Best Lightweight sleeping bag/ good quality.

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andrew_s
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Re: Best Lightweight sleeping bag/ good quality.

Post by andrew_s »

Down bags getting stinky isn't anything I've heard of either, though down does have its own (slight) aroma even when new.
Generally, artificial fibres are more stinky than natural (think synthetic vs wool/silk base layers).

I do notice that Snugpak and Lifeventure offer anti-bacterial treatments on their synthetic sleeping bags, and such treatments are often in order to fend off stinkiness.
Eton Rifle
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Re: Best Lightweight sleeping bag/ good quality.

Post by Eton Rifle »

pjclinch wrote:
crazydave789 wrote:I'd stay away from down for summer use unless as mentioned it's cold otherwise they stink up pretty quickly


They do? The main reason I like a liner in a down bag is to keep it clean. I'm more interested in that in summer as I'm more likely to be sweaty (or if it's sea paddling, encrusted in salt and sun cream), but as long as you use a liner and keep that clean I don't see why this should be much of an issue.

Pete.


I've been using down bags for years and never noticed a problem with odour. In any case, why would the filling be a factor in this? I do always wear a silk base layer and liner socks to sleep in.
boblo
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Re: Best Lightweight sleeping bag/ good quality.

Post by boblo »

I've also been using down bags for ~30 years and haven't found this a problem. I usually wear longjohns and a long sleeve base layer or use a liner to try and limit transfer of bodily 'mank' to the bag. Mine are never quite the same after they've been cleaned so I try and put it off for as long as possible.

My summer bike/backpacking bag, a PHD Minim has maybe 250 nights on it and hasn't reached biohazard status. I air on the line very thoroughly after a trip and keep it in the airing cupboard for a few days to ensure it's fully dried out.
hamish
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Re: Best Lightweight sleeping bag/ good quality.

Post by hamish »

Going by my own personal experience rather than the say so of others, I think Alpkit was one of the poorest sleeping bags I have used. Not very well made and lots of cold spots.


I have an older alpkit pipedream. My daughter has a sky high. For the cash they are excellent. The pipedream bag fabric is ok but the construction is not as good as my other daughter's Rab. It's a bit rough. The down however is really good, very good loft and low feather... Much better than the down in the Rab. It packs really small and despite the average finish, it would be really hard to replace at a reasonable price. The sky high is better made but the down isn't as good - but then it's a cheaper bag and really good value...

My understanding is that Alpkit knew the limitations of their previous supplier and decided to change manufacturer. I would be interested to see if their newer bags have the same excellent down in a better construction.
irc
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Re: Best Lightweight sleeping bag/ good quality.

Post by irc »

andrew_s wrote:PHD Minim 300
https://www.phdesigns.co.uk/minim-300-d ... ing-bag-m1

I'd pay the £41 extra for a full length zip, for added versatility when it's warm


And for anyone who isn't an average size the PHD comes in several widths and lengths for a perfect fit.

As for zips - I have a Minim 300 with half zip and a Minim 200 with no zip. I prefer the no zip. If I get warm I push the bag down to my chest/waist. With a loose fitting bag getting in and out without a zip is easy.
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pjclinch
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Re: Best Lightweight sleeping bag/ good quality.

Post by pjclinch »

irc wrote:
andrew_s wrote:PHD Minim 300
https://www.phdesigns.co.uk/minim-300-d ... ing-bag-m1

I'd pay the £41 extra for a full length zip, for added versatility when it's warm


And for anyone who isn't an average size the PHD comes in several widths and lengths for a perfect fit.

As for zips - I have a Minim 300 with half zip and a Minim 200 with no zip. I prefer the no zip. If I get warm I push the bag down to my chest/waist. With a loose fitting bag getting in and out without a zip is easy.


I have an ME Dewline with no zip, and can confirm that pushing the top down a bit is indeed a workable solution. But I'd prefer a zip... Being all inside a bag with a vent up the side gives a more balanced (and I think more comfortable) solution than your legs being on the hot side and your trunk being on the cool side. Having said that, I've owned that bag for about 15 years and not felt the need to do anything more about it so we're not in the realm of deal-breaking.

Pete.
Often seen riding a bike around Dundee...
crazydave789
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Re: Best Lightweight sleeping bag/ good quality.

Post by crazydave789 »

liners keep some of the dirt out but not the sweat and moisture. down is as bad a polypropylene thermal fabrics for going stinky and often needs nothing to stink itself up if stored badly as dirt comes from inside and outside the bag. a surprising amount of moisture gets into the filling of a sleeping bag, we are talking pints of water even in winter, I've had it where the moisture in an arctic bag froze turning it into a rigid coffin, still warm as the snow inside the bag was an insulator this is why expeditions now use vapour barrier liners which is like being inside a boil in the bag meal pouch.

much harder to wash though and not touring friendly IMO.

interesting how those who claim they never have a problem also admit to having to wear liner wear to stop the problem. which proves my point on being unsuitable for summer useage. for the UK and its varied climate I have used single season synthetic bags and down jackets as a quilt which gives you both practicalities and is easy to throw off when the sun comes up to ruin your morning lie in. for cycle touring though I think I would limit my down packing to simple body warmer as an emergency extra core layer.

I have tried to proof down but as usual with nikwax claims not with much success - or at least the ability to float on a lake in a down bag.
nsew
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Re: Best Lightweight sleeping bag/ good quality.

Post by nsew »

My thoughts. Depends on the user, their diet (how healthy they are), how clean they keep themselves. Some folk perspire a lot and some don’t. If I were a sweater with a bad diet who didn’t clean before sleep, I’d choose synthetic for the necessary repeated washing. Using a bag that’s rated too warm for the summer months is a sure fire way to clog up the down/fibres and stink out / ruin a bag. My 900 fill down bag is comfort rated at +5 yet keeps me cosy with silk liner to about -2 with XL Neo Air. Choice of mattress is an important factor. I use a half zip for ease of access and ventilation. It’s nice to have the bag over your shoulders and open when doing stuff to your side when chilly. On very warm nights I just sleep in the liner. Not sure nights, start with the bag around the waist and move up or down accordingly. Sweating in your sleeping bag is to be avoided at all costs.
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Gattonero
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Re: Best Lightweight sleeping bag/ good quality.

Post by Gattonero »

We all sweat in a diffrent way!

I wash myself no less than once a day, up to three times in summer, and my armpits would still lightly smell no matter what- It's just the way it is :?
It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best,
since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them.
Thus you remember them as they actually are...
nsew
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Re: Best Lightweight sleeping bag/ good quality.

Post by nsew »

Gattonero wrote:We all sweat in a diffrent way!

I wash myself no less than once a day, up to three times in summer, and my armpits would still lightly smell no matter what- It's just the way it is :?


I’m sure many of us use these. Perfume free lingettes (baby wipes) are a huge assistance on tour. A small expense at 2-3 euro a packet. Downside is the packet is heavy until you start getting through them. I used to think I could get by without them, messing around with a cloth, precious water supply and soap (lighter and cheaper). Turned out that was a false economy and way more hassle.
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pedalsheep
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Re: Best Lightweight sleeping bag/ good quality.

Post by pedalsheep »

44% off this Rab 2-3 season bag at the moment looks like a good deal to me (don't need it myself I've already got too many sleeping bags!)
https://www.climbers-shop.com/10940971/ ... 439a912fd5
'Why cycling for joy is not the most popular pastime on earth is still a mystery to me.'
Frank J Urry, Salute to Cycling, 1956.
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pjclinch
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Re: Best Lightweight sleeping bag/ good quality.

Post by pjclinch »

crazydave789 wrote:interesting how those who claim they never have a problem also admit to having to wear liner wear to stop the problem. which proves my point on being unsuitable for summer useage.


I think you'll have to run that by me again as far as proof of point goes... If they don't have a problem using a liner I'd say it's a pretty good indication that a liner isn't hurting. Given that a thin layer of pertex or silk isn't exactly going to add a huge amount to a bag's rating in summer it's simply a case of using a very light, rather than a quite light, bag with a liner. And if it's really cooking you just use the liner as a bag on its own, which is often a useful option in itself.

crazydave789 wrote:I have tried to proof down but as usual with nikwax claims not with much success - or at least the ability to float on a lake in a down bag.


I did one and it made a useful difference the one time I got a bag soaking wet. I had an awful night with poorly lofting damp down, my tent-mate had a far worse night with two sheets of soaking nylon with no discernibly useful filling at all. And that was a Good Thing, but the main problem was poor management of the bags that got them wet (we left them out in a tent that was regularly being flattened by heavy gusts in a sleety blizzard before popping back up when the worst had passed, but it got everything inside soaking, we should have packed then away). So that lesson learned I haven't bothered doing any subsequent bags. It was a faff and my subjective feeling was the dry loft was never quite as good afterwards.

With the "game changing" newer generation of hydrophobic downs the game hasn't actually changed, because it remains the case that a dry hydrodown bag works better and is more comfortable than a wet one so the main point is you keep it dry (same with a synthetic, of course, dry is always better). But if you're buying and all else is about equal you might as well get the extra insurance.

Pete.
Often seen riding a bike around Dundee...
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Gattonero
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Re: Best Lightweight sleeping bag/ good quality.

Post by Gattonero »

nsew wrote:
Gattonero wrote:We all sweat in a diffrent way!

I wash myself no less than once a day, up to three times in summer, and my armpits would still lightly smell no matter what- It's just the way it is :?


I’m sure many of us use these. Perfume free lingettes (baby wipes) are a huge assistance on tour. A small expense at 2-3 euro a packet. Downside is the packet is heavy until you start getting through them. I used to think I could get by without them, messing around with a cloth, precious water supply and soap (lighter and cheaper). Turned out that was a false economy and way more hassle.


Even better, you can buy a big pack of anti-bacterical wipes that are very useful in many situations (i.e. when using a public toilet!) and seem to remove body smell better than common wipes.
£6 for a 100pc pack is a good value IMO, getting an infection from a toilet is not funny... :(

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00 ... UTF8&psc=1
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It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best,
since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them.
Thus you remember them as they actually are...
JackRabbitSlims
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Re: Best Lightweight sleeping bag/ good quality.

Post by JackRabbitSlims »

Have just come off an 8 month trip through Western Europe, Morocco, Thailand and Laos using this bag: - http://sleepingbags-cumulus.eu/uk/categ ... d=61&vid=6

Depending on how Hot or Cold you sleep, there are plenty of options in the Cumulus Range to choose from - well made, and I highly recommend.
cnb
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Re: Best Lightweight sleeping bag/ good quality.

Post by cnb »

Last year I bought myself an EE Revelation quilt...I find it much better than a sleeping bag....
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