Was in Tesco today looking at their packs. They look pretty damn good for the price. May have to get one if my brother has ruined my vulcan. I lent it to him for a weekend 6 years ago, getting it back next month. Think there is a morale here somewhere.

Not sure if this years packs from T's are the same as last years, but I got one of the big ones from there and it lasted one trip before it came apart at the bottom of the main strap mid walk wild camping.
Actually had a real battle with Blackpool's customer care as I had no receipt and they tried to make out that they never ever sold the product... until I took the manager to the part of the store where there was an empty box where the last ones had been sold..
Now use large cheapish Regatta X-ERT 80 which I have hammered the hell out of.. very good deal.

Tried out the sleeping bag yet Chris?

Hey, sorry I knew there was something I needed to do.. reply to this thread... lol..
Took it back, without trying it out in anger... label said leave it out for 48 hours after purchase, which I did, and have to say that unless every down sleeping bag looks like two pieces of tissue with a tiny weeny bit of something in between.. aint happening for me.
No way was this thing going to keep me warm.. no way.. and £35 is too much money for me to waste on something that don't work.
SO back to the drawing board.. which is so confusing it's giving me a headache again... may just have to lug my snugpack about all summer.
Chow

I used my Tesco bag at Hollins Farm last night and it was just fine.

Good price for a down sleeping bag. For the punters in Aberdeen, they haven't made a big fuss o it being 'down', just a wee sticker. I'd take umbridge with their -10 extreme temp, as the number is bigger than the 'comfort temps'.

I also noticed that their ultralight 2 man tent is heavier than their 'standard' 2 man tent. The hydrostatic head number is bigger on the ultralight.

Dash it, if I'd seen one of these, then I'd have been tempted.

I was in my local Tesco Extra today and had a look at their down bag to see how it compared to the Vango Venom 225 that I bought recently.

I took one of the Tesco bags out of it's sack although didn't attempt to roll the bag out or anything, however it does look a strange construction for a down bag (it looks and feels like a cheap summer synthetic bag). My Vango is a similar size and weight to the Tesco bag but has a considerably higher comfort temperature rating (8C for the Vango, 3.8C for the Tesco bag) although having seen the two bags now I'd expect my Vango (which was nearly twice as expensive) to be warmer in use.

I was thinking about buying one of the Tesco bags because combined with my Vango it'd give me a 1.5kg combination that should be warm even in reasonably cold conditions and still pack smaller than my current 3-season bag. Having seen the bag though I decided not to buy it however I might have another look at a later date.

I also had a look at their 45L rucksack and it looked decent enough and seemed quite a good fit on me. If I hadn't just bought a discounted Berghaus 50L sack I'd definitely have considered buying one.

I also noticed that their ultralight 2 man tent is heavier than their 'standard' 2 man tent. The hydrostatic head number is bigger on the ultralight.

I picked up one of the "ultra-light" tents and I was quite surprised by the 3kg quoted on the label as it seemed a lot heavier to me.

there's a message on the website appologising for a weight mix up. it states that the tent weighs 7Kg not 3Kg. I'm strugglking to believe it weighs 7Kg either - seems ridiculously heavy
see
http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.200-3086.aspx

FFS, here's the description from the link above:
Ultra-lite weight semi-geodesic design Single room, twin layer construction 185T Ripstop Polyester flysheet with window Reflective guy ropes Lightweight colour coded external poles
Ripstop 7kg coded external poles

In who's dictionary can 7kg be classed as "Ultra-lite"? Where's trading standards? Or at least a dictionary? I'd love to see a gear review included in the mags for that, and do a "Watchdog" on them.

Sorry, I'm being a gear-head, but, come on, "ultra-light"? And a pot of lard is "low fat".

That link does look like the tent I picked up and while it seemed heavy I didn't think it was 7kg heavy.

My local tesco superstore currently has "value" mummy shaped bags 2/3 season (o.k for car camping?) reduced to £2.99!!!Thats cheaper than a pint of guiness in my local!!

An update on the Tesco bag: just been round the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path and the bag was toasty with just a liner. My accomplice was too cold in her admittedly old Ajungilak Kompakt Lite. No idea on what the night time temps were I'm afraid.

to add to this topic. taking a bit of a risk to save weight i took the tesco down bag on my mountain leaders assessment in the first week in july. i,m relived to report IT works to a resonable level.
during 2 nights wild camping in miserable weather at over 3000ft in the cairngorms with patches of snow still lying, i was more than warm enough with a light layer of base clothing on, even had to open the zip at the bottom to cool down. The shell material is very air tight and lofts up as you heat up, hence opening the zip to let the steam out! I am going to get an alpkit bivi to protect it from condensation and general damp on future trips. BTW i passed what a great feeling.

I bought one of these bags because I wanted something light for my youngest's visit to the Reading Festival this year and I'm not going to trust him at such an event with any of my good gear. He tried it out a couple of nights ago and reported that it was too warm. I asked him whether or not he had unzipped it fully and used it like a duvet, he hadn't. Doh!
Chris, sorry but most summer weight down bags could be described the way you described this bag (allowing for a little hyperbole) but they still work.
Good value for money apart from the initial pong which disappeared after an hour of tumble drying on low.

BTW, he was sleeping on an InsulMat Max-Thermo which insulates very well and feels very warm at this time of year.

i have used this tesco sleeping bag on four mountain marathons, it is warm. its looks rubbish and doesnt look like it lofts properly but it works, when combined with sleeping in base layer and thermal pants. one night it was so cold outside that out water bag frozen solid as well as our socks and fell shoes. the condensation had also turned to a frost inside the tent!!!!! i was fine......i give it 9/10

i think its always worth investing in a quality bag, sleeping in cheap bags can leave you cold&damp with poor insulation and breathabity. you'll sleep much better in an expensive RAB or PHD bag & theyll last for years&years

For a packable summer bag though morph, can you really go that wrong for 35 quid?

Do Tesco fill their down bags from the bits and bobs left over from the poultry processing plant to keep their prices down so low? Or are the factory workers in China just paid really, really crap wages and work with little or no breathing protection against the ultra fine particles given off from down, all so bargain hunting outdoors enthusiasts can save themselves money and feel dead chuffed and clever about it? I think we should be told. Hey, Mr Tesco, how do you do it?

Nah.. They just sell them cheaper than the other bags made in China by the BIG OUTDOORS COMPANIES who are really really ripping us off.
[And the little companies we OMers love to support in this country are just as guilty too, if thats how you feel about it.

Get real, most material [and immaterial] goods are made in China now.