so about $1000 today?). As to "waterproofing" I can take it or leave it. I've got Gore Dryloft on my One Planet bag, but reckon a good tent solves most problems wrt moisture. There was a really warm bag for sale on the forum here a little while ago, plus a bloke selling a Bushlite Super with extra down added. Both seemed good value for decent bits of kit.
Bushlite sold I see. But this bag still maybe available: https://www.ski.com.au/xf/threads/arctic-gear-and-clothing-sell-off.84803/
Hi FBD, I have had a zodiac 500 for over 15 years now and whilst its not waterproof have used it own to -5 and still been warm. I would consider myself an average sleeper, Like you I like Mont.
this info will be of no use at all in 1960 my grandmother took me to Paddy Pallin to get a hiking pack and a sleeping bag for my birthday I’ll be in the sleeping bag tonight at the lodge it leaves little grey feathers everywhere, otherwise nice and warm
My Marmot Helium has been a good investment. Only weighs 1 kilogram and is fine for snow camping in a good tent. I usually use a Thermarest All Season mat with it.
I've got a Salewa bag, I've since about 95. Great piece of kit. If using in winter I put it inside a goretex bivi bag to provide an extra bit of protection from moisture.
I prefer to err on the side of a bag that's too warm provided it has a side zip to open. I really dislike being uncomfortably cool, and I like to sleep in just underwear. Bags tend to get a bit damp after a few nights and can suddenly be no where near as warm, particularly towards morning IME. Mid winter I still use a 30 year old J&H Winterlite and sometimes a Bushlite for spring trips. Was given an old Fairydown Everest with Entrant outer that has only been used for 5 nights!...it's like new but is very bulky and weighs in at about 2.1kg. Really only good for vehicle based camping for cold sleepers. Awesome bag though.
Yes I know. But all the good bags have pretty good down, though it seems nowadays you can choose your loft rating as well as an option.
Way way overkill for Australia and New Zealand But thanx for the thought, maybe for a trip to Antarctica away from the coast tho.
I don't think water resistance should be a priority if you have a good tent or bivvy. In fact..it would seems silly to get a high end bag and an untrustworthy tent. So I wouldn't pay for water resistance unless portaledginging. Personally ...i would prioritise a full length zipper, v good head and neck baffles for sealing., and preferred volume (some like tight..some like roomy). Mountain equipment (uk brand) bags always seem v well made and specced to me...and most importantly...have temp ratings that seem to realistically match the specs
WR plays its strongest role with respect to condensation at the foot. Some bags only add it there. I've got a Zodiac 500 - about 2 degrees is my comfort limit in that. And a Mont Spindrift -14 with Hydronaute shell but not DWR down. About -5 is my comfort limit in that. I sleep cold when I'm tired.
If you carry a warm jacket or parka for standing around time in camp then in my experience it makes sense from a pack weight perspective to use this same insulation for sleeping in, the trouble is that most sleeping bags are cut too skinny to allow this method of saving weight. One that is an Expedition cut and a very vapour permeable shell fabric is the One Planet Cocoon but my experience with this fabric tells me that here in our soggy winters you really do need a secondary WPB shell https://www.oneplanet.com.au/product/sleeping-bags/down/cocoon/ I've used a superlight old Mountain Designs Foxhole bivvy over my Ultra for the last 30 years, probably part of the reason it has lasted so well. Like Ziggy I sleep cold when tired and like most people over 45YO I have the age related lowering of sleep time basal metabolism, which equates to about 5C for every decade after 25YO when buying sleeping bags. So a system rated for -30C when I was 30 in now only good for -10C and lower than that when exhausted etc
I would consider some synthetic sleeping bag first of all. There is no way to keepyourself warm and comfortable in a wet down fill sleeping bag. Marmot Voyager seems an intriguing option here https://wildproofgear.com/best-ultralight-sleeping-bag/ Also synthetic bags are much more affordable.
Synthetic is still significantly more bulky which may be an issue for multi-day human-powered ventures. Treating down to be hydrophobic is the biggest recent tech change in down garments but some bag makers don't use it because it doesn't last. Eg. https://www.mountain-equipment.co.uk/blog/what-is-hydrophobic-down/ And performance claims may be overstated - https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/topics/camping-and-hiking/best-backpacking-sleeping-bag
Welcome - a worthy topic to necro! Down or synthetic, you're either dry and warm or wet and not. Maybe synthetic is warmer when wet, but I'll never know because I just look after my gear and don't let it get wet/air it out/use a bivvy bag. I'm going to give this a go, probably with a bivvy bag: https://www.patagonia.ca/product/hybrid-down-sleeping-bag-regular/889833681217.html
Back in the day goose down was favoured over duck as warmer. I had a 900g goose down bag. But apparently ducks didn't get to live long enough to grow large enough to produce enough best quality down and now they do.
Insulation from cold ground with a decent mattress is an additional critical factor- significant range of r-values in mattresses- and a massive range in price and quality too.... Thermarest for the win imo. Exped has some issues with its Downmat range but I like them too.
One way to tackle the problem is to use a double bag system with a lighter down bag inside an oversized synthetic bag. The problem being that very few LW synthetic bags are big enough to fit over any other bag. Ditto with quilts naturally. With the Aussie dollar at such low values it might be worth looking at the few local makers. Get in quick before prices go up in line with the exchange rate tho, because we don't make any of the fibres or fabrics used here
I have an old Mountain Designs bag with a Dry Loft shell - served me well with winter camping for years, initially with a 3/4 length thermarest and later with an Exped Downmat 7. As I got older I started to feel the cold more. I bought a new bag, but it was too big so despite great loft and temp rating I was still cold when snow camping. I sold it on and bought a Mont Telemark bag about 3 years ago at one of their sales - it's been great. I bought a Klymit insulated mat from Massdrop (now simply Drop) with a claimed R-value of 4.4. I was sceptical but although it takes a little longer to get warm, it's been fine for ski touring on the Main Range. It's under 500g, which helps on the uphill! And a good price. I like the Downmat for comfort, I'll probably end up getting an upgrade (warmer and lighter than the old one) at some point. We have Downmats for the whole family, the original ones from about 14 years ago were replaced by Exped under warranty, the new ones are about 10 years old and the only problem I have noticed is migration of the down in one mat only. Past warranty so too bad.
...just a thought here on building a viable sleep system for occasional winter snow camping(holiday when I can get one)and bag which does for camping bout home area- usually no lower than 0 celsius or so. I've got marmot hydrogen the 32f, -1 one. Great weight-wise but for winter snow camp I thought maybe one of the oversized SeaToSummits(Explorer or Basecamp) with hydrogen inside would be viable? Not sure but going by torso measurements would have to think the hydrogen would still loft inside the much bigger SeaToSummit - down or thermolite. Bit of a weight penalty true, but saves having to buy an expensive winter bag which is going to be used infrequently. Anyone tried anything similar with these bigger SeaToSummits?
Mont clearance - cheapest bag I've seen in years https://www.mont.com.au/collections...ac-700-3-to-10-c-down-sleeping-bag-navy-black
Those oversized S2S bags are pretty warm on their own and big enough to use as an outer bag in a 2-bag system. While I haven't slept in it I have put my own winter bag inside the BC2 https://seatosummit.com/product/basecamp-down-bcii/ Easily fits and my winter bag is pretty large But the BC2 is rated to just below freezing so the combined bags would be good to about -30C with warm clothing on. Same comment about the Explore bags except those are a tad lighter. There are cheaper options Not as sophisticated but the Winter Trekkers grabbed a few of these over in the USA and Canada https://www.mountainwarehouse.com/au/summit-250-sleeping-bag-xl-p18465.aspx/mustard/ https://www.mountainwarehouse.com/au/035204-lightweight-down-double-sleeping-bag-p28943/navy/ I've talked with S2S about layering a Traveller over a sleeping bag as stated on their web site and I just bought a S2S Traveller1 in a Long / Wide size to do just that when I'm wanting to save a little weight over my Nunatak overquilt. The S2S Traveller should give an easy 5C boost in comfort and at least a 15C boost in survival temperatures If I was after a bigger boost maybe I should have bought a Traveller 2, those are 10 degrees warmer, rated to 5C In personal conversation with somebody from S2S they suggested using an Ember2 as an overquilt and if I was a little smaller in the chest and shoulder that might work being warmer and lighter again https://seatosummit.com/product/ember-sleeping-quilt-ebii/ But I got the XL Traveller 1 at a bargain price
If you really want a bargain overbag I'll sell you my cheapie https://www.mountainwarehouse.com/ca/traveller-50-sleeping-bag-xl-p18461.aspx/ I simply have too many sleeping bags
..that'd be a good option if they had the XL in Trv2 also. Haven't found a lot on chest/hip details on those mountainwarehouse bags. Apart from getting enough room for inner bag to fit when needed , sleeping otherwise without it - anything remotely confining isn't much fun!
They are 1050mm wide in the XL size, huge. Foot is 700 wide The LW version fitted over the -55 monster bag I sold to Canada 50GSM of generic hollow fibre gives about a 5C boost inside a tent, the shell fabric is very permeable so no water trapped inside. The Robic fabric on my Nunatak overquilt is totally windproof and much warmer but doesn't allow as much water vapour to pass through. I don't think S2S sold too many XL Travellers compared to the normal sizes. I'll PM you snowbarbie
Went crazy at the mont clearance. New tent Tent footprint New sleeping bags x 2 (including the one you linked to) Then I found out that SeaToSummitDistribution had 40% off New sleeping bag liner New sleeping mat
