Sleeping bag for us cyclists?

rat_race

I have sorted ALL my gear for two upcoming solo tours which I'm planning. All but a sleeping bag that is...

I just can't seem to find something in budget that is suited and can be purchased in Ireland or delivered to Ireland. I could also pick one up however in the US as I'll be there in two weeks. Any suggestions?

Hopefully somebody else's research here will pay off ...

Budget: 150e max...

Requirements:
- Small and light (duh), preferably around 700g or so.
- Mostly down (as it's smaller and lighter)
- Ideally comfort temp. around 3C or 4C
- Extreme temp. around -15C or so

Note I will be using this mostly in warm-ish climates (California, Oz, and who knows), but would rather a bag that is *slightly* heavier/bigger than some others, rather than one very small bag only suited to warm climates.

I have researched bags with these sort of specs, and better, but not anywhere I can purchase them.

I already have a warm 4-season bag. It was cheap (RockTrail, bought in Lidl) but it performs great. But just too big and heavy.

Excited to hear your responses!

Zen0

Have a Vango down bag for mid-season use. I think it's one of these:

http://www.vango.co.uk/backpacking/venom-225.html

Good compromise between weight and insulation. Packs up small. Got it in the Great Outdoors in Dublin about 2 years ago. Would recommend it.

inkedpt

No nothing about this guys but the weight and price aren't to bad

http://www.gooutdoorireland.com/store/index.php?_a=viewProd&productId=57

rat_race

Zen0 wrote: »

Have a Vango down bag for mid-season use. I think it's one of these:

http://www.vango.co.uk/backpacking/venom-225.html

Good compromise between weight and insulation. Packs up small. Got it in the Great Outdoors in Dublin about 2 years ago. Would recommend it.

They do seem very good. Great Outdoors have a small stock at the moment because of the time of year! I'll see where else I could get one.

inkedpt wrote: »

No nothing about this guys but the weight and price aren't to bad

http://www.gooutdoorireland.com/store/index.php?_a=viewProd&productId=57

Thanks for the link. They do seem pretty good and very good value...they don't seem to have a down bag but they're still pretty decent specs...

smacl

rat_race wrote: »

Extreme temp. around -15C or so

You probably want a 4 season so. I've slept outdoors in a 4 season Vango bag at freezing, but not significantly below. Comfy enough but I appreciated the heavier bag. It was also in a very arid climate so moisture wasn't an issue. The 4 season Vangos I have are more than twice the bulk of the compact 3 season. Maybe a 3 season and an overbag for the colder conditions would be a workable solution;

From http://www.princeton.edu/~oa/winter/wintcamp.shtml

Sleeping bags for winter camping should be rated to temperatures below what you will likely experience if you want to be comfortable. If the nighttime temperature can drop to -15o Fahrenheit, then your bag should be rated to -30o Fahrenheit. There are a variety of different fills for sleeping bags: down, Primaloft, Microloft, Qualofill, Polarguard, etc. The bag itself should be a mummy style bag with a hood. It should also have a draft tube along the zipper and a draft collar at the neck. In sleeping bags, you want the bag to snugly conform to your body. If the bag is too big, you will have large spaces for convection currents and you will be cold. In a bag that has too much space, you may need to wear clothing layers to help fill up the space. You can opt for the expedition bag which is rated to -30o Fahrenheit or you can use a three season bag rate rated to 0o Fahrenheit and augment it with a vapor barrier liner (adds 5-10 degrees), a bivy sack (adds 5-10 degrees), and/or an overbag (a summer weight bag that fits over your mummy bag - adds 15 - 20 degrees make sure it is big enough to fit over the mummy without compressing it). Keep in mind that each of these options has advantages and disadvantages in terms of price, weight, and volume taken up in your pack.

FatSh!te

try alp kit, some good down bags for various temps:

http://www.alpkit.com/pipedream

feck sake lads

yeah the alpkit pipedream should fit the bill

rat_race

FatSh!te wrote: »

try alp kit, some good down bags for various temps:

http://www.alpkit.com/pipedream

feck sake lads wrote: »

yeah the alpkit pipedream should fit the bill

Thanks guys, I bought a Pipedream. Bit steep but seem like fantastic bags...

rothai

Zen0 wrote: »

Have a Vango down bag for mid-season use. I think it's one of these:

http://www.vango.co.uk/backpacking/venom-225.html

Good compromise between weight and insulation. Packs up small. Got it in the Great Outdoors in Dublin about 2 years ago. Would recommend it.

JESUS check out the suggested usage on their website

Suggested usage 4 to 25OC

just incase your going to mars???:D:D:D

rat_race

Hah, I know...it's probably easier to make a bag that can keep you warm in insanely high temps!

petethedrummer

I would bring along one of those foil sheets just in case. I've had to use one camping and they really keep you toasty when your sleeping bag is not enough.

feck sake lads

petethedrummer wrote: »

I would bring along one of those foil sheets just in case. I've had to use one camping and they really keep you toasty when your sleeping bag is not enough.

do they work well peterthedrummer.. the reason i ask although the pipedream is a fantastic bag its not great when it gets well below freezing .but then again its a summer bag.during the summer and milder weather i was just using the pipedream as a quilt it was that warm. but when i camped in the mourns in december man i nearly feckin died with the cold.
i was thinking of buying a (snugpack bag 45 euro in jackson sports belfast) to use with the pipdream , but now i'm thinking maybe the foil bag might just do the trick and it weighs nothing and packsaway really small....
but will it tear up easly.
sorry for the long post.;)

Dawn Rider

Those foil bags look flimsy but, I've got the Adventure Medical Kits Emergency Bivvy from an outdoor shop in the north and it seems grand.

Obviously you couldn't drag it through a hedge but, I tried it out a few times and it's still ok.

mbiking123

Hello

Possibly consider a snugpak sleeping bag, this is an example of a link http://www.polimil.co.uk/sleeping-bags-mats-liners/. As far as I know they started off with jackets and became very popular after the Falklands war. There sleeping bags are made for a variety of purposes from very cold, to lightweight. The Kestrel (supposed) is very popular with Royal Marines in the gulf. It is rated as lowest temp of -5 but 10 is comfort 1200 g and GBP£ 68. Possibly a fleece sleeping bag liner will get the protection from the cold you want and what you require for £25

http://www.polimil.co.uk/snugpak-softie-6-kestrel-sleeping-bag.html
http://www.polimil.co.uk/snugpak-fleece-sleeping-bag-liner.html

And of course shop around, as you might find a better price

Enjoy trip

Dawn Rider

mbiking123 wrote: »

Hello

Possibly consider a snugpak sleeping bag, this is an example of a link http://www.polimil.co.uk/sleeping-bags-mats-liners/. As far as I know they started off with jackets and became very popular after the Falklands war. There sleeping bags are made for a variety of purposes from very cold, to lightweight. The Kestrel (supposed) is very popular with Royal Marines in the gulf. It is rated as lowest temp of -5 but 10 is comfort 1200 g and GBP£ 68. Possibly a fleece sleeping bag liner will get the protection from the cold you want and what you require for £25

http://www.polimil.co.uk/snugpak-softie-6-kestrel-sleeping-bag.html
http://www.polimil.co.uk/snugpak-fleece-sleeping-bag-liner.html

And of course shop around, as you might find a better price

Enjoy trip

There's a fleece sleeping bag on that site for £8.50. Though the one in your link comes with a handy compression sack.
http://www.polimil.co.uk/fleece-sleeping-bag-2886.html

You could always get a fleece blanket from Lidl or Dunnes and sew up the side and foot part, which is what I've done in the past to good effect.

petethedrummer

feck sake lads wrote: »

do they work well peterthedrummer.. the reason i ask although the pipedream is a fantastic bag its not great when it gets well below freezing .but then again its a summer bag.during the summer and milder weather i was just using the pipedream as a quilt it was that warm. but when i camped in the mourns in december man i nearly feckin died with the cold.
i was thinking of buying a (snugpack bag 45 euro in jackson sports belfast) to use with the pipdream , but now i'm thinking maybe the foil bag might just do the trick and it weighs nothing and packsaway really small....
but will it tear up easly.
sorry for the long post.;)

it worked for me. I wouldn't use it as my first call for sleeping as they rustle quite loudly and aren't as easy to re-pack as they are to unpack. I threw mine in the bin as I was only camping one night.

I will invest in a liner before my next camping or a heavy duty bivvy blanket. Neither is cheap though.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvsbOaAe1SY