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[suspectmonkey]

Hi everyone!  Apologies for not posting much recently, would love to say I've been away adventuring but it would be far from the truth.  All work and no play makes Jon a dull boy

Anyway... I've been thinking about getting a synthetic sleeping bag but I can't quite make my mind up about which temperature rating to go for.  I currently have an Alpkit PipeDream 400 which Alpkit give a comfort rating of -3C.  From experience I found I was chilly in the bag at about 0C, so I was always layering up in winter and was still chilly when in the bivvy bag.  Of course in the summer I was absolutely sweating to death in the same sleeping bag!

I'm probably answering my own question here, but do you think it's too much to expect one sleeping bag to be comfortable year round?  Rather than compromise with one bag do you think it's better to buy two seperate bags - a lower rated bag for winter use and a higher rated bag for summer use?  Obviously money is tight so don't want to buy two sleeping bags if I dont have to, but I'm a bit fed up being too cold in winter and too warm in summer!  Would appreciate your thoughts

PS: I know all about the Tesco sleeping bag, but really, I don't fancy doubling up in winter as I already get twisted and tangled badly enough in a bivvy bag  

[LennyJ1]

I do double up. I have my Berghaus Bag for spring and auturm then My Vango one season for summer the both for winter. It is a pain having 2 bags in winter but it saves on cost of having 3 differnt bags.

[suspectmonkey]

but it saves on cost of having 3 differnt bags.

Three bags?!  I thought I was bad considering two

Just out of interest, what is your Berghaus bag rated at Lenny?

[twentyclicks]

I have a -7 bag and a +10 bag. Bit of a gap, as I certainly wouldn't use the winter bag above say +5. The summer bag also usually needs some clothes anyway near the limit. I probably need something a teeny bit warmer and more accurate for our summer.

Will let you know how I get on in Corsica using a synthetic leg quilt and synth jacket combo... some nights could be down to +5.

I reckon above 17 you could just lie where you stop and pull a coat over you... did this is Spain with the mice and lizards running around 

[suspectmonkey]

Will let you know how I get on in Corsica using a synthetic leg quilt and synth jacket combo... some nights could be down to +5.

That sounds like an interesting combo!  Makes sense if you are carrying an insulating jacket anyway, although I'm not sure I could give up the cosy pleasure of snuggling down into a full length bag   Looking forward to hearing how you get on with it!

I'm now trying to decide whether to buy a Lamina 20 for autumn/winter/spring and a Lamina 45 for summer use, or just to buy a Lamina 35 and layer up in winter and use it more like a quilt in summer.  Obviously one of those options costs half the price   That said, even buying two Lamina's costs less than buying a 3 season down bag from a reputable outdoor manufacturer.

[LennyJ1]

This is it http://www.blacks.co.uk/camping/sleeping-bags-and-liners/product/096387/berghaus-flare-1100-mummy-sleeping-bag.html?attribute=4142843

[whoRya]

I think this is something many people will have wrestled with.  I went for the cheaper option of one 3 season sleeping bag for year round use.  Is the snow of last winter likely to be repeated in the coming years? 

I got the Deuter Travel Lite 300.  I've only used it in April-September so far, so I can't comment on reaching the lower comfort rating.  On the upper end (probably 12-15 degrees) I have seldom had the zip fully closed.  It hasn't been uncomfortable. 

That said, I've always been in a tent.  You may want to consider what it would be like in a bivvy bag with an opened sleeping bag.  Your temperature may fluctuate much more and perhaps you'd end up being in direct contact with the bivy bag.     

[suspectmonkey]

Is the snow of last winter likely to be repeated in the coming years?

Hopefully

[LandyLiam]

I've never doubled up on bags but did once use the bivvy and sleeping bag together while in a tent to give that extra bit of warmth which was handy as i imagine 2 bags could be quite restrictive, especially as i don't lie in the 1 spot for very long (i'm a right tosser  ). Has anyone seen any info on doubling bags and the ratings that would give? or how much a bivvy bag would add to the rating?

Three bags?!  I thought I was bad considering two

like most outdoor gear, i have an extensive collection of bags thanks to ebay and car boot sales, i've actually just given 2 away as the collection had reached double figures 

[suspectmonkey]

Has anyone seen any info on doubling bags and the ratings that would give? or how much a bivvy bag would add to the rating?

I think Andy Kirkpatrick is a fan of doubling up and wrote an article on it here.  One superb but rather expensive take on the doubling up idea is the PHD Combi bag.  It is cut wider to allow you to fit something like their Minimus inside.  So if you owned a PHD Combi bag and a PHD Minimus you would have the following options:

• Minimus bag by itself: +5C (typical operating temp)
• Combi bag by itself: -5C
• Combi bag + Minimus: -15C

PTC also did a review of the Combi bag.  Unfortunately as versatile as the Combi and Minim bags are they would set you back around £475 to buy (£278 for Combi and £200 for Minimus).  Well out of my price range but in fairness PHD get a fantastic rep, make everything in the UK and seem to have a very ethical approach to business.

I've decided to give synthetic bags a go so I've just ordered a Mountain Hardwear Lamina 45 to take with me on holiday to the Lake District next week.  If I like it then I will go for a MH Lamina 20, which would give me the Lamina 45 for summer and the Lamina 20 for the rest of the year around.  It also gives me the option of pairing the Lamina 20 and 45 together if I ended up in really cold conditions.  Bit dubious about moving from my 750g Alpkit PipeDream to the 1400g Lamina 20, but in saying that it should keep me toasty and I might save some weight not having to bring my thermals along in the middle of winter  

[LennyJ1]

Has anyone seen any info on doubling bags and the ratings that would give? or how much a bivvy bag would add to the rating?
 

Cant find it at the moment but its what Andy Kirkpatrick does.

[Highlandpaddy]

Morning All

First post here since I joined a while back. Sleeping bag ratings from manufacturers are really only a guide and have a tendency to be quite modest. Most of them are tested in a non- outdoor type of environment, so my advice is to take them with a pinch of salt!!

The fill of the bag is probably more important and making sure that the bag get aired as much as possible ( if possible in the environment) and also the layering underneath ie mats/ thermarests. Doubling is another option but as someone has already mentioned in the post, most people find it quite restrictive and claustrophobic.
 

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