Stormlite Down or Ajungilak Synthetic?

[yoshizakura]

Ok I've narrowed my choice down to 2 sleeping bags
. I can get a Stormlite 4 season 500+ fill down bag for £65. Or I can go for an Ajungilak Kompact winter 4 season for just over£100.
I am travelling to Nepal in November and it will probably drop to -15'C.

I really need someone to steer me in the right direction on this one.

 

[addyb]

Yoshizakura,

It depends, really. Down is a superior insulator when compared to synthetics, it's lighter, warmer, and compacts down into a stuffsack better. But when it becomes wet it loses almost all of it's insulating abilities and takes even longer to dry than a wet Ventile jacket.

Synthetic bags are heavier because they require more fill to equal the insulation properties of down. They're also harder to compress and don't last quite as long as down. On the plus side, they are just as warm wet as they are dry and dry quite quickly, as you would expect synthetic gear to.

I would suggest a synthetic bag if you are planning on sleeping in wet or damp conditions. Although, if you have the money, you can buy gore-tex down bags, which are quite weatherproof. However, they cost hundreds of dollars.

There you have it, different tools for different jobs.

Cheers,

Adam

 

[Celt_Ginger]

Forgive me for disagreeing, but I've never spend a warm and comfortable night in a wet synthetic sleeping bag. Any sleeping bag, down or synthetic will give a miserable night when wet. If you are off to Nepal, then pack size may be a consideration, and Down will win easily, but as stated, it must be kept dry. Synthetic, whilst certainly heavier, will cope better with damp conditions, and will dry faster, but is still not great when wet. Think carefully about what the conditions will be like, and choose wisely. If it was me going, and I had a big Pack to carry, I'd choose Down, but I'd put it in a dry bag, and not take it out until I was eother in my Hostel or tent.

 

[addyb]

Celt,

Yes, that's true, a wet bag, even if it's synthetic is not particularily comfortable. Even so, a synthetic bag will keep you warm.

Cheers mate,

Adam

 

[Andy]

I like down bags if I'm carrying it far or synthetic if I'm camping from a car. Do you often get bags wet?

 

[addyb]

I live in British Columbia, Canada. They don't call it the "Wet Coast" for no reason!

 

[scanker]

...Any sleeping bag, down or synthetic will give a miserable night when wet.

Do you often get bags wet?

Good points. IMO, if your sleeping bag is wet, you've done something wrong.

 

[ssj]

How about a down bag and a gore-tex bivy? This will give you a little more flexibility, protect the bag, and slightly increase the warmth of the bag. To me, down bags are much more comfortable (apparently, synthetic bags are much improved since I last used one). Although I haven't slept with this system personally I intend to give it a try. I have heard some mention about condensation inside the bivy so that would be something to consider.
Steve

 

[addyb]

Ahhh! Steve makes a very good point. But, I don't agree with his statement. Just because you get a sleeping bag wet doesn't necessarily mean that you've done something wrong. I've found more often than not, because of the where I live, it's inevitable because of the awful weather we're famous for.

A regular down-bag and a gore-tex bivvy bag is a great setup. It's probably even better than a gore-tex shelled bag on it's own. But I don't find them very comfortable to sleep in, and when in a tent in the alpine, they're not really necessary.

But on a solo trip, I think a bivvy bag might possibly be able to take the place of a basha.

What do you guys think?

Adam

 

[Simca]

A sleeping bag can be wet not only because of the rain/weather, but it will be wet by your nightly perspiration. If you don't give it enough time for drying out in the morning, the water will accumulate in the bag, the insulating properties will be worse day after day. Now, the syntethic insulation will be dry more quickly, AND it's better even when left wet. Of course there is the downside: the extra weight of the synthetic bags.

 

[Andy]

A sleeping bag can be wet not only because of the rain/weather, but it will be wet by your nightly perspiration. If you don't give it enough time for drying out in the morning, the water will accumulate in the bag, the insulating properties will be worse day after day. Now, the syntethic insulation will be dry more quickly, AND it's better even when left wet. Of course there is the downside: the extra weight of the synthetic bags.

One advantage of a tent is that you can put it up and then unpack your bag so it is more likely to have time to dry out

 

[Raz]

http://www.alpkit.com/shop/cart.php?target=product&product_id=16155&category_id=253

I'd buy that if I were you.

 

[Sickboy]

All these years of trying and humans still can't match the qualitys of mother natures finest, i'd always go for a down bag if the temps going anywhere near zero, have tried ajungilak supers in the past in sub zero climes and have not been impressed, cold nights just ain't my thing! if your worried about them getting wet then pack them in a w/p bag and use a lightweight bivi bag over the top like a rab survival zone, gore tex is just too heavy...
And make sure that if you buy a down bag it's got a blk lining as this will aid drying if you get sweaty in the night or get in it a bit damp, just turn it inside out in the sun for a while
Remember aswell that down bags keep there warmth for longer as synthetic materials break down over time, i have down bags that are over 15 yrs old and they still give me a good nights kip

p.s tested the stormlite bags when they came out years back, the only complaint i had with them was they smelt funny (dodgy down quality) and had a waxy exterior, both have been sorted now, used that 4 season one in the alp's down to -15 and it done the job, 10/10 for the price

 

[yoshizakura]

cheers for all the help. I liked your link Raz I probably would have bought that if I'd read your thread before buying the one I did from here , although the main difference i think is just Goose down over Duck. I know it's 700 fill over 550 but i spoke the a bloke from Field and Trek and he convinced me that his bag was the one for me.

If you want to see my progress visit my page here