Sleeping bags ? What do you use ?

[Sibbo]

I'm just about to buy a sleeping bag or as it happens , maybe 2 .Where i live it's warm ,even our winters are pretty mild .So for here i need a pretty light bag .

Sometimes however I spend a night or 3 up on our Tableland were it's not so mild ( by Oz standards !) .Maybe down to -5 C at night in winter .So the thought is to buy 2 of the same light bag and use one inside the other for winter .I could buy a good down bag but I'm a bit worried about it being too warm ....I hate sleeping warm! I have to be just on the cool side .

This is the one I'm looking at .

http://www.bivouac.co.nz/gear/camping-a ... eaphy.html

BTW ,Bivouac NZ is a good mob to deal with fast ,efficient and cheap ,especially with overseas customers .

What do you do ?

[Zombie Master]

I use a Goose down bag with a silk liner. If it gets hot I just use the liner. The big disadvantage with down is that, if it gets wet you are truly screwed. The big advantage is that it can be compressed more, and is lighter than other materials. I like a barrel shape rather than the constriction of a mummy. Good quality down bags are also very breathable, which allows better comfort when it is warm compared to synthetics. I can't stand saddle bags, so light weight, and compactness are most important for me.

BTW the temperature ratings for sleeping bags includes the insulating factor of the sleeping pad. This is a very important consideration as the R factor varies wildly for different types of pads. I use a Therm a Rest pro lite.

[Major Softie]

The warmth of a bag is determined by the amount of fill, not what kind of fill. There are both fiberfill and down bags designed for mild nights, and all the way down to freakin insane cold.

As ZM said, down is great for compactibility, so I have a Sierra Designs down bag for bike camping. It's a 20 degree (F) bag. In a compression sack, it ends up about 1/2 the size of a loaf of bread.

For car camping, I use a much warmer zero degree bag. It's a fiberfill bag because I don't care about weight or size for car camping. Fiberfill is cheaper, and tougher, and, as ZM also told you, it doesn't become useless when it gets a little wet like down does, so it's a no-brainer to go for fiberfill if you don't need the particular advantages of down.

[Sibbo]

This is confirming what I thought .I use a Exped Synmat air mat , it's very good and 3'' thick and make quite a difference .I suspect that the down bag might be too warm ,as i said I need to be cooler than warmer .

This is the lightest down from this retailer .http://www.bivouac.co.nz/gear/camping-a ... g-bag.html

What do you think ? Remember we don't have US style cold here ! Oz cold is warmer .

[Zombie Master]

This is confirming what I thought .I use a Exped Synmat air mat , it's very good and 3'' thick and make quite a difference .I suspect that the down bag might be too warm ,as i said I need to be cooler than warmer .

This is the lightest down from this retailer .http://www.bivouac.co.nz/gear/camping-a ... g-bag.html

What do you think ? Remember we don't have US style cold here ! Oz cold is warmer .

Looks good from here.

For sleeping bags, I get great value from these guys. Thought I'd send you a link so you could make some comparisons. These bags are designed in Germany and made in Canada. I've had several over the years with great performance.

https://www.taigaworks.ca/Sleeping-Bags-c7

[Sibbo]

I see what you mean , very good , not too expensive for what you get ...but the temp ranges are totally unAustralian ! We don't do that ! The coldest I'd ever see would be -6 or -7 ,there are colder spots but i don't go there !

[SteveD]

I have a small compressible down bag for summer, and a larger, barrel shaped synthetic rated to -10c for winter.
Rated to -10 might seem like overkill for Oz, but the -10 means you won't die if it's -10, verses being warm and toasty on a frigid wintry mountain. So, warm and toasty at -2-5 outside maybe? Being big and barrel, it allows more room for other stuff to...to keep you warm.
Last year at the Boxerworks Talbingo camp was ok, but it had clouded over and didn't get too cold on the Saturday night. I'm not sure how cold it was Friday night, but there was no way I was taking anything less than -10 up to the Snowy Mtns in winter.
i WONDER WHAT jEFF USES FOR THE aLPINE rALLY? ...oops

[Sibbo]

Thanks Steve .

I'm hoping more Ozzies will give me an idea , the US boys have weather of a completely different species .Talbingo ,or the next similar is what I'm interested in .

I like riding up around the Glen Innes and Gyra too ,they're pretty cool in Winter ...by Oz standards .

[Zombie Master]

Thanks Steve .

I'm hoping more Ozzies will give me an idea , the US boys have weather of a completely different species .Talbingo ,or the next similar is what I'm interested in .

I like riding up around the Glen Innes and Gyra too ,they're pretty cool in Winter ...by Oz standards .

But still you have to consider your coldest wet night ride and be prepared for it. With a 3inch thick sleeping pad you have a plenty of ground insulation.

[SteveD]

Ohh, ground insulation. Very important. I have a self inflating ground mat that does the job. If I roll off it, as my legs have done once, I was awakened by very cold legs, despite the bag. The mat would be as important as the bag I guess.