Inexpensive winter sleeping bag

[Oscar's dad]

I want one.  I won't be cycling up the north face of the Eiger just bike camping in the UK during the winter months.

What do you suggest?

Thanks 

[YahudaMoon]

I'd get a 'Snugpack'. Just put a deposit on one. they cost £70 +. Im not one for buying expensive things though I would not mess about with cheap winter sleeping bags. They pack extremely small and if there good enough for the British Arm Forces there good enough for me. Just make sure you get the right one for the winter conditions you expect to be using it in.

[JT]

Vango Venom 300?

http://www.vango.co.uk/sleeping-bags/venom-300.html

I think Wowbagger has one.

[slugwash]

Is £100 reduced from £180 too expensive? Rock & Run has some Rab down bags good to -5 on offer....


Rab Atlas Explorer 700 - Rock + Run

[Oscar's dad]

I had a nasty feeling that your recommendations were going to be £70+.  The alternative is to put two of my existing sleep bags inside one another, this worked fine last winter.

But, what does the International Jury think of this ...? Snugpak The Sleeping Bag LH - 3 Season Camping - NEW !! on eBay (end time  05-Dec-10 10:43:02 GMT)

[Chris N]

The clue is in the name, isn't it?

[CrinklyLion]

I got one of these


   Microlite 950 Sleeping Bag - 3 & 4 Season Sleeping Bags


and quite like it.  Haven't tested it in particularly cold conditions, and the stuff sack is very thin fabric so I was a bit dubious about using the compression straps to shrink it down too much in case.  Not really compresseed at all it just about fills an Ortlieb front roller.  Cheap and cheerful

[Speshact]

I don't know how much warmth a silk liner adds to a bag - maybe get one to supplement you summer/autumn sleeping bag? If you get a down bag you'll probably want to use a liner to avoid the need to wash it.

[perpetual dan]

I have a fleece liner somewhere, which certainly made my bag feel more cosy.

[TimO]

Of course you've got the buying time a bit wrong, the start of winter is not really the best time to start looking for bargains on winter sleeping bags, early spring last year would probably have been better.

[Wowbagger]

Vango Venom 300?

http://www.vango.co.uk/sleeping-bags/venom-300.html

I think Wowbagger has one.

I do indeed have one.

Having as manly a chest as I do, I find it's a bit of a snug fit and is hard to zip up. I have a much bulkier polyester one as well.

When we were on the Andpver camping weekend in September, one of the nights was especially cold - IIRC Rogerzilla reported frost on his tent around dawn. Mrs. Wow was using the down sleeping bag with a cotton & silk liner. She succeeded in getting the foot end of the bag a bit wet in the night by making contact with the tent inner and her feet got cold. Other than that it's very good.

[Regulator]

Gah...

I hate buying sleeping bags.  I can never get them to fit round the chest and shoulders (where my shoulder is wonky the shoulder blade sticks out which means I have to sleep at a slight tilt).

Still trying to find a decent fitting one and may have to venture into town tomorrow on the hunt.

[gordon taylor]

My Alpkit down bag fits me well, and is snug.
I can recommend it for, ahem, "well built" gentlemen.

[vorsprung]

Vorsprung jnr went on her ten tours training camping earlier in the month and used her old cheap sleeping bag and my silk liner I take on audaxes.  It wasn't entirely successful, the liner wouldn't stay in place around her head

[Regulator]

Success!

I found a MountainLife Summit 300XL which is a very roomy mummy bag.  And the best thing was it was on special offer at £19.99 

It's a 3 season bag but, with a fleece liner it should be suitable for 4+.

It's been hard looking for a bag I like.  Most of the roomier bags are down-filled.  Problem is, down makes me wheeze.

I think I shall give it a test outing at the Essex Christmas do.

[Oscar's dad]

Success!

I found a MountainLife Summit 300XL which is a very roomy mummy bag.  And the best thing was it was on special offer at £19.99 

It's a 3 season bag but, with a fleece liner it should be suitable for 4+.

It's been hard looking for a bag I like.  Most of the roomier bags are down-filled.  Problem is, down makes me wheeze.

I think I shall give it a test outing at the Essex Christmas do.

Where did you get it from?

[Regulator]

Success!

I found a MountainLife Summit 300XL which is a very roomy mummy bag.  And the best thing was it was on special offer at £19.99 

It's a 3 season bag but, with a fleece liner it should be suitable for 4+.

It's been hard looking for a bag I like.  Most of the roomier bags are down-filled.  Problem is, down makes me wheeze.

I think I shall give it a test outing at the Essex Christmas do.

Where did you get it from?

Mountain Warehouse.  They tend to carry a lot of crap but every now and then you find a diamond.

[Butterfly]

That's the bag we use with an extention insert as a double. It's not bad at all and we use it comfortably except in really cold weather when we either use 2 down bags zipped together or put it inside a 'proper' double bag.

[clarion]

Just right for two

[Oscar's dad]

Success!

I found a MountainLife Summit 300XL which is a very roomy mummy bag.  And the best thing was it was on special offer at £19.99 

It's a 3 season bag but, with a fleece liner it should be suitable for 4+.

It's been hard looking for a bag I like.  Most of the roomier bags are down-filled.  Problem is, down makes me wheeze.

I think I shall give it a test outing at the Essex Christmas do.

Where did you get it from?

Mountain Warehouse.  They tend to carry a lot of crap but every now and then you find a diamond.

Gulp  that's a concern, it would appear you and I were of one mind over the weekend, I too visited the Mountain Warehouse where I purchased a Mountain Life sleeping bag as well!  Mine is a Microlite 1400 which aledgedly is good down to -7 degs so mine is clearly better than yours    and it cost more at £29.99     

I will also be trying it out for real at the Essex Christmas do, but before you suggest it we won't be zipping our new bags together 

[Regulator]

Success!

I found a MountainLife Summit 300XL which is a very roomy mummy bag.  And the best thing was it was on special offer at £19.99 

It's a 3 season bag but, with a fleece liner it should be suitable for 4+.

It's been hard looking for a bag I like.  Most of the roomier bags are down-filled.  Problem is, down makes me wheeze.

I think I shall give it a test outing at the Essex Christmas do.

Where did you get it from?

Mountain Warehouse.  They tend to carry a lot of crap but every now and then you find a diamond.

Gulp  that's a concern, it would appear you and I were of one mind over the weekend, I too visited the Mountain Warehouse where I purchased a Mountain Life sleeping bag as well!  Mine is a Microlite 1400 which aledgedly is good down to -7 degs so mine is clearly better than yours    and it cost more at £29.99     

I will also be trying it out for real at the Essex Christmas do, but before you suggest it we won't be zipping our new bags together 

Mines rated down to -8   

[Oscar's dad]

[Splitting hairs]

Ah but, is that the comfort or the extreme rating?  Mine is comfortable to -7 and has an extreme rating of -18 

[Regulator]

I looked at the Microlite but it didn't have enough width at the shoulder.

But it was on at £14.99 at the shop in Cambridge...  you were robbed!

[Oscar's dad]

I looked at the Microlite but it didn't have enough width at the shoulder.

But it was on at £14.99 at the shop in Cambridge...  you were robbed!

 

[Canardly]

Mountaint life summit. How does the 2.2kg weight compare with other offerings?