Sleeping bag recommendations?

[halfcocked]

In the hunt for a warm sleeping bag for camping.
Anyone got much experience with the ratings. -5, -12 etc?
Ive camped around cobram at 0 degrees overnight. Wouldnt mind something that can handle jindabyne etc. 0 to say -5. Would -5 rating be ok. Is -12 overkill and ill sweat my butt off??
Ive only ever owned a cheapo summer rated one. Thoughts??

[Bosbefok]

I have a Coleman bag that is rated 0*C. I froze my ass off at 0*c in Pensylvania SF using it. I use that as my Summer bag. I have a roman big sleeping bag that I use as my winter bag. It's an old bag that someone left at my house. No one claimed it so it now lives in my swag as I don't have a bag for it.

[Gwion]

You want the technical answer or the simple one?

Ratings mean nothing if you aren't using the bag right and are very subjective anyway. I have a Fairydown bag for hiking, rated to -10C. On cold nights i still wear thermals to bed. It was an $800 bag at the time of purchase.

What keeps you warm in a bag is "loft". People put a blanket over the bag and wonder why they are still cold; they have just squashed the 'loft' and made the bag vastly less efficient. Good marino thermals, a -10 rated bag, a bag liner, a good insulated mat to sleep on and you should stay toasty in most Aussie conditions. If you get hot, open the bag.

What kind of bag all depends on intended use and budget. Car based camping, long hikes, etc, etc...???

[AusTac]

Snugpak, i've got a military issue bag i bought as gucci gear a while back and its never let me down tough as nails

[on_one_wheel]

My only suggestion is, get one that fits and is rated to the temperatures you will be experiencing.

[Chronos]

Be careful about ratings, there are three rating numbers for temps. The lowest one is a survival rating. Don't buy a bag based on this number because while you'll survive you won't sleep. Hahaha

They're also based on an average person so someone who often feels cold buy a bag 5deg warmer than you think you'll need. Also as Gwion said a good self inflator is essential. An air mattress is not a good idea if it's cold and neither is one of those EVA foam bed rolls.

Usually the comfort rating is the best guide and as I said buy a bag a bit warmer if you get cold at night.

Last Saturday I slept in a 3 season tent (mesh walls and a fly) on my thermarest and my -9 bag. Don't know what the temp got down too but it was that blizzard weekend and there was heaps of ice on the car. I was toasty except for my face. Pro tip, get in your sleeping bag back to front and use the hood to cover your face.

Chronos

[halfcocked]

Some good advice thanks fellas.
Whats a snug pack and a Gucci?? And how much and where from?
I saw one at the lgs for $100 rated -12. It was thick and fleecy and felt good.
I know about the air mattress thing. They reckon 4wd mats are the go.
I have a double swag. Was in it with the mrs at cobram 0 degrees. Tracksuit pants. Tshirt. Socks. We had just our quality doona and i was toasty as!
Im a hot sleeper so thats in my favour. She is the opposite. Steals my heat....prob why shes stuck with me this long haha.
So im thinking just go with the-12 and open it up if too hot. Never camped in snow or ice but plan to do jindabyne trout fishing one of these days.

[darwindingo]

Sorry for my pick the best bit and partial modified quote thing, but the edit reminds me of me and mine "I have a double swag. Was in it with the mrs i was toasty as! Im a hot sleeper so thats in my favour. She is the opposite. Steals my heat....prob why shes stuck with me this long haha."

Btw.. I always tell my missus, that body heat transfers better without the tracksuit pants etc.... .. Just a tip

[Oldbloke]

Chronos nailed it.
I must remember the tip about body heat transfer. But probably wont help me at our age.

[darwindingo]

Chronos nailed it.
I must remember the tip about body heat transfer. But probably wont help me at our age.

Yep good advice from, Chronos..

Oldbloke its, XXX years young brother.... Didn't actually mean for that to sound crude either, btw...

Jeff

[brett1868]

Personally I don't mind the cold as it helps me to sleep. I bought a double swag, I usually lay out a tarp, then some foam tiles, swag on top and use conventional sheets and blankets to create layers depending on how cold it is. As alluded to in an earlier post, it's layers that trap warm air within and that's what keeps you warm.

[Adlippy]

I use for hiking in the cooler months a exped waterblock bag, they are expensive ( about $600 i think) but are toastie and waterproof ( outside of bag only), i believe they are designed for the ice caving mob. I went waterproof as the last bag I had i spilled a cup of coffee on it and ruined it when I washed it (my fault), down and liquids dont mix. Inside the bag I have a silk sleeping bag liner to reduce the amount of dirt inside the bag. Under the bag I use an exped downmat, the extra long and wide variety, again expensive, about $300, but I can sleep on my side and my hips will not touch the ground, the only downside to this setup is that it can be a little noisy when you roll over and the built in pump is a pain in the &^%*, the lastest models have removed the pump.
Just because we are out in the bush doesnt mean we need loose some comforts, I can never go back to the "yoga" mat.

[bigfellascott]

In the hunt for a warm sleeping bag for camping.
Anyone got much experience with the ratings. -5, -12 etc?
Ive camped around cobram at 0 degrees overnight. Wouldnt mind something that can handle jindabyne etc. 0 to say -5. Would -5 rating be ok. Is -12 overkill and ill sweat my butt off??
Ive only ever owned a cheapo summer rated one. Thoughts??

I use an electric blanket and air bed now when I go camping ( I know I know it's called Glamping now) but I'm lovely and warm and comfy whilst it's -4 or -5 outside I'm sleeping in my jocks All I can say is thank fark for genies - one of the best things ever invented along with electric toasters and kettles (yes they come camping with us too)

[Gwion]

The sound of a genie running at camp s**ts me to tears. I have to put up with it at home often enough in cloudy weather.

[bigfellascott]

The sound of a genie running at camp s**ts me to tears. I have to put up with it at home often enough in cloudy weather.

Yeah I hear ya, the little Honda isn't too bad, I usually put it down a wombat hole with a tarp over it which makes it nice and quiet, plus I have a long long extension lead so you don't really hear it much at all, Main reason I have it is to run my Cpap Machine but I honestly wouldn't be without it camping now, it's just so handy to do all sorts of things with it, I charge my batteries, run laptops, charge the phones, run the shower, lights etc, we even have a pizza oven with us that gets a fair ol workout at times











We even take the pool with us! LOL

[Adlippy]

All you are missing is a ultra hd 65" inch curve smart TV so you can stream the latest game of thrones coffee machine does sound like a fantastic idea

[bigfellascott]

All you are missing is a ultra hd 65" inch curve smart TV so you can stream the latest game of thrones coffee machine does sound like a fantastic idea

Bloody good idea, reception would be the issue where we go I've got a coffee machine sitting there doing nothing, might have to take it out next time. I love Glamping, it's an awesome way to camp.

[Adlippy]

You've got me thinking as well

[bigfellascott]

You've got me thinking as well

My job is done then

[Chronos]

Hey BFS i see you've got one of those white poly chairs in that pic of camp, or as I like to call them "Stunt chairs" because people tend to do all kinds of acrobatics and half somersaults when they plonk themselves down in one of them and they shatter into about 6 pieces

As for the CPAP, I run mine off a 12ah battery. It has a power adaptor with a cigi lighter plug for 12v and 12AH gives me 2-3 nights without charging bit i usually hook it up to a 20w panel to keep the battery up

Chronos

The battery with a fused socket. USB means you can charge your phone overnight too

[bigfellascott]

Nice set up Steve I was going to go that way originally but decided the genie was a more versatile option for us as I could run all the other stuff.

[Chronos]

Nice set up Steve I was going to go that way originally but decided the genie was a more versatile option for us as I could run all the other stuff.

Yeah, as soon as you want to run more than one thing a genny makes a lot of sense, especially now that theyre so efficient and compact

Chronos

[Gwion]

You take s pool, BigFella?

Cheezuz, ever heard of camping near a river or lake???

[bigfellascott]

You take s pool, BigFella?

Cheezuz, ever heard of camping near a river or lake???

Yes - we love our pool liner, it helps keep us warm on those -6 nights around the fire whilst munching Pizza from the Pizza Oven.

[Gwion]

Remind me never to stick around your camp for the pack down.... I can't afford the extra week off!!!

[petemacsydney]

i have 2 "quality" bags. first one is my favorite. Paddy Pallin Ossa - this one:
http://www.paddypallin.com.au/paddy-pal ... g-bag.html
mine is an older model so it is actually a 600gram bag (600gr of goose down)
i also have an 1100gr bag that i picked up when hiking in the Himalaya's.
I've used by 600 Ossa in snow caves (just lying on a mat in the cave), snow tents, Himalaya's at an altitude of 5000m and pretty much any dam place i can find that's bl**dy cold! lol
I've tried to use the 1100gr bag that i purchased in Katmandu when i was on a hiking trip, but it was just too dam hot for me (i'm a warm sleeper though), so i just stick with the 600 (per above link).
I've had both for almost 16 years and haven't had a single problem with either and they do get a work out.
Sure the OSSA is expensive, but mine will last another 20 years with good care.
As for the cheap 1100 i got in Katmandu, its brilliant too, just too dam hot for me. It cost me about AU$80 in Katmandu in 2001 - couldn't believe my luck! it was soooo cheap back then. It's a "Mountain Design" knock off, but has the same exterior shell and goose down interior. The kids usually use the 1100 when we go camping in the cold, but it inevitably gets thrown off during the night unless just used as a blanket on a foam mattress.
My advice - go check out PaddyPallin, Mountain Designs sort of shops - those guys tend to have great product knowledge and have actually used the products they sell (in a lot of cases)
cheers p

[petemacsydney]

p.s. the above bags weigh next to nothing. The 600 packs down to the size of a small lunch box, the 1100 packs down to the size of a large lunch box.

[bigfellascott]

Remind me never to stick around your camp for the pack down.... I can't afford the extra week off!!!

that what the wife and kids are for worst part is you need a ute and trailer to cart it all but we usually go for a week or 2 at a time so might as well be comfortable hey and I tell ya that shower setup is one of the best things we've bought to make it just that.

[ebr love]

We even take the pool with us! LOL

Is that a regular spot with a permanent setup or do you seriously carry that out each time?

[bigfellascott]

We even take the pool with us! LOL

Is that a regular spot with a permanent setup or do you seriously carry that out each time?

It's a regular spot mate we visit each year. The pool liner stays there and we set it up each year the rest of the kit we cart with us in a trailer and ute. Just got back from another trip there.