Winter sleep system...

[Barney Rubble]

Hi All,

Autumn is here and after some sweltering summer camps, I for one cannot wait to get out for some Autumnal camping. I guess many of us also have half an eye on Winter camping. I have been doing a bit of thinking about this lately and would welcome your thoughts on a conundrum I have regarding my winter sleep system.

I have been using a 2/3 season Alpkit Mountain Ghost sleeping bag since I was gifted it by my family last christmas. I'm really pleased with it, it's an odd feeling bag as the filling is a synthetic fibre that's meant to feel like down but doesn't quite loft up as much (not that it's a problem). The comfort limit rating is listed as -0.8 and I'd say that was pretty fair as I slept in it last winter when temperatures were breaching that limit and I had to put my down jacket on to keep warm. Suffice to say that the sleeping bag, from my perspective, seems perfectly suitable for the majority of the year (keep in mind that I camp down in the south east of the country).

So, I'm concious that I need to up my game this winter and ensure I'm suitably prepared for when/if the temperatures plummet. The options that I've been considering are thus:

1) Save up some pennies for a good quality down sleeping bag. This is my preferred option but unlikely to happen before this winter as I have some maintenance to do at home and unfortunately that must always take precedent over camping!

2) Buy a more affordable (£50ish!) 4 season synthetic sleeping bag. I've been looking at the basecamp series of sleeping bags by Snugpak (The Sleeping Bag and Sleeper Extreme). Although they're quite bulky, they seem to get favourable reviews. I've also considered getting an army surplus arctic bag but am less than enthusiastic about buying a second hand sleeping bag.

3) Perhaps my favoured option is to buy a liner/blanket to use in conjunction with my alpkit bag. I have a wool blanket that I have used in the past but am not always keen on lugging it about as I rarely have room in my rucksack (my largest rucksack is a 38ltr NI Patrol Pack). I currently have my eyes on a Snugpak Jungle Blanket which has recently received a good review from Mr Fenna on the front pages of this glorious forum. This appeals as it seems quite versatile and is considerably lighter than a wool blanket.

Let me know what you think.

 

[Big G]

Barney if your after one of them Snugpak travel blankets, there's a seller on ebay selling them : http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/191921505011?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&var=490993034469&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT be quick, there selling fast

I was looking into a layering system for winter camping, but decided against buying some sort of top blanket, i was worried it would slide about on top of my down quilt or sleeping bag through the night. I'm just gonna wear extra warm clothing, when the temps drop

 

[bopdude]

How and what are you sleeping in / on / under ?

 

[Barney Rubble]

How and what are you sleeping in / on / under ?

Good question, I like to mix it up a bit. Sometimes I sleep in a hammock with a DD underblanket surrounding me, sometimes I go all posh and sleep in a small tent with a 4cm thick mat and sometimes I sleep under a tarp in a bivvy bag with a thermarest foam mat sat on top of a debris bed for insulation (infact, this is what I'm doing this weekend!).

 

[bopdude]

Good question, I like to mix it up a bit. Sometimes I sleep in a hammock with a DD underblanket surrounding me, sometimes I go all posh and sleep in a small tent with a 4cm thick mat and sometimes I sleep under a tarp in a bivvy bag with a thermarest foam mat sat on top of a debris bed for insulation (infact, this is what I'm doing this weekend!).

So pretty much all the bases covered what about a lightweight 2 season bag inside your main bag, should bump up the rating by a good few degrees ?

 

[Barney Rubble]

Barney if your after one of them Snugpak travel blankets, there's a seller on ebay selling them : http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/191921505011?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&var=490993034469&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT be quick, there selling fast

I was looking into a layering system for winter camping, but decided against buying some sort of top blanket, i was worried it would slide about on top of my down quilt or sleeping bag through the night. I'm just gonna wear extra warm clothing, when the temps drop

Thanks for the heads-up, I've also seen them and have been hovering over the buy-it-now option. Looks like good value for year round use. I was thinking of just using it inside my sleeping bag and also thought that it would be great to use on its own in the hammock during the warmer months

 

[Barney Rubble]

So pretty much all the bases covered what about a lightweight 2 season bag inside your main bag, should bump up the rating by a good few degrees ?

Yeah that's a good call and something I've been thinking of doing if I bought the Snugpak jungle blanket. My thinking is that a system like that would work quite effectively as it will trap warm air between the layers.

 

[mousey]

I've been using my jerven bag as a cocoon around my hammock, good for rough weather when rain may get blown horizontally under the tarp.

Although after looking at that blanket, and clicking on another link I came across the snugpak hammock cocoon which caught my eye, not that I need more camping stuff [or can afford any more at the moment]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Snugpak-H...2cf6c0&pid=100010&rk=3&rkt=24&sd=191921505011

 

[Big G]

Thanks for the heads-up, I've also seen them and have been hovering over the buy-it-now option. Looks like good value for year round use. I was thinking of just using it inside my sleeping bag and also thought that it would be great to use on its own in the hammock during the warmer months

For the money, they seem very versatile

 

[bopdude]

Yeah that's a good call and something I've been thinking of doing if I bought the Snugpak jungle blanket. My thinking is that a system like that would work quite effectively as it will trap warm air between the layers.

Yep, that's the thinking

 

[Barney Rubble]

I've been using my jerven bag as a cocoon around my hammock, good for rough weather when rain may get blown horizontally under the tarp.

Although after looking at that blanket, and clicking on another link I came across the snugpak hammock cocoon which caught my eye, not that I need more camping stuff [or can afford any more at the moment]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Snugpak-H...2cf6c0&pid=100010&rk=3&rkt=24&sd=191921505011

Thanks Mousey, the Jerven bags look really good. I'd get one of them if they weren't so darned expensive!

 

[mousey]

I really like it, however there have been some pretty negative reviews I guess it doesn't suit everyone. Definitely expensive, got mine second hand from here [an exclusive], over the years I've seen definitely two maybe three [possibly four] for sale on here of varying models. So keeping any eye out helps, even so they are still quite expensive even second had

 

[Bishop]

Good question, I like to mix it up a bit. Sometimes I sleep in a hammock with a DD underblanket surrounding me, sometimes I go all posh and sleep in a small tent with a 4cm thick mat and sometimes I sleep under a tarp in a bivvy bag with a thermarest foam mat sat on top of a debris bed for insulation (infact, this is what I'm doing this weekend!).

You could swing past a B&M store and grab a Polar Fleece Throw set, they're roughly 120x150cm each and only £3.99 for a pack of two. They make a reasonably toasty liner but mind out, the wife will probably pinch them off you.

 

[IC_Rafe]

I'd go for option 1. You'll pay some more, but you'll have something which you'll use for much longer. It won't be too cold for too quickly i think, and you can still use the bag you're using now, with a jacket if really needed, till you can buy a good bag.

If you like to mix it up, and aren't planning on temperatures below freezing too much, i'd also suggest looking into a down quilt instead of a sleeping bag. Good for use in a hammock, and good on the ground.

 

[Old Bones]

If you buy before tonight, Alpkit has the SkyeHigh 900 down to £150 in their spacemaker sale. I must admit that I would be very tempted, if only payday wasn't over week away!

 

[Barney Rubble]

Very tempting to get a skyehigh 900 but I'm afraid that ship has sailed as the sale ended yesterday. I also fear my wife would not be so gracious were I to tell her that I'd acquired a sleeping bag when I promised to save for a new kitchen!

I have however gone ahead and purchased a snugpak jungle blanket to boost the current sleeping system, can't go wrong with that for £22.50 if it fails in the winter then it'll serve me well in the summer!

 

[Tonyuk]

For a budget option i would look at the older issue 90 pattern bag with bivvy and roll mat. This would be a more bulky system but I've never been cold sleeping in some horribly low temps. If your thinking about Snugpak then be aware that their temp ratings can be very optimistic, the best one I've used is the Softie 10, i found the 9 too cold in winter time but good for the rest of the year. Don't worry about the bags being second hand, it's rare to be issued a new sleeping bag and if washed well they insulate fine. The new issue carinthia copies would be good to look at too, but go for the large (200) size. I was issued a medium (185?) and found it a bit tight especially with the lightweight bag inside it. The fabric for the cover can make it a pain to stuff away quickly if needed. To get a bit more space in your bag don't bother with the stuff sack it comes with. Stuff it inside the bivvy bag then into the bottom of your pack, this way it molds to the shape better. Rest of the kit in an ortlieb on top.

Alpkit sell a good range of self inflating mats at reasonable prices, i use one of their "dirtbags" and find it very comfy and still less bulky than a foam mat. If you can find them then the dutch army issue foam mats are very thick and excellent for the colder months.

Tonyuk

 

[Barney Rubble]

Thanks Tony UK, appreciate the re-assurance re: the issue bags. It's an option that I may explore as I know how good they are (my camping buddies use them!). Out of interest is there much difference in the comfort ratings between the cold weather bag and the arctic bag. I'm guessing the cold weather bag will also be more than sufficient for a British winter?

Alpkit do make some very nice sleeping mats, indeed I tried to buy one of their Dumo mats in their recent spacemaker sale but missed out as they sold out quite quickly. That said though, I'm pretty content with my foam mat, the thermarest mat is kind of like the rolls royce of foam mats, it's light, reliable, has kept me very warm in the previous winter and is also comfortable when laid on top of a leaf litter/bracken mattress. I'm going to be using this method on a solo overnighter this weekend, will no doubt do a trip report on it in due course.

 

[Barney Rubble]

Well, purchased a snugpak jungle blanket yesterday afternoon via the eBay link listed above and was super impressed to get home from work today and see that it had been delivered. Really impressed with the quality of the product too. It of course needs to be tested but I'm confident that it will work well with my current setup to ensure that I sleep well this winter!

 

[Big G]

Well, purchased a snugpak jungle blanket yesterday afternoon via the eBay link listed above and was super impressed to get home from work today and see that it had been delivered. Really impressed with the quality of the product too. It of course needs to be tested but I'm confident that it will work well with my current setup to ensure that I sleep well this winter!

Bloody hell, great service that

Can't grumble for £22.50 delivered, hope it works well for you this winter.