down sleeping bags

[Dowser]

With a polyester lining and shell at 240 togs, it has a comfort rating of +13.2-16.3°C and an extreme rating of +1.7c°C.

240 togs!?!?!  Not sure how they are measuring, but as every 2 Togs gives about an extra 7 degrees, you're good to -798    That bag's well over-engineered!

Back to serious - not a bad bag for the dough and decent weight for 2 of them.
Dowser, I'm interested if you put one bag inside the other, or just sandwiched the other bag on top (held by the bivy)?  With a decent mat to insulate from the ground, and able to sleep on your back, this would use all the insulation in an 'unsquished' way to extend the range even further.  The bivy itself would have reduced convection and helped a bit.  I would guess though that the temp at the weekend was actually warmer than -6 due to the more stable environment under the trees, and being elevated enough to be above the 'cold sink'... Ray Jardine would say, "an ideal camp"!

Well spotted on the 240 tog rating... Do you reckon I've got them on trade descriptions then..?  Maybe I can get my £13 back lol.

I slept with one inside the other giving equal insulation from above and below and had a 3/4 length self-inflating mat below me inside the bivvi bag.  Your probably right about the temp being warmer than -6.  I was thinking, the higher up the hill the colder, but true enough... warm air rises so we may have been up out of the cold a bit.  It definately didn't feel all that cold to me but I did have a nip or two of the Famous Grouse in me.

I woke up in the middle of the night boiling and took my fleece and shirt off, leaving me in a t-shirt.  Next morning I realised I had just threw the shirt and fleece outside my bivvi bag.  My thinking whilst tipsy must have been "I didn't want to smother my dog who was in my sleeping bag with me". I had a lovely damp shirt to pull on the next morning for breakfast, Doh!

[RedLeader]

Wonder what figure you could put on the insulation provided by the bivvy bag. Should be worth a few degrees. I used a silk liner on Sat night but it's hard to judge how much it helped.

[Matthew]

A silk liner is the ticket, I had one on while inside my sleeping bag and was toasty warm

[cruben]

I hav'nt use a down bag for quite a while, but always kept it for above the snow line as water is the enemy of down, if it gets wet it looses all its insulating qualities. Thats one reason why man made fiber has become popular. The main reason for needind a down bag is weight and space if these are not an issue stick with the man made fibers. The other being price.
Afew points which may be useful for those not too farmiliar with down
1 good quality down has a very smal amount of quill where as choped feather has a lot and does not have the insulating properties of down( choped feather will be found in the poorer quality bags, not nessarly the cheapest)
2 good bags should not have any seams that are sewn straight through, bringing the outside into contact with the inside. But should be box quilted giving the down enough space to expand ( loft)
3 never leave your bag stored in the compresssion sack and when you have your camp set up take the sleeping bag out and fluff it up, this will give it time to expand. The more space between the outer and the inner the warmer it will be.
4 when you lay down your weight will compress the down leaving no insulation between you and the ground, the insulation needs to be replaced with something that will form an insulating layer below you ie, karrymat.
5 be careful not to tear it as leaking down will make an awful mess. a stick plaster may keep it together until a more permanent repair is made
6 keep it gry at all costs.

[chris]

It's been posted before but seriously read this guys page. It will tell you everything you want to know! I've adopted his "double bagging" system and its the ticket.

http://www.andy-kirkpatrick.com/articles/gear

[LennyJ1]

Great shout chris

[RedLeader]

What 2 bags do you recommend?

It's been posted before but seriously read this guys page. It will tell you everything you want to know! I've adopted his "double bagging" system and its the ticket.

http://www.andy-kirkpatrick.com/articles/gear

[chris]

What 2 bags do you recommend?

I use a Nannok down one and a snugpak softie 3 which is synthetic.

[Wolf_Larson]

The weather we are getting i think -10 sounds good.

Thanks all, regards Wolf