UKH

Hi,

I want to go ski touring in Norway and Sweden in Feb-Apr and am looking for a sleeping bag (will be staying in a tent). Down is obviously the best but REALLY expensive. Does anyone have a recommendation for a synthetic bag that would be suitable for the sorts of temperatures we may encounter please?

Thank you!

In reply to phja:

If u have 1 bag already u can pair it up with a second to get a good rating But this sounds fairly bulky for carrying in ur pack.

I think a synthetic bag rated to -15 (guess?) will be quite bulky. U have plenty of time to maybe get a second hand down bag?

Davey

In reply to phja: with a look?

https://www.alpkit.com/products/arcticdream-1000

In reply to phja:

If you already have a down bag, might you be able to buy some kind of 'over bag' to add to it's warmth?

In reply to Timmd:
Would a breathable bivvy bag do the trick, and keep any snow brought into the tent off the down?

In reply to phja: are you planning on carrying everything in a sack or pulling a sledge? I use a 4 season down plus a fleece liner

In reply to phja:
Thanks for the replies...Not really thought about a liner over the top (or on the inside), anyone have any experience of how much difference they make to the warmth?

The 2 I', looking at are:
-Rab Ascent 900 (not too sure this will be warm enough?)
-Mountain equipment lamina -30

The ME Lamina seems really cheap for what it says it can do (http://www.needlesports.com/Catalogue/Camping-Equipment/Sleeping-Bags-Liner...

Thanks for the help!

In reply to elsewhere:


No, it really wouldn't. You end up catching your breath in the bivvy bag and getting a really bad wet patch on the chest area. Unless you're not using a tent, I'd avoid bivvy bags as much possible in cold temperature if you are doing any more than a night out.

In reply to phja:

In Feb and April in the north I think you want a bag good to about -25. It can get colder, but you'll survive in -25 bag. If you are going to be using it for a few months, I reckon you just need to suck it up and invest in a really good (and expensive bag). It's so vital - shivering through a -27 night in a bag maybe good to about -10 is not fun, I can promise that from bitter experience. I'd look for something like this http://www.ukclimbing.com/gear/review.php?id=5328

In reply to phja:

This over a down bag may work,

http://m.cotswoldoutdoor.com/buffalo-4-season-outer-sleeping-bag-82510006

In reply to phja: I use one of these in a four season bag http://www.trekkinn.com/outdoor-mountain/bergans-liner-fleece-navy/602457/p but I am not convinced it will do the job for you. Mind, -27 out will not be -27 in a tent. The other disadvantage of having inner this and outer that is that it gets bulky and you'll end up having to use a pulk, like it or not.

In reply to wbo:


You heat your tent through the night? As soon as everyone is in their bags and not moving around

To the person suggesting the Buffalo bag, my thoroughly miserable night at -27 was in a Buffalo 4s inner and outer. Buff bags are a very specific shape, I think they would compress a mummy shaped down bag and stop it working well. Over-bags need to be roomy to let a bag inside expand. I used for a number of winters two down ME bags inside each other. One was rated to about -12 and the other to about -5. They were ok but you still got cold by the low teens. Then I experimented with the -12 bag inside my baggier, cheap Haglofs summer synthetic (probably good to about 3 or 4 on its own) and that was much better. Fine at -20. I'm sure it was just that there was more room for the down to loft.

In reply to phja:

Three of us used lamina -30 bags in western Greenland for a 2 week trip last month- bulky but warm and great value for ~£150 including a club discount.

In reply to london_huddy:

How cold did it get Andy? Sounds like those are by far the cheapest option for a really warm bag. I reckon it must be 3 to 4 times as much for a comparable down bag.

And where are the photos of that trip BTW!? It sounds amazing!

In reply to TobyA:


Agreed. Using two bags is fine if both bags can get sufficient space to 'loft' properly. Otherwise its a bit counter-productive.

In reply to phja:

Also what you are going to be lying on since about a third of you is in contact with the mat and your sleeping bag is now just a flat squashed couple of sheets of fabric and not much between.

It is surprising how huge expedition bags loft to. It demonstrates just how much insulation you really need.

In reply to m0unt41n:

Was going to go for something like this http://www.outside.co.uk/shop/Extreme+XL

With a light inflatable mat on top

In reply to TobyA:

Randomly a while a go I e-mailed buffalo, and then had a telephone conversation with them, about using a pile bag as an outer for a down bag.

IIRC they used to make something specific for this, and will (or would) knock you something up to do the job.

I ended up buying a ajunjak summer synthetic bag and layer that over a PhD minm 300, very warm for Scottish winter on snow and has a degree of redundancy.

In reply to Dr.S at work:


Yeah, they definitely did - "sundowner inners" or some name like that. When I bought my 4s Outer and later 4s inner in 1988 (which would go on to cover all my camping needs for the next decade, the down bags were very much part of the system. They had some advert of a chap floating down a river in the bags IIRC! Maybe they were early users of Nikwax?

In reply to phja:

I imported a synthetic North Face Dark Star -40 for my exped in Siberia. Slept on a frozen lake in -30 (in a tent) and was warm all night. Pretty cheap bag, don't think I paid more than £150 including taxes (as you get the benefit of the exchange rate) and being climashield it is significantly loftier than the Lamina.

In reply to phja:
toby is correct, it really depends quite where and when you are going. Feb could still be very cold(-20 to -30), April relatively comfortable (-10 to -20)... whilst unlikely to be consistently that cold, in a valley bottom or prolonged high pressure it could be touching -40c at night. Why camp? Huts? or even a snow hole would be warmer!! Spring thaw has kicked in now, but until a week or so ago it could still be double figures below most nights up north.

I would invest in a decent down bag, good thermorest, but you also need decent water management, if you want a quick start in the morning, you'll need to insulate or sleep with the water you melted the evening before etc. Otherwise it'll be solid.

I would join the Norwegian hut association, not cheap, but you'll enjoy your time so much more and won't even need a sleeping bag for most or all depending on route choice.

In reply to summo:

Thinking of Geilo, Norway area in March and the Kings trail near Kiruna, Sweden in April. In terms of Hut vs Camping it comes down to a matter of cost to be honest! (I know gear will cost a lot but at least I have it after the trip to be used again)

Thanks

In reply to TobyA:


Ah I remember that advert, from when the Field and Trek catalogue was something I treasured.

In reply to TobyA:

Photos will be up when I get some time to sort them!

It was down to around -20 something for a couple of nights - certainly not properly cold (we were on snow with ridge rests and exped down 7cm mats). It was a pretty cool trip though...

In reply to phja:


in which case I would buy a decent one as a lifetime investment and you'll enjoy your sleep, not dread the shiver each night.