Ok, a few of you may remember I posted a month or so ago just getting a general idea of what sort of gear I needed for overnight trips as I want to get into doing some. For various reasons I can't actually start until next year, so I've got plenty of time to pick (and save up for!) the right equipment.
The time has come to sort out a decent sleeping bag, and I've narrowed it down to four - 2 down, 2 synthetic. My requirements were simply that it should be under a kilo and capable of keeping me warm in the spring and autumn. So, here is the list. Temperatures are comfort/limit, except for the PD400 which only gives a single guideline figure.
Neither of the down bags have a DWR outer so far as I can see. I've read a lot about how important it is to keep down dry and I've never owned a down bag before. Can anyone tell me how sensitive it is exactly? Are we talking "don't spill your drink on it" or "your breath in cold weather will ruin it"? Depending on how sensitive down is I'm very temptedby the PD400 as I've seen that you guys really rate it and Alpkit gave me some very good service when I emailed them a question about it - to the point where they even suggested alternative products from competitors!
The other thing is that, as you might guess from the inclusion of the Lamin 35 short, I'm not very tall! My existing (rubbish) bag is 220cm though so none of these are any worse in that respect, it's just that the short version of the Lamina would fit a lot better and it's the only version under 1kg.
I've only been doing this outdoors thing for 3.5 years, and when I started out I was really nervous about getting a down bag because of all the 'damp will ruin it' talk. So I bought a Nanok synthetic bag. A few months later I bought a down bag of the same rating which was much warmer and much lighter. It just has a normal (nylon?) outer, no water-proofness added on.
I've breathed on it. I've breathed on another bag (also with normal outer) and my breath has frozen into ice and subsequently melted in the morning. No harm to the bags. I've not got blase(accute accent) about down bags, but wonder what all the fuss is about - you'd have to be pretty damned careless doing overnighters in a tent to damage your bag / reduce its effectiveness. If you were doing long hikes in monsoons, it'd be different, mind!
Do Alpkit do the PD in a 'short'? I know they used to do the Alpine Dream (precursor to the Skyehigh) in short.
Thanks guys, it's looking like the PD400 so far then.
Kate, that was actually the question I emailed them about. I had a response back within 15 minutes which said unfortunately no they don't, and also recommending I checked out a couple of specific bags from Rab and PHD as possible alternatives. Those are both way out of my price range but I was very impressed by the level of support and honesty from Alpkit so full marks to them before I've even bought anything!
I generally have to use standard length bags, Matt, as at 5'7" I'm exactly on the limits of 'short' and 'standard', so I usually have a few inches of extra length in my bag. It doesn't really bother me, you can always fold it under to reduce the amount of dead space if it does you.
In my panic about getting my lovely new down bag damp, I did buy a sleeping bag cover. I used it once when car camping, when I was discovering just how cold I sleep, for warmth. I have never bothered to take it wildcamping.
re Alpkit support. Alpjim once delivered a down jacket to my door in South Wales as he was staying in the area. Admittedly it turned out to be the town I live in, but he didn't know that when he offered to bring it down and arrange to meet up somewhere. Really excellent customer support!
I have a minim 300 from http://www.phdesigns.co.uk/
And it's currently in their sale!
I have a short one because I am 5'3" and I love it. However I sleep coldy cold, and it does not keep me warm down to 0c, probably more like 10 is the cosy temperature for me.
Might be worth a punt, and you could get it with the dry shell if you are worried about the damp. I don't have the dry shell, I have the normal one. I got a few splashes of rain on it when my Shangrila3 tent leaked in a heavy downpour, but the water beaded and ran off. I slept fine that night (once the rain stopped and my tent stopped leaking). I like the fact mine does not have a zip - no probs getting in and out and it keeps the drafts out
Tenkian, if I could afford the PHD gear then I'd be all over it believe me! I did check out their sale but even with the discount it's just too much - £120 for the PD400 is already stretching the budget further than I originally said I'd go but it does seem like excellent value.
Thanks for the offer Bill but I think I'm sold on the PD400. Apparently the Alpkit bags are also cut a bit closer than others which will help a bit with me being on the smaller side too.
Actually one more question - does anyone know if Alpkit ever have sales? As I don't actually need it for a little while it would be worth waiting if they do.
I'll second the Alpkit recommendation - I've got a PD400 and slept in it below zero, and its excellent. I also agree you don't need to worry about condensation or whatever on the outer - it hasn't had any detrimental effect on mine. For multi-day trip use, you would ideally want to air it out in sunlight in the morning before packing it to dry off any surface moisture - but thats hardly a big deal. The full zip is also a big bonus for flexibility of use over a wider temp range.
Highly unlikely Alpkit will reduce the PDs as they seem to sell out at full price faster than they can get them made and shipped from China. My tip is if you're thinking of buying one, get it while they are still in stock!
Well, it just turned up this morning! I'm very impressed. My first reaction when I saw the tiny ultralight bag they supply as one of the packing options was "you've got to be having a laugh" but with a few minutes (and a bit of careful squeezing to get the air out) in it went, and it soon filled back up again with a quick shake when I took it out.
The only down side (no pun intended, honest) was that you could see a couple of spots where the down had moved away but another quick shake sorted that out.
It seems like a quality product and I'm looking forward to testing it out sometime!
