Rab Ascent 300 or 500 Down Sleeping Bags

[Heltor Chasca]

I'm in the market for a 2/3 season down sleeping bag with a budget of about £180.00. I'm keen to keep the weight and size down a little as it would also be for cycle touring. I am 40 and male. What that means is I used to be able to sleep "warm" but in the last 5 years I really have noticed I get colder at night while camping. After long, active days it's even harder to warm up. My 1 season bag is only suitable for warm summer nights and my winter bag is huge and too hot for summer. What I'm after is a "spring/summer/autumn" do it all, fine weather, middle of the road sleeping bag.

Short list?

I really like the Alpkit bags but they have supply problems. Rats https://www.alpkit.com/

Then there is the faithful, good old, good value (IMO) Vango Venom 400 option: http://www.traveloutdoors.co.uk/vango-v ... eping-bag/

Then there are these which are close to the mark but I'm stuck on which one. Does anyone have any experience?
2 Season - http://rab.uk.com/products/equipment/sl ... t-300.html (nice colour and pack size, but will I get cold as I get longer in the tooth?)
3 Season - http://rab.uk.com/products/equipment/sl ... t-500.html (rubbish colour (but that is negligible), larger pack size but warmer (maybe warmer than I need for fine weather camping)

Your opinion counts. Thanks everyone.......hc

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
I think that your being blinded by the money.
2 / 3 season bags are two a penny, and at forty unless your doing Mountain Marathons with your bike there are plenty synthetic bags at £30, you could do as I do and have several at different weights.
Whilst I admit down has more loft per Ib compared to synthetic it is easier to maintain. (Dry / air in the morning and wash)

When I last use my down bag in anger at -10 I did find that the base (bit you lie on) which in any bag flattens will absorb your sweat, which needs drying out, which can mat and knot.
Do you really need to save a few hundred grams

[tatanab]

I have a RAB down bag which is 12 years old. It is probably a 4 seasons one. I used to open it like a quilt to stay cool enough in the summer and found that the hood, baffles, zip etc were a nuisance. I then found the Thermarest 35 down blanket (now called Auriga) which is much more like a real quilt in that it has a large area around the feet and opens as wide as a sleeping bag would if opened out. It has no hood, baffles or zip and so is lighter and packs smaller as a bonus. Works for me because I can curl up under it like a quilt at home with loads of wriggle room. http://www.ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk/ ... nket-p2414

[Heltor Chasca]

Hi,
I think that your being blinded by the money.
2 / 3 season bags are two a penny, and at forty unless your doing Mountain Marathons with your bike there are plenty synthetic bags at £30, you could do as I do and have several at different weights.
Whilst I admit down has more loft per Ib compared to synthetic it is easier to maintain. (Dry / air in the morning and wash)

When I last use my down bag in anger at -10 I did find that the base (bit you lie on) which in any bag flattens will absorb your sweat, which needs drying out, which can mat and knot.
Do you really need to save a few hundred grams

Thanks NA. I'm pretty strong so it's not so much the weight as the space. It's also an experience thing. I've never been able to afford a down bag and hence have never owned one. I have been presented with a small financial opportunity to think about one though. I also had a girlfriend in a past life who had an Ajungulak which was awesome.

My other bags are all synthetic and I don't have a bad thing to say about them. I haven't closed this door.

Tricky when you have so much choice [emoji4]

[rannochraider]

Hi HC , I was in a similar position a few weeks ago. I too was in the market for a decent bag. I was looking for something lightweight and or low volume easy to pack. I wanted a 3-4 season bag and thought down was the answer. However as I do a bit of canoeing and camping out in damp rainy weather I had to be sure that down would be suitable for use in these environments. In the end I came to the conclusion that while down was lovely and warm, it may have been problematic in the damp conditions. To cut a long story short, after much searching and lots of very good advice and opinions I opted for a very good quality synthetic bag which has a fairly similar characteristics to down. With the saving I made I was able to buy good quality merino wool undergarments and a nice lightweight down jacket that can be worn in the bag if required.

http://www.ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk/ ... -bag-p1681

This actually packs as small as many down bags and is also light enough to pop in a rucksack. I can tell you that it's very well made and very comfortable.

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,

http://www.songofthepaddle.co.uk/forum/ ... -or-colder

Edited-
I am a NO man.

[irc]

Slightly over budget. But 505g and will pack down tiny. Assuming you'll fit their standard size bag. I covet a PHD bag but I'll need XL and X wide.

http://www.phdesigns.co.uk/ready-made-m ... eeping-bag


Or the Kelty Trail Logic 2 season. 700g weight. At £180. I bought the 3 season version this year and am pleased with it. Right on budget. And sold by Amazon so you can order it, then s See if it is suitable and if not easy to return. With a full zip possibly a more flexible option than the no zip PHD bag for warm weather.


http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kelty-TraiLogic ... eeping+bag

http://www.kelty.com/p-774-sb-35.aspx

[Heltor Chasca]

Heh heh. Now there's a thing. Common interests, common ground etc. I've been a member of SOTP and BCUK on and off over the years.

I am a canoeist so get the whole wet bag thing. Gulp.

Loads of time for research. "£250 is way over budget and merino is a favourite on my ongoing wishlist. I get by with cotton and heavy wool at the moment. That said I really like that Kelty trailogic SB35. If you got yours from Amazon irc: did they supply the mesh loft bag and compression sack?

Many thanks...............hc

[rannochraider]

Hey HC, A bit more food for thought that you may find helpful on this wee thread from SOTP...............

http://www.songofthepaddle.co.uk/forum/ ... bag-advice

[MrsHJ]

I haven't had any problems with my mountain equipment down bag and I sleep cold. Having said that I'm a cyclist not a canoeist. I've had it for nearly twenty years! (Yes, camping most years although only a couple of weeks a year). It's been fine in rain although never used outside May-October. I have a 3 season after finding that summer bags get very cold in the mountains in September. You can always unzip it a bit or a lot if you get hot but there's not a lot of options if you get cold except putting all your socks on etc! I've thought about a liner for coler temperatures but haven't needed to go there yet. I'm presuming it will give up the ghost or get thin and cold at some point but that doesn't seem to be yet.

[irc]

H If you got yours from Amazon irc: did they supply the mesh loft bag and compression sack?

Many thanks...............hc

Yes. Came with loft sack and compression bag.

[alant82]

It sounds like you're already sorted for summer and winter, so really just needing something to cover spring and autumn. I have a heavy duty Mountain Equipment Dreamcatcher 1000 bag for serious cold winter camping and an old Rab Quantum 400 to cover late spring/summer/early autumn. Earlier this year I bought the Rab Ascent 700 (in a sale for about £110) to fill in the gaps - it's a lot lighter and more compact than my ME Dreamcatcher but still good for probably down to about -3 celcius or so.

I think you may find the 300 ok in summer but not offering enough warmth in spring or into autumn. The 500 sounds like it would probably suit you best - perhaps too hot for fine summer nights but you still have your 1 season bag for that.

The Ascent range of bags are a bit wider and more roomy than some others, which may or may not be an advantage to you. I'm quite slim but like being able to move about a bit within the bag, and don't have any complaints with mine considering the price I paid for it.

[pjclinch]

I've used down bags pretty much exclusively for around 35 years now, including canoeing and sea kayaking. Reasons to use synthetics I put mainly as:
- allergic to down
- vegan
- lacking capital to buy down (but see below)
- have management issues and can't keep a bag reasonably clean/dry in use (that can be down to the user, the environment, or both, and certainly makes synthetics a better choice for young kids)
- less reliant on a good mat underneath in cold conditions

Down bags pack smaller, are lighter, and (with care) last much longer. Any saving in weight and bulk can either be left as a saving, or you can make up the space in more/nicer food, a more comfortable camping chair, more spacious tent etc.

One of the points about them lasting longer is that second hand becomes a very viable option. Our kids have down bags that we picked up for a very fair price through Outdoors Magic's classifieds listings. So check out sites like OM and (of course) eBay.

Pete.

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
I could liken the down bag club to the the same thoughts I had 40 + years ago about the Karrimor wearing club.
Karrimor along with Berghaus and a few others were the main contenders along with footwear Berghaus (Scarpa) Scarpa Viking Karrimor ?
Scarpa boots were superior I.M.O...............Ahhhhhhhhh

Karrimor were heavy in to mountaineering in the post 60's and maybe before, so was Berghaus.
So you would see people wearing the likes embossed on there jackets.

I started camping on the pennines in my woollies 38 ounce square sleeping bag with my "Campari" all nylon ridge tent (steel poles ) and no sleeping mat Ice in the tent

What works is what I buy and will admit to being a little apprensive about relying on a down bag, the price always puts me off for the sake of a few hundred grams (I still have my 1980's down "Caravan" bag.

But remember that pound for pound nothing is a as good as your sleeping bag, so if you wear anything inside it will be inferior on insulation because of weight.
So if that's the case you have the wrong bag (weight, not down / synthetic) you simply needed to add a heavier by 200 grams or so bag.

The argument on wearing pyjamers is that any clothing will hold sweat close to the body, which when it evaporates will cool.
If you like or are used to the feeling of clothes next to the skin I can see that, of course I haven't worn pyjamas since I was 8

The argument goes on, down or synthetic, naked or clothed..................................

[foxyrider]

I've now got a Sea to Summit Spark SP1 Hydrophobic down bag with a silk liner, three season and the liner adds a bit of extra warmth for hardly any weight if it is particularly chilly.

I sleep in the raw usually, the silk liner keeps the bag clean(er).

Been using a 3 season down bag for over a decade for cycle camping, occasionally its not been quite enough, but thats been at the ends of season and/or at some altitude when i've supplemented with a jumper!