This is a review in two parts, first up the sleeping bag. I bought one of these because I tend to run cold at night so wanted something that will really keep me warm and toasty. The bag is advertised as a 5 season bag with a rating of comfort -20 down to extreme -50. We all know these are only a guide and is based on a fit & healthy individual, of which I am niether, so it seemed like a good item for me to have. I also purchased the "expanda panel" to fit as I find almost all mummy style bags are way too restrictive for my lithe little 50" chest and waist. The bag itself is around the 50" circumference itself which with the "expanda panel" then extends to around 56" at the shoulder end. This it seems was a good decision for me as although the bag has ample dimensions for me fitting into it without the extra panel I found was very neat. For anyone with less bulk the bag would be fine without the panel but with it fitted, it gave me an additional 6" circumference which was perfect and very comfortable. The bag would suit anyone up to 6' without problem as I am 5' 9" and found I had about 9" of spare bag below my feet, which I stuffed with my mid range clothing so that they would be warm when I got up in the morning, a very wise decision as I found out when I rose.
I tried it out this last weekend at the meet up in Perth, temperatures were recorded at around -4 to -6 C we believe so it's first real outing was a good test. The first night (the coldest) still being a little wary because of the cold temps I decided to jump in with my trousers, socks, and t shirt still on. The bag was set up with the expanda panel fitted and the bag laid on top of a light summer woolly's special £3.99 summer bag as a thermal break. The whole lot was laid on top of a camp bed, one of those fishing bed chair affairs which kept me of the ground, and as I mentioned the open extra space at the foot end was taken up with my mid range clothing to keep them warm for when I rose. The result was brilliant and I actually found myself sweating a little during the night but by simply opening the top of the zip a few inches this kept the sweat down to a minimum. Even with the sweat the bag in the morning was bone dry and was very comfortable and toasty the whole night through.
Second night armed with the knowledge from the previous night I decided to try it out without the extra panel to see if I could use it and if it would fit and give me a comfortable night, also this time I stripped down to long johns and a t shirt. The temperature the second night was we think a couple of degrees up on the previous night so had a good feeling that all would be well. The second night was just as warm and toasty as the first and I have been well impressed with this bag, It has performed really well so I am truly delighted. Once again when I got up and pulled on my mid layer clothes which had been put into the space at my feet they came out nice and warm, saving me the shock of pulling on cold clothes in the morning, it was as if they had been layed over a radiator overnight (well nearly). However it was very restrictive without the extra panel so it will now be a permanent fixture.
In conclusion I am well impressed with this sleeping bag, if you're like me and run cold so need that extra bit of heat at night, and if you are of ample proportions like me then this would definately do a tremendous job for you in the extreme cold temperatures of the mid winter. It would also suit someone who needs that extra length for the taller individual. The down side to this bag is firstly, although reasonably light it is quite bulky even compressed in it's compression sac, in fact it took up most of the space in my bergen although I still managed to get some extra clothing and a frying pan in beside it. Secondly it was a tad expensive at £120 but if you are like me and believe in spending money on a quality sleep system, which I believe is the most important item of kit we take out with us, I am quite happy to part with the money. I now am convinced that this sleeping bag is well worth the money. If you get too warm you can always open the zip to moderate the temperature whereas if you have a bag which leaves you cold at night it's much more difficult to heat up unless you have additional kit with you.
I tried it out this last weekend at the meet up in Perth, temperatures were recorded at around -4 to -6 C we believe so it's first real outing was a good test. The first night (the coldest) still being a little wary because of the cold temps I decided to jump in with my trousers, socks, and t shirt still on. The bag was set up with the expanda panel fitted and the bag laid on top of a light summer woolly's special £3.99 summer bag as a thermal break. The whole lot was laid on top of a camp bed, one of those fishing bed chair affairs which kept me of the ground, and as I mentioned the open extra space at the foot end was taken up with my mid range clothing to keep them warm for when I rose. The result was brilliant and I actually found myself sweating a little during the night but by simply opening the top of the zip a few inches this kept the sweat down to a minimum. Even with the sweat the bag in the morning was bone dry and was very comfortable and toasty the whole night through.
Second night armed with the knowledge from the previous night I decided to try it out without the extra panel to see if I could use it and if it would fit and give me a comfortable night, also this time I stripped down to long johns and a t shirt. The temperature the second night was we think a couple of degrees up on the previous night so had a good feeling that all would be well. The second night was just as warm and toasty as the first and I have been well impressed with this bag, It has performed really well so I am truly delighted. Once again when I got up and pulled on my mid layer clothes which had been put into the space at my feet they came out nice and warm, saving me the shock of pulling on cold clothes in the morning, it was as if they had been layed over a radiator overnight (well nearly). However it was very restrictive without the extra panel so it will now be a permanent fixture.
In conclusion I am well impressed with this sleeping bag, if you're like me and run cold so need that extra bit of heat at night, and if you are of ample proportions like me then this would definately do a tremendous job for you in the extreme cold temperatures of the mid winter. It would also suit someone who needs that extra length for the taller individual. The down side to this bag is firstly, although reasonably light it is quite bulky even compressed in it's compression sac, in fact it took up most of the space in my bergen although I still managed to get some extra clothing and a frying pan in beside it. Secondly it was a tad expensive at £120 but if you are like me and believe in spending money on a quality sleep system, which I believe is the most important item of kit we take out with us, I am quite happy to part with the money. I now am convinced that this sleeping bag is well worth the money. If you get too warm you can always open the zip to moderate the temperature whereas if you have a bag which leaves you cold at night it's much more difficult to heat up unless you have additional kit with you.
