Sleeping bags.

[Mick Smith]

I've been using an ultra-light Fairydown sleeping bag for the last few years. It's supposed to be warm down to 0 degrees, but I can tell you, it certainly isn't. In fact it gets downright cold at about 10 degress celcius. It's understandable I suppose as it folds up to nothing and weighs next to nothing.

I'm in the market for a more comfortable sleeping bag. One to carry and use from the car, not for bushwalking. I will still take the Fairydown, if and when I go bushwalking in the future. The new bag will need to be comfortable in mild conditions, eg, with a full length zip, but it will need to be warm down to about minus 10 degrees for sambar hunting in winter. It could be filled with synthetic material or down.

Any recommendations? I don't want to spend any more than about $200 if possible.

Mick

[tracker]

Matey.... a good solution I've found is to add an inner bag. I have one made from the same materials as thermals are made from. Only weighs about 200gms and cost about 90 bucks. Makes a HUGE difference in the winter and I often use just this 'sock' as a bag in the summer. You can get them at most good camping shops.

Mick.

[Mick Smith]

Tracker

Good idea, thanks mate.

Mick

[Buford]

the other alternative to the inner bag is wearing a set of thermal underwear. I have a sleeping bag that's supposed to be rated to minus 15, but I can assure you it will only just sustain life at minus 15, not keep you comfortable. I just use a pair of wool sox and my thermals, works a treat.

[choko]

silk liners are good.so too is a decent sleeping mat. I go for a thick 3/4 lenght one, exped is a good brand.
a few years ago i got an ex expididtion bag from katmandu, it cost me $50.
the bag was worth over $300 new, so you might try ringing the bigger outdoor stores and asking about this.
down filling is far better imo, but it sucks if you get it wet.
also ive found being naked in a sleeping seems to be warmer than clothed.

[tony]

Mick, what you sleep on is just as important as what you sleep in. A bag rated at 0 degrees is a bit shy of what you want for high country winter though. I use a swag that is fitted with a 2 inch high density foam mattress and a ''closed cell'' 25mm rubber matt under that. You can get them from some army surplus stores for about $20 bucks. I`ve used this in minus 12 degrees up at dinner plain on a sambar hunt last year, and I was as snug as a bug. I hope this helps........cheers

Tony.

[buzz]

I have an old Paddy Pallin I picked up some 20 years ago that is still fine. I always used a cotton liner with it and I found it helped keep it clean as well as help a bit with the cold. (It is a cold temp down bag anyway). It is a bag I got for back-backing/bush walking and it a trade off in size-weight vs rating.

I am currently in the market for a bag for my son as he has a school camp in a few weeks and it is already hitting the sub zeroes around here. I have found a Coleman rated to -3 that is a fair price and size, though it is a little unclear what ratings mean these days.

What I was going to do is get the Mrs to knock us up a pair of polar fleece bag liners. These will help with the temp but are also really good for keeping the bag clean and they can be very readily aired and washed.

[snakeeater]

If you get into your bag without any clothes on then your body heat is warming the air in your bag directly. If you are wearing clothes you are only warming a thin layer of air. and not much heat, if any, gets into the bag.

When my wife is cold at night I tell her to take her clothes off and she will get warm faster. She just gives me one of those looks and says I'm just trying to get her out of her knickers faster. Well, there may be some truth to that. Can I say that here?

Socks, gloves, and a ski cap for the extremeties work well too for keeping in your body heat and helping extend the use of sleeping bag.

[Mick Smith]

Thanks for the good advice fellas, I'm taking it all in.

Actually Ray's Tent City (camping retail chain) had a big sale the other day. I ended up buying a Coleman synthetic fill bag rated to -8 degrees for $65.00. I haven't tried it out yet, but I will definately consider wearing my thermals on cold nights. I might even shell out for a polypropelene liner too, which I could use with my other bag as well.

I used to own a Fairydown 20 below bag (made in NZ). I remember when I bought it, the advertising blurb when on to say that it was exactly the same design as the one Sir Edmond Hillary carried when he first climbed Mt Everest. Now that was a very warm bag. In fact, not once did I sleep in it without being far too hot. I didn't have a zip at all. Sadly it appears to have disappeared permanently when I last moved house. I suspect it was used as padding between two pieces of furniture and it blew out of the trailer or something. It was one very expensive bag when I bought it, way back in the 1970's. It wasn't in real flash condition though. I remember taking it on a wild week long canoeing adventure down the Snowy river, where we ended up breaking a canoe in half. The bag was wringing wet, so I dried it out over a campfire. Everything went well until the bloody thing caught fire. I'm thinking that maybe the missus took advantage of the house move to finally throw it out.

Mick

[buzz]

When my wife is cold at night I tell her to take her clothes off and she will get warm faster. She just gives me one of those looks and says I'm just trying to get her out of her knickers faster. Well, there may be some truth to that. Can I say that here?

She says that to you too huh?
(sorry... low blow, but I couldn't resist)

Mick - what style did you end up getting?

One other thing about liners.... I've found they are great for cocoon bags with poly shells as even a half days facial stubble tend to scratch uncomfortably and noisily on the material around the face.

[Mick Smith]

buzz

I just bought the Coleman because it was cheap due to a sale the store had on. It was about $30 off the regular price I think.

The bag is fairly square shaped as opposed to being mummy shaped. It's got a hood. It's got a nylon outer and a cotton inner. It's filled with some sort of undesclosed synthetic material. I haven't used it yet, but it looks nice and thick. I reckon it would be pretty warm.

My other Ultra-Light Fairydown bag is of a similar shape and also with a hood, but it's nylon on both the inside and the outside. Both bags have a zip running full length down one side and another zip across the foot. I like this feature because my feet get hot most nights and I can poke them out of the bag.

I have noticed the excessive noise with my stubble rubbing on the nylon with the Ultra-Light.

Mick