That is still warm enough in cold wet UK conditions, but does not cost an arm and leg?

Needs to be as small as possible as its going with me on hand luggage only flight!

Ta

Something like a 500g Down bag with DWR pertex shell.

I’ve gotten away with just a bivi bag before in the summer, it is one of those heavy duty army ones though so probably warmer than ‘normal’ ones. Just pulled on a pair of ronhills, a thin fleece and picked a ‘bed’ of heather so by the time I’d sunk into it I was 3/4 covered anyway. Either that or cheat and kip in bird hides or shooting buts depening on whether the locals are shooting with a D90 or a 12 bore.

I got a snugpak softie extreme traveller, which apart from having a sewn-in mosquito net that I had to cut out as it was orrible and scratchy, has been very good- and way cheaper than anything else with similiar claimed comfort temps and size that I could find. It’s not tiny but it’s small for what it is.

why did you have to throw in not too pricey…

3 season down is probably low limit for warmth…

northwind, how small can you pack your snugpak?

mikewsmith – Member

why did you have to throw in not too pricey…

I am a spoil sport, that’s why 😉

footflaps – Member

Something like a 500g Down bag with DWR pertex shell.

I fear a down bag might be price wise out of my reach, but thanks for the tip anyway.

Get yourself to Decathalon. Plenty of decent, warm sleeping bags that pack down really small. I’ve used mine for bivvying in September/October and they’re great!

my snugpak does go into to the teeniest wee bag, but i need to wear more clothes in it! Extra clothes probably use up any space saving from the bag itself.

Boost the warmth by getting a liner, or by getting a down vest or jacket, yes you might be able to get a warmer bag for the same money but you’ll have lot’s more flexibility.

If you’re not too big then the Mountain Hardware Lamina 35 is a nice bag, packs small and only weighs 1kg, plus as it’s synthetic it’ll cope with damp/wet weather better than down, probably not warm enough if the temp gets close to 0.

http://theoutdoorgearshop.co.uk/acatalog/Mountain_Hardwear_Lamina_35_Sleeping_Bag.html

Another option (though not always suitable in wet conditions) is a down jacket with hood instead of a sleeping bag (OK, costs a bit but will get a lot more general use) plus a bivi bag 8)

Edit: just shows what happens when you get called away for 30minutes before pressing ‘post’ ! As he says above ^^^ !!

Tesco down sleeping bag, £30, very small & light (summer use only)
Sleeping bag liner
A few clothes

Used mine with an Alpkit Hunka for summer beach bivvi’s no problem. Not sure I’d want to use it for ‘cold wet UK conditions’ – Alpkit sorted that for me.

ski – Member

northwind, how small can you pack your snugpak?

Depends how much violence I want to invest in it tbh! It does just about go down to its claimed 17×17 cylinder, but that’s a battle. It’s rated down to -3 though that’d be a pretty miserable night, comfort rated to 2 degrees. Oh and £32, which was the clincher 😉

Budget?

My suggestion is;

Snugpak Softie 3… £70

Good down to about 5 deg – and I can vouch for that.

Over-budget?

Edit: currently one on ebay for £12 posted but still 6 days to go.

Snugpack again here, softie kilo, weighs about 1kg funnily.

I’ve got a Snugpak, was using it at the weekend. A bit chilly, didn’t take a fleece with me, which was daft, had to wear socks, tee, sweatshirt. If I’d taken a light fleece it would have made a big difference. I was in a tent in an open field by a hedge, btw.

I use a macpac epic 150 which has a pertex cover and is v small, like two tennisballs small when packed about 400g total. Fine with a silk liner and full thermals in snow conditions (two weeks ago…)

Is it also worth considering what you’re going to be sleeping on? Have you got a decent kip mat? Best bag in the world will under perform if you’re laying on an Argos 3mm mat! Saw an Exped down inflatable mat at the weekend, looks impressive!

How much personal insulation have you got NZCol? When it’s snowy I sleep fully clothed in a 1200gm Rab.

Decathlon bags can be OK or very poor. We bought three of their lightest bags for a summer trip and took them back to the store at the end of it. The stuffing had completely broken up and several seams had come undone. The salesperson initially said it was just normal wear and tear until I pointed out the date on the sales receipt. Money back and Lafumas bought for a few euros more.

On the other hand a 1500gm down bag from Decathlon has worn OK, providing similar warmth to a 1000gm Pyrenex down bag and very close to the 1200gm Rab.