What posessed tescos to produce this bag is also immaterial: it just shows that they can take a chance on producing some thing on spec that some of us have found compares to other bags that are sold by the outdoor equipment mafia;
who's mantra is "good is always expensive"
aka gortex; looks great for ever but quits working real fast once the first proofing wears of.
im surprised anyone would try the cheap wage and poor condittions rant . surely well all know that this is how all current outdoor or any clothing as a mater of fact is made! i deal with my guilt by putting m,oney into charities that are trying to something about it and thats all any of can do. I don't see pople out side blacks of millets on a saturday protesting at low wages and conditions.
the doctor is right. take alpkit for instance i love thier attitude and gear but where does it come from? why should we pay top euro to beaghaus etc. i don't see them promoting that they pay top wages and have good working conditions for thier suppliers.
Jester, why are you surprised anyone's using the cheap wages and poor conditions "rant" and I wasn't ranting, mate. It astounds me that you can assuage your guilt so easily by putting money into a charity. If you feel guilty enough about buying something that you feel a need to donate to a charity then don't buy it in the first place. I'm not sure I fully understand your logic. I am NOT sticking up for big brands such as Berghaus, simply because I don't have a clue what the conditions are like at the factories where their gear is made. I do keep myself as updated on current affairs as much as I can and am aware through reading the reports of a number of international organisations that keep watch on this sort of thing that really big names such as Tesco, Matalan, Primark & Asda have all recently been accused of using factories where conditions are way below what is accepted as minimum standards.
Oh, by the way, waterproof fabrics "wet out" after a while, so even expensive materials such as Goretex need looking after. Full details would have been on the swing ticket of the garment(s) you bought. Just because something is expensive doesn't mean it's maintenance-free. Us outdoor enthusiasts spend plenty on good gear yet it is surprising that quite a large number don't taker proper care and attention on looking after it.
i've spent too many sleepless nights in cheap synthetic bags, cold and clammy nights still give me the fear!
the bags from PHD are very expensive - (not too bad in the sale) but they are made in England and more importantly for me - i will at least get a good nights sleep, even if the temperature plumets.
Re low wages and poor conditions, I love the idea of someone going to work on an ox and making these bags in a jungle clearing, earning 10p per hour, working 18 hours a day, 7 days a week. It fills my heart with joy!
An update on my Tesco Down Bag (as there is STILL no Tesco option in the review section).
The stitching has come away where the hood cords come out, leaving a small hole where slight down leakage is occurring. This will be easy enough to sew up myself, but I would have preferred an eyelet for the cords to come through rather than folded nylon. Still does not detract from the 'value' of the bag in my eyes as this is now nearly a year old. Just something to watch if you own one, although of course mine may be an exception.
My local Tesco's has down sleeping bags in for £27, discounted from £35. I've bought one to do some low level camping with my 7 year old sone, he's got a junior sleeping bag from Khyam to use, so if the Tesco bag is pants, he should still be warm.
These bags seem like a good buy but I have a few questions as I don't have a store near me that is big enough to stock them so I can't go and view.
From the photo the outer doesn't seem to have any seams so is it a loose extra layer? On the photo horizontal seams are clearly visible on the inner but don't show on the outer. I assume it is just a stitch through bag.
Also the blurb says that the inner is polycotton. I used to have a down bag made by Camp that had a polycotton inner and it wasn't very lightweight. Has anyone actually weighed one of the tesco bags to see whether they really do weigh 800gms?
I am just after a lightweight summer bag on a limited budget and wondered whether one of these would do the job. I also wondered whether it would be possible to open up the seams and but more down in.
I've not weighed it, but the pack size is very small and it certainly feels light enough.
I think it is a stich through bag of some sort, I've had it out of the stuff sack and left it to loft for a few days, then stored it in a large pillow case. The outer is not stitched through, but if you hold it up to the light you can see seams running across the inside so I'd guess its just a basic construction.
The inner doesn't feel like polycotton to me, would seem to be fully synthetic.
My local Tesco's has down sleeping bags in for £27, discounted from £35. I've bought one to do some low level camping with my 7 year old sone, he's got a junior sleeping bag from Khyam to use, so if the Tesco bag is pants, he should still be warm.
Great, with my Tesco vouchers I should be able to get one for under twenty quid
The construction sounds strange for a down bag. The horizontal stiching visible on the inner must be forming baffles and be stiched through another layer of material so if that isn't the outer you can see then there must actually be three layers of materiel, inner/outer you can't see/outer you can see.
You say you let it loft for a couple of days. I noticed earlier in the thread people said it was very thin. Roughly how thick did it loft to?
I have a tesco 'superstore' near me but I understand these are only in their 'extra' stores. Although they do have a direct shopping pick up point so I suppose I could order pick up and then take back if I decide it isn't what I need.
£35 is a bargain if it is good and what you want but expensive if not!
I bought one of these a few months ago as a summer bag - it does have an odd construction, there is a kind of 'second' shell which is why you don't see stitching on the outer layer. When I realised this, I briefly wondered whether it might be worth cutting off the outer layer to get some unnecesary weight off, but a we test showed that the outer layer is very water resistant and when I thought about it, it probably adds to the warmth anyhow, which brought me to my senses. I've weighed it and on my scales its actually just under 800g. Theres apparently 225g of down in it, which doesn't sound or look like a lot, but I've used it a few times, including once on a windy night at about 600m, and I reckon its definitely got to be warmer than any equivelant weight synthetic bag, packs very small, and for the money its a good buy.
> "I also wondered whether it would be possible to open up the seams and but more > down in."
Can't see your logic here - If I wanted a bag with more down in it, I'd buy a bag with more down in it to start with.
Glad to read the above post. I ordered one yesterday as a little Birthday present for myself. Am going to the store to pick it up tomorrow and if it looks good in my house I'll probably take it for some backpacking in Glen Etive this weekend. Slightly worried I'll freeze as I currently use a Vango Ultralite 1100 which is rated down to -4 and is pretty toasty normally.
Finally found time to reply. Firstly thanks for the replies and answers.
Thanks Jonathon, 3" sounds a fair bit.
Petie, Thanks for confirming that, it is what it looked like from the pic. As to putting more down in. I always sleep on my front, hence mummy bags don't really suit me very well. If I use them the right way up I push or fold the hood out of the way so it has no benefit in warmth to me. The best way for me to use a mummy bag is actually to turn it upside down and have the hood fall over the top of my head. Unfortunately most bags have thinner insulation underneath so this doesn't really work.
I have thought that if I could get a bag with little insulation on the top and more insulation underneath I could use it the right way up in warmer weather and turn it upide down in colder weather. A quilt would be ideal but I can't afford to order one of the expensive ones from the states and making one will be too time consuming, although I do have a Blacks Icelandic as a source of down.
The outer skin of the tesco one might be useful for this plan as I could add an extra panel to it without cutting into the existing panels. Perhaps even just put on some velcro and have a seperate panel to stick on if cold enough.
Can I just ask about the inner material? I first saw this thread a while ago and when I clicked on the link tesco were out of stock. They are now in stock again but the picture is different and they now specify the inner material as polycotton. Has anyone bought one recently and have the new darker brown and orange version?
http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.200-7415.aspx
If so what is the inner material?
thanks
also, Ben, did you use the bag and if so how did you get on?
I have used the bag for 4 nights now, 2 in the Highlands and two this weekend in Wasdale but I haven't really tested it to extremes yet.
The weekend in Glencoe/Glen Etive was VERY warm, probably above 5oC both nights and I found myself sweating all night. This weekend in Wasdale was cooler and the bag was warm enough with just underwear on, camping in a tent at about 300m. I'd like to test it in colder conditions but so far it's worked as a summer bag just fine.
The inner is apparently 100% polyester and though I will note that most of the weight of the bag comes from the rather heavy feeling outer fabric, the bag including stuff sac was near enough exactly 800g on my kitchen scales.
The overall build quality of the bag is horrific, it's definitely 'cheap'. I compared it to a friends Marmot Wave I which he picked up earlier in the year for £30. His is about 200g heavier, synthetic and rated only down to +5oC, but it will almost certainly outlive the Tesco bag.
As it stands, I think I'll probably take this bag on my Tour of Mont Blanc in July, and will wear clothes at night. If it lasts this summer and next summer I'll probably be happy with it.
Was out with friends on the beach last night who were both using the new version. Fully synthetic inner. Both pleased with the performance. One commented on how windproof the outer was, as they noticed after their tent blew down!
