Sleeping bag recommendations please

[Borderer]

Hi there, I am new to bikepacking and looking to downsize our cycle-touring kit for more lightweight and compact gear. I am a bit bewildered by the number of sleeping bag options out there and wondered if anyone had any recommendations. My son and I are both on the small side, and I sleep very cold at night, so I think I need a 3 season bag of some sort. When we went touring last summer we just took the thinnest supermarket bags I could find and while these were ok for France in August, they won't be for anywhere else at any other time. I do have a couple of Integral Designs (laterly Rab) down bags I scored on eBay, but at 1.8kg they are not light and seem to be of Everest quality (seriously) so they are overkill I think. If they packed down smaller I would just keep them, but they are a bit on the bulky side at around 26x26cm packed (a basketball comes to mind).

I can sell the down bags to fund the purchase of new ones but I still won't have a great deal of funds available, so recommendations at the cheaper end would be most welcome of all.

Cheers
Bridget

[Justchris]

Vango venom bags are worth a look. Not the lightest, or best made or the warmest per gram. But cheep, light enough adequately made. Choose your weight of down accordingly for warmth. They have decent synthetic bags as well.

[Bearbonesnorm]

If funds allow, I'd be buying a couple of these: https://www.tauntonleisure.com/mountain ... lus/p15731

[Borderer]

Thanks guys.

If funds allow, I'd be buying a couple of these: https://www.tauntonleisure.com/mountain ... lus/p15731

Those do look interesting, cheers. Can you tell me if it is possible to zip two together if you get L and R zip ones? I thought that was the point of having the zips on different sides, but nobody ever seems to mention it on their websites. Having that option would seem to offer a useful way of staying warm if the bag's lower limit was ever exceeded. My son and I had to take that option once in Scotland in May and jam ourselves into one bag to stay warm for the night. We were in Eurohike 500 down bags (since stolen) with an outside temp of around +3.

[Bearbonesnorm]

Not sure whether they'll zip together or not. Generally, many quality mummy shaped bags don't as it prevents, neck, chest baffles and hoods from working properly.

[Chew]

Can you tell me if it is possible to zip two together if you get L and R zip ones?

Yes

It makes it easier if they are the same make, but as long as the zips are the same you can zip any bags together.
As Norm says, it may not work as two separate bags though.

I'd always say it's worth making a few sacrifices elsewhere to get the best bag you can. Spend here and be a bit thrifty elsewhere.

[Borderer]

Nice one, thanks

[Mariner]

Blacks have Mountain Hardware Lamina bags still available in their sale.
Happy to recommend the Lamina 35.
http://www.blacks.co.uk/br:mountain-hardwear/

[ianfitz]

If you want really cheap down bags there are some crazy cheap offerings on aliexpress.

I have used an aegismax one which was really quite a good bag and £45! 800fp down and light fabric. Similar in quality to cumulus TBH.

[Bearbonesnorm]

800fp down

Geuine question ... do you really trust the label on a cheap, chinese down bag Ian?

[Borderer]

800fp down

Geuine question ... do you really trust the label on a cheap, chinese down bag Ian?

yep - i had a look at these and that was my concern too.

[Sarah]

I agree it is worth investing well here. I still have my Rab bags I brought to take to Nepal in 1989, they are still used regularly.

I am also on the cold side [Reynaulds doesnt help] so I use liners, fresh dry clothes to sleep in and even double up bags at times.

As for zipping together, I found Rab doesnt offer this when I brought my bf a bag a couple of years ago.

I have seen Alpkit have launched a range of synthetic bags which I may look into if I ever feel the urge to go out in wetter conditions [ok, unlikely for this princess]. Their kit is cheaper and I have found to be good quality.

Good luck.

[ianfitz]

800fp down

Geuine question ... do you really trust the label on a cheap, chinese down bag Ian?

Not necessarily, I'm sure there are bonkersly over-stated ratings (like the 5000 lumen lights!) but based on my experience of owning and using this bag I'd say it was a reasonable rating. And I've owned various uk brands up to Phd 900fp bags and currently use an enlightened 950 quilt.

I certainly took a gamble on it in the first place but was very pleasantly surprised by what arrived.

I'm sure that the welfare standards of the down are compromised but I eat meat so am in no position to get moralistic about that.

[ianfitz]

I also think, based on experience, that aliexpress is a platform for Chinese producers who used to make for other brands to sell directly. Some of them such as aegismax are seeking to become 'actual brands' and aliexpress has a customer feedback system.

I've bought a few bit via them and am happy to do so again.

My guess is that much of the stuff is near identical to what mainstream brands are knocking out over here. Just you are buying direct and not paying two sets of importers and a European marketing strategy. Think how spar energy drink is 39p but red bull is 1:29. It's the same sub standard in the can.

That said, there is probably done chancers on there too!

[Bearbonesnorm]

I was purely asking out of interest Ian. Knowing how some Chinese manufacturers treat copyright, etc I did wonder whether they might have the same cavalier attitude towards other standards.

[ianfitz]

I was purely asking out of interest Ian. Knowing how some Chinese manufacturers treat copyright, etc I did wonder whether they might have the same cavalier attitude towards other standards.

I'm sure there are less scrupulous folk in there, as anywhere else, but the stuff I've had has been good and arrived quickly

[Cheeky Monkey]

What mats are you using? The insulation between your body and the ground is a key element to warmth. The best bag in the world will be massively compromised if you're lying on the equivalent of a lilo ( or something with a low R rating).

[Bearbonesnorm]

I'm sure there are less scrupulous folk in there, as anywhere else, but the stuff I've had has been good and arrived quickly

Me too.

Perhaps I'm just cynical - you can generally check that something is 'as described' once you see the product but fp isn't going to be something any of us can check easily. As I say, probably cynical

[MuddyPete]

...looking to downsize our cycle-touring kit,... I sleep very cold at night,...thinnest supermarket bags...ok for France in August. I have Integral Designs (laterly Rab) down bags...of Everest quality (seriously). If they packed down smaller I would just keep them, but they are a bit on the bulky side at around 26x26cm packed (a basketball comes to mind)...I won't have a great deal of funds available, so recommendations at the cheaper end would be most welcome of all.

I sleep cold too, so can appreciate this. Depends how many times a week/month you're going to go biviing. Rather than spend a load of cash unnecessarily now, have you considered:

- using your existing bags and supplementing them with other existing kit for this season (e.g. down jacket, insulated trousers or salopettes, warmer socks, dry clothing for sleeping is essential), until you've a better feeling for what you need? The advantage of clothing-for-sleepwear is you can mooch around in it before & after sleeping.

- ditch the summer bags and sleep in your spare clothing (if bulk really is the main problem).

- keeping the big down bags for next winter's Cairngorms winter bivi (there's bound to be one)? 26cm x 26cm seems quite reasonable for an Everest-quality down bag.

[Borderer]

I am also on the cold side [Reynaulds doesnt help] so I use liners, fresh dry clothes to sleep in and even double up bags at times.

I have seen Alpkit have launched a range of synthetic bags which I may look into if I ever feel the urge to go out in wetter conditions [ok, unlikely for this princess]. Their kit is cheaper and I have found to be good quality.

yep, my circulation is crap too. I hate using liners as they always end up tangled around my legs, but they are not optional where down bags are concerned. What kind do you use? Yes, I wondered if anyone had tried the Alpkit bags as they look interesting and the price is not too bad either.

What mats are you using? The insulation between your body and the ground is a key element to warmth. The best bag in the world will be massively compromised if you're lying on the equivalent of a lilo ( or something with a low R rating).

On the chilly night in May I mentioned we were on Exped regular mats, when these were stolen (along with the bags and pretty much everything else we owned when our campervan was nicked in Naples last June) I had to replace everything in a great hurry before our French trip. We ended up with Exped downmats, which are great and very warm, but as the insurance hadn't paid out at that point and I was having to fund the replacements of all our gear myself (bikes, trailer, tent, blah blah blah) I went for the cheapest ones I could find, which were the long version. At 165cm and 148cm, my son and I obviously don't need 2m mats so these will be going on fleabay soon. They are a lot bulkier than the regular mats were, and way bigger than something like a hyperlite or synmat. Don't worry - mats are something I don't compromise on. I don't think you will find many women in their forties who are prepared to sleep on a wee scrap of foam, and while I am definately not a princess, thats not happening here either.

I sleep cold too, so can appreciate this. Depends how many times a week/month you're going to go biviing. Rather than spend a load of cash unnecessarily now, have you considered: using your existing bags and supplementing them with other existing kit for this season (e.g. down jacket, insulated trousers or salopettes, warmer socks, dry clothing for sleeping is essential), until you've a better feeling for what you need? The advantage of clothing-for-sleepwear is you can mooch around in it before & after sleeping.

While I might make these sort of choices, I just can't make them on behalf of my boy. While we sometimes wear our longs as pyjamas, he would be utterly miserable if I made him sleep dressed up like a michelin man every time we went away. Interesting idea though.

- keeping the big down bags for next winter's Cairngorms winter bivi (there's bound to be one)? 26cm x 26cm seems quite reasonable for an Everest-quality down bag.

yes, part of me is very loathe to part with such good bags that I got at such a good price, if I could pack them down smaller somehow I might keep them, though I think that if marketed correctly, they might be worth the equivalent of new 3 season down ones (at the price of the Mountail Equip Titan ones - now out of stock sadly), that would do us for 99% of our needs. If we wanted to go out in the proper cold sometime we could take one of those blanket things Stu reviewed recently or bivvy bags and fleecy liners or something. I dunno, it is all very complicated - so many options!

Anyone using an Alpkit bag?

[Borderer]

A wee pic to illustrate the size of the two bags I have just now (Tunnocks teacake for scale) - the down bag is 1800g and the supermarket one 900g.

[whitestone]

I'd look at something like a quilt as a wrapper.

"I've a PHD Minim 200 which is my summer bag, it's rated to 5C (I think). I'm a fairly warm sleeper, I've used it down to 2-3C but that's with a decent sleeping mat (Exped Synmat Winterlite) and a bivy bag. I've also used it with a Klymit X-Frame mat which was a little uncomfortable temperature wise as it's an uninsulated mat. I also have a Cumulus 150 quilt which is roughly equivalent temp rating wise but I can use it as an outer to the PHD and with that system (Exped mat; PHD bag inside the Cumulus quilt; all inside a Hunka XL bivy bag) I'm good to -5C (at least) PHD bags are very good but expensive so I'd be hesitant about buying one "on-spec" as it were.

There's lots of threads on here about sleeping systems - think of things as a system rather than just a sleeping bag - with the kit mentioned above I can cope with most UK conditions for about the same cost as a single 3 season bag."

I'm with Chew on this: after your bike(s), your sleeping bag is likely to be your biggest purchase so it's worth getting a good one. Buy cheap, buy twice But I'm also wary of recommending what I use rather than what you need. One advantage of the better manufacturers is that if you do decide that the product isn't for you they are much easier to sell on - there's quite a few on here with Cumulus quilts for example.

I'd a bit of deja vu writing this - I did a search and think I've mentioned it half a dozen times Do an advanced search for my username as author and "phd cumulus" as the search term and you'll get 24 links to several threads that are on this very subject. The quoted paragraphs above are copied from one of those posts - easier than typing it all again.

[Borderer]

Ok thanks for that. I did do a search on here for 'sleeping bag' before I posted, but it wouldn't show me the answers as it said it threw up too many results.

[mechanicaldope]

Love the idea that all bikepacking volumes should now be based on numbers of Tunnocks teacakes. Genius.

[Blair512]

I got an Alpkit Sky High 500 for my birthday a couple of months ago and it's a revelation compared to my old highlander synthetic bag. While my mate lay shivering all night on saturday I had a great sleep and only woke once to take layers off because I was too hot! Well worth the cash if you can stretch your budget