UKH

Hey

So I was recently at Gaynor's in Ambleside looking at sleeping bags and the guy there was super helpful and said rather than spending £200 on one of their best winter bags, I should just keep my bouncing bomb and get a good quality fleece liner online. He was saying he had one, which added 5-8*C to the rating on his bag.

So I have been looking at a Sea to Summit Reactor Sleeping Bag Liner. What do you guys think? Is that a good one or are there better or cheaper? Having never used one, I'd love some advice.

I just want a cost effective option for colder conditions in the UK and also I'd like to try just a liner over summer as it will be smaller and lighter than my current bag.

In reply to NobleWanderer:

I picked up a fleece liner from Lidl a couple of years ago which is quite toasty, heavy at 600g but does feature a full length zip. But not bad for £8
Haven't seen them stocked since then so probably not much help, but have seen similar on Mountain Warehouse website.

In reply to Dell:

Thanks, it doesn't seem then that there's much point paying 5-6 times as much from Sea to Summit then. I'll check Mountain Warehouse too.

In reply to NobleWanderer:
I've found sleeping bag liners never add that much warmth to a bag, and the 5-8C claim sounds very unlikely to me, unless the liner he was using weighed more than 1kg. Thin silk and synth liners do keep your bag clean so you don't have to wash it as much, but that's about their most useful feature. Wearing an insulated jacket and trousers inside your bag would give more warmth to weight, if there's enough room, but better still would be to get a decent winter bag.

In reply to NobleWanderer:

PH designs down bag with a silk liner to protect it.

In reply to NobleWanderer:

Get a cheap summer synthetic bag, and use it as an 'over bag' works a treat.

In reply to NobleWanderer:

This is similar to the one I have, it's a step up from a cotton or silk bag liner, and definitely adds warmth.

http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/hi-gear-fleece-mummy-liner-p143957&Pg=3

But you have had some mixed opinions here, maybe you should describe your current bag for more focused replies.

In reply to NobleWanderer:

Then of course there's the slightly more pricey 3rd option.

http://sectionhiker.com/technical-camping-blankets-from-nemo-and-therm-a-re...

In reply to Dell:

My current bag is the British Army Arctic 90. It's been fine for me down to about -3*, but it would be nice to have something that would help bring it to a comfortable -10* just in case I'm out in colder weather.

I can appreciate the idea of wearing lined winter clothes inside the bag to stay warm, but I do like to be able to change clothes at the end of the day.

Putting a cheap sleeping bag over the top makes sense too, but I'm looking to cut down a bit on weight and bulk this year. I basically end up filling most of a 75 litre pack with my current sleeping bag, sleeping mat and tent alone.

In reply to NobleWanderer:

The size was the appealing factor for me:
https://goo.gl/images/xEyFf0

But obviously the more important thing is the effectiveness...

In reply to NobleWanderer:

If a adding a lightweight liner could add 5 deg of warmth just like that - then there wouldnt be a market for better rated bags. The fact is they don't. My liner does very little. The fleece ones are bulky in comparison. I ended up with a top bag which goes inside which does the trick.

In reply to NobleWanderer:

That army jobby looks like an inexpensive bag, at the expense of bulk and weight (2kg?) Supposed to be rated to -10 anyway, have you actually tried it at that temp, it may be fine.

I'd be wary of adding yet more bulk to my kit, get a merino long sleeve baselayer and bottoms instead. Will be as good as any thin liner and give you added functionality.

In reply to Dell:
Thanks, yes it was inexpensive, which was great. I actually tried it at around -2*C and found I was a little cold, so started wearing merino and now I'm fine.

That does lead me to think that I'd definitely be cold at -10*C though. I'd love to get a top of the range synthetic or hydrophobic down bag, but I really can't afford it, so that's why I'm looking at a more cost-effective option.

It's good to know I'm doing the right thing by wearing merino. Maybe I just need to save up for better kit.

What kind of sleeping bags/prices would you be looking at for a good winter bag that's a step up from mine?

In reply to NobleWanderer:

Got one of the liners you mention. Really like it. In winter I use it with an Alpkit Pipedream 400 sleeping bag. When things get extra cold I add Ran leggings and down jacket.

In reply to Removed UserDeleted bagger:

Thanks. Do you feel like you definitely notice the difference?

In reply to NobleWanderer:

Yes, instant warmth.

In reply to NobleWanderer:

What are you sleeping on? A good mattress adds another 5 degrees comfort IMO.

b

In reply to NobleWanderer:

It's also worth checking out second hand bags on Ebay.. You can get some bargains on unused/barely used bags. When I was off to Norway at the start of the year I managed to get a Glacier 1000 with tags for about £200!

In reply to ben b:
In winter I use an 15 year old thermarest on top of a foam mat. Cheap, but bulky. I'm looking to upgrade to one of the new lightweight high R value thermarests at some point, but they are £120+ They seem to be the kind of thing to get brand new incase there are punctures/faults.

What are others sleeping on?

In reply to NobleWanderer:


A 15 year old thermarest on top of a foam mat.

Or if saving bulk and weight, an 'exercise mat' from the pound shop which is very thin foam, under a 3/4 length cheap Vango self inflating thing.

In reply to NobleWanderer: I tend to go for extra layers in winter than carry a massive bag so I use PHD feather socks similar to these http://www.rockrun.com/rab-hot-socks?gclid=CP_dleDLh84CFURAGwodiMcOoA
having warm feet is luxury and boosts a lesser bag in cold weather performance.

I also sleep with Parramo Torres trousers on at times http://www.hillanddaleoutdoors.co.uk/productDetail.php?productId=3928&b...

Stay dry if possible and don't get layers wet with sweat helps, mesh base layer is the best I have found http://www.nordiclife.co.uk/collections/mens-base-layers/products/brynje-su...

In reply to NobleWanderer:

Should be a pretty warm combo. But bulky as you say - though the redundancy means that you're still ok if punctured.

B