Sleeping bag selection

Presumably from what you say aardvark, in addition to shorter lifespan: High loft low weight, when new, will insulate well from the surrounding air due to air pockets in the bag fill. But will thus provide almost no insulation from the ground as there is less fill, no air pockets, and what fill there is compacts more easily. Is this the case?

"Serious adventurers on remote expeditions requested bags with higher loft from manufacturers due to weight vs performance debate. They in turn did not expect the bag to perform past the expedition as that was the purpose or getting the bag." I wonder how many of that sort the manufacturers see back within a traditional 1 year warranty.

find a freedom camping Yukon or Denali bag. If sleeping outside go for the Denali as it has the DWR coating (still not seam sealed) I keep looking at the Denali but for me and the camping I do it is too much I have the Yukon and have never been cold but I do sleep warm. I found myself sleeping last April in a hut where people were complaining of the cold in better bags than the 2 mentioned above and I was in my summer bag (mitre10 2 for 50 bucks) with the zip undone.

Yo Madpom !. Hence groundsheets, closed-cell foam, inflatables, and now insulated inflatables. Personally, most times I'll take a synthetic. I figure I'll carry a little extra, rather than have a bad situation turn worse because my down bag got wet. My most used synthetic bag is from The Warehouse. I also accept that the flip-side of performance is maintenance. Twin Needles in Chch will re-vitalise worn out down bags, and there are special Nikwax down wash chemicals.

ultalite people use sleeping bags with no fill in the bottom because a sno foam has more than enough insulation. I used to think the same about synthetic bags. The idea of being able to through the bag in the bath with any old wash powder swirl it round then rinse a couple of times then throw on the line is really appealing. Unfortunately old age caught up with me and now the difference between 2kg and 1.4kg (there are bags with the same performance at 0.8kg)is even more appealing

A Warranty will only cover faults in workmanship even if it is a lifetime warranty. Wear and tear is not covered under a warranty. Madpom, you're right regarding the fill under the body. I have a specialist bag which has a sleeve on the bottom in which can lie my sleeping mat. There is fill on top eg 400g but nothing underneath. The mat provides the insulation. It then gets a rating bbelow zero. Macpac used to also make one. i can't recall the name at present.

I believe many a mountaineer will carry a synthetic bag and a foam mat (not inflatable due to risk of puncture eg crampons) to reduce the risk of failure in reaching their goals. Particularly if they don't expect a dry environment. The same debate goes for down jacket vs fleece. There's more insulation in a wet fleece than a wet down jacket. As for seam sealing bags and jackets, it is expensive to do properly and would dramatically reduce the breathability. The vapour has to escape somehow.

The baffling in a sleeping bag can determine the ability to move the down around. U can, on some, move the down to be all on top. eg 700g of down on top, a mat underneath. Generally, and it depends on the r rating and mat length and thickness etc, a sleeping mat will provide an average of 5 degrees to your sleeping system.

Do not get a warehouse bag. They are not very warm and they don't last. They are cheap and nasty. Bivouac Outdoor do a huge range of sleeping bags which are great for all seasons of the year. If anyone is looking for a descent sleeping bag that will last ages and be warm then go to Bivouac Outdoor. It is much better to buy a sleeping bag from a Outdoors store and pay the extra money than to buy a much cheaper one from the warehouse and have to buy another one in 6 months time because your arnt warm enough of its just not doing its job. Oztrail do sleeping bags which would be alright to use up the mountain but brands like Marmot, Sea To Summit, Exped Outer Limits and Grangers do a really good range worth checking out. Outer Limits is one of the cheaper brands.

afokkens, you're commenting on old posts ovr and over and over.. some of them are a year old. your comments come a bit late...