UKH

Hello!

Has anyone here had experience with the Women's (or Men's even) RAB Ascent 700? I have the 2017 version and used it on a recent trip to the peaks on advice of the mountaineering group I was with (to bring a 3 season bag).

It was the first time I had used it outside, and maybe I was dressed wrong (I forgot my Merino base layers), but I was a fair bit cold considering it was the middle of June! Also, my insulated inflatable mat was pretty darn good so can't chalk it up to a bad mat.

Does too much room in a bag completely throw out the 'comfort zone' of a good (down) sleeping bag? I'm 5'1"/155cm (and the max user height is 5'6"/170cm I believe) and there was a fair amount of space. I found myself wanting to fold parts of it to decrease the amount of free space which helped a bit.

Any advice on how to shorten it/make it smaller without damaging it? I tried adding some clothes to use up room - unfortunately, it was too annoying to test out for long. 

I also tried tying the neck and hood cords which worked after a bit of time, but my due to my length with my feet completely touching the bottom end of the bag, it meant the neck cushion and cord were higher than I felt comfortable. Tying the neck/head cords were useful though.

Anyway, any thoughts around this will be helpful! Thank you!

Me and my gf both have the regular non-women-specific version (not the current model but last years one I think). We have used them quite a lot in summer in Canada and found them pretty warm! They are quite roomy so I imagine that is your problem- you might find more of an 'alpine fit' bag to suit you. Jen is 5'8 so may have less dead space than you. I'm not a big fan of zipping them together- it creates that space which is colder as you describe. For me a thin base layer solves that problem.

I once used mine for a bivvy in the cairngorms at 800m during a storm (estimate around -12) and it was a cold experience! I blame a poor mat more than anything though.

Sorry, not much help!

Everyone is different.  Some people feel the cold more than others. You could try a fleece or silk liner or just go for the warmest possible sleeping bag all year round. Comfort ratings aren't accurate for everyone.  The fact that you would even consider sleeping in thermals in June makes me think you need a winter sleeping bag.

Thank you - it's helpful to hear someone else's experiences with a similar product and at least it sort of helped you out on a tight spot!

I'll make sure not to forget my Merino layers next time and start looking around for the tighter/alpine fit bags for later in the season.

You're right, I probably should have a winter bag - I thought this one would be good enough and thought I would be able to avoid bringing extra layers/lining. Alas, not! Maybe I'll get used to it (I hope) or my metabolism picks up! *shrugs*

Until then I'll just have to deal with extra layers or find a new bag.