UKH

What should I be looking for in terms of a bag?? I live in Austria and some of the huts are requesting to bring you own bag for the summer, but I would like something that is versatile, as follows:

Lightweight - to be carried in addition to alpine gear

Suitable for use during the summer in an alpine hut winter room. In some cases, these are open this year when the huts are not.

Possibly also for the same but winter (ski touring)

Potenitally for an outdoor bivvy with bivvy bag.

General camping - summer use 

Don't really know what I need, so any advice much appreciated. 

Cheers!!

In reply to fenski:

I have a Nunatak quilt that's good down to -5C, and ticks all of those boxes except (probably) winter. Light-as, not the most outrageously expensive thing ever (but it's the basic model that I think they might have stopped making), and ultimately one of the besrt camping-related purchases I've ever made.

In reply to fenski:

Look at PHD

awesome quality and will last a lifetime,

for example.
 

 https://www.phdesigns.co.uk/hispar-300-down-sleeping-bag-2020

tehmarks, a quilt wouldn't work, as one of the OP's needs is use in alpine huts (Hüttenschlafsäck). Quilt would be breaking the hygiene rules

The PHD one looks nice, but I don't really understand why they don't use EN ratings but their own (TOT). Almost every other manufacturer of sleeping bags uses the EN standard. I don't doubt their quality, but find strange and confusing for customers.

Fenski, since you live in Austria, why not look around - good Polish or Czech down bags could be easier to come by where you are and lot cheaper.

http://sleepingbags-cumulus.eu - the Lite or X-Lite line and they make customised bags too, incl. WPB outers or hydrophobic down, up to 900 cuin I think.

http://www.sirjoseph.cz/en - Koteka 290 or Minimis (UL, instead of a summer hüttenschlafsäck), up to 800 cuin.

Both pretty good manufacturers, EU down and EU made.

Although I am not sure a single bag would tick all your criteria, from summer matratzenlagers to winterraums in winter.

In reply to Frank R.:

Thanks for the info. I was just looking for some general guidance, as i'm not really sure what I'm looking for.   

Actually a quilt might work, and seems pretty flexible, as I can always take my normal silk Hüttenschlafsäck as well.  

Cheers

In reply to fenski:I'd be looking to a good quality 2/3 season down bag.  I have a Mountain Equipment Xero that ticks all your boxes, but I'm sure you could find an equivalent from Eastern Europe.  

Quilts aren't great in bivibags, or when it's windy, or ... but they're very fashionable at the moment 

In reply to Frank R.:

Not even with a liner? Fair point - not something I'd considered as I've never used it in a hut before, but I've always figured that if I had to, I can cinch up the back pretty effectively with the strap system such that it's effecctively closed. But that was pre-plague.

To the OP: I'd definitely recommend looking at Nunatak - and if you're not sold on a quilt (I think they're brilliant and I've used it everywhere from alpine bivying through to car camping in the Peak District with no regrets) they make sleeping bags too. They're a bit like an American version of PhD - down is their thing, and they're very good at it.

In reply to tehmarks:

Of course, with a liner it would be ok - but when the linter itself is sometimes nearly the weight of the ultralight sleeping bag, I'd rather save weight and just take a bag instead of a quilt plus liner, or if already taking a liner for summer hut rooms, why take the quilt or bag at all? YMMV of course! I am not a fan of quilts, but then again, I have never really tried them so can't really tell!

And I guess an unlucky unplanned sitting bivvy on a ledge could be somewhat cold with a quilt instead of a bag?

In reply to Frank R.:

Looking at the reply’s, a bag is probably the best option. Going to go and look in the local “big” town tomorrow, but curious, as I don’t think I’ve actually seen a selection of  sleeping bags in the outdoor shops. 
 

normally people just use the huts...,

In reply to fenski:

Everyone's comfort limits are different and you mention way too many uses that might not be all covered by a single bag. I suggest get a 3-season down bag, use it for bivvies in the Alps during the summer and get your bearings from that (looking at the EN 13537 temperature ratings that most manufacturers use). It will be probably be way too warm for a matratzenlager in the summer. But you can get an understanding for what's enough for you and get what works for what outside temps for you from that. I use my 3-season bag even in the winter sometimes (especially with a bivvy bag). But everybody is different and it's really up to you to know what works for you, sorry But I still think a good down 3-season bag is the most useful one...

In reply to fenski:

For that range of things (assuming the bivvying is in summer or the latter/earlier half of the shoulder seasons) I'd recommend the Spark 1 from Sea to Summit.

It's ridiculously compact (pretty much 1/2 the size of a 1l Nalgene when compressed) and weighs 340g in regular length with a comfort limit of 5c. I have a mate who has used his down to 2c in just baselayers. 

The hydrophobic down from S2S is also really good which means it copes well with bivvying condensation. 

If you plan to anything remotely winter outside the reality is you need two bags, but you can also trick around with this in future by buying a mid-range bag such as the Spark III (for the sake of comparison) and using the Spark 1 as a liner to increase the comfort temp. 

Hope this helps! 

In reply to MischaHY:

My summer bag is a very light down bag from Rab, bought many years ago & no longer in their catalogue. I think it has about 300 g of down, with a simple sewn through construction, its a sleeping bag equivalent of their Kinder smock which was on sale at the same time (early 1990s) & may have been aimed at mountain marathoners. I think its rated to about 3° & has always been warm enough in summer ungardianed huts. Its very light & packs very small. Not so good for winter but I have another bag for that - as you say, its impossible for one bag to cover such a huge temperature range