Sleeping bags

[jakunen]

Ok, there's probably already a thread discussing this somewhere on here but...
I'm lookign for a small, lightweight 2-3 season (if that means anything) sleeping bag that won't require me to startve myself for a month in order to be able to afford ot buy it.
I've scoured a load fo sites and I can find HUGE lightweight bags, or small BLOODY EXPENSIVE bags. Surely there must be a happy medium...
Help?

[Adi007]

I've got a Mountain Equipment FireWalker bag ... I think that was about £50 and the quality is high. This bag has been roughed outdoors in bivi bags a lot and is very good.

[allenko]

I was asking more or less the same question the other day. I went down to a few stores in Covent Garden in order to find a Moutain Equipment Military TDS II. Iwas advised that this was only available online :roll:

Anyway I went to Blacks today and picked up a ajungilak kompakt 3 season bag which was reduced from 109.99 to 54.99. I really do not know anything of this brand (Norwejian) but for that money I was ready to take a gamble and it will get it's first runout in August when we aall meetup

[Gary]

For a light bag I use a Coleman Bambusa M10 - had it this weekend in scotland - truely awful weather and I was snug as a bug. :wink:

[tenbears10]

Anyway I went to Blacks today and picked up a ajungilak kompakt 3 season bag which was reduced from 109.99 to 54.99. I really do not know anything of this brand (Norwejian) but for that money I was ready to take a gamble and it will get it's first runout in August when we aall meetup

Lucky find, Ajungilak are really good bags and the Kompact is their best range for outdoors-not so expensive (especially half price) that you can't sleep worring about the bag and not so cheap that they are huge packed. I think even Mr Mears recomended them before his own range was finished. Was it a sale in all Blacks or a managers special?

Good choice all in all. If I could have any synthetic bag that would be close to the top of my list. To answer the original question, jakunen I would find your nearest Blacks!

Bill

[allenko]

Lucky find, Ajungilak are really good bags and the Kompact is their best range for outdoors-not so expensive (especially half price) that you can't sleep worring about the bag and not so cheap that they are huge packed. I think even Mr Mears recomended them before his own range was finished. Was it a sale in all Blacks or a managers special?

Good choice all in all. If I could have any synthetic bag that would be close to the top of my list. To answer the original question, jakunen I would find your nearest Blacks!

Bill

There are loads of bags reduced in Blacks at the mo They have 3 Ajungilak bags Summer, Spring/Autum and the Winter all at half the retail price.

Blacks are a bit on the dear side but I haven't seen my newest aquisition for less than £88.00 on line.

Bug snug rug

[alick]

You won't regret 50 quid on an ajungilak ! Good find.

[CLEM]

Ive used cheap bags in the past,the bag i have at the mo is a British Army issue unissued 58 pattern bag(still pretty cheap) and its served me well so far.Its very warm.My trouble when buying bags is that i have very wide shoulders and thick arms,its pretty hard to find bags that i can get comfortable in.

[hobbitboy]

Ajungilak bags are good. The may also hav some wild country bags left over from the last sleeping bag promtion. £39.99 for a "2-3 season". I bought one and they seem good. (Admittedly 30% extra discount made it feel beterr ): )

[CLEM]

All my Norwegian mates have Ajungilak bags and rate them very highly.

[tenbears10]

bugger looked at the blacks website and not a sale in sight so I will have to make a trip at the weekend shame the nearest blacks is a way away.

Bill

[MartiniDave]

There's a sale kicking off at Millets tomorrow (29th) - got a flier in the post that gives me an extra 10% off!
Quite a bit of stuff at half price but I can't remember if it includes sleeping bags.

Dave

[jakunen]

There's a Black's and a Millet's opposite each other in Reading so I'll go have a look.
Borrowed and Ajungalac or however you right it a few years ago. Ended up openig the zip half way! In the middle fo winter! Fantastic bags.
ME bags are great too.
Anyone ever tried a Wynnster? Never seen them before but Gear Zone are selling them...

[Douglas]

Ajungilak are very highly rated, and available everywhere here, especially now that they're related with mammut, a swiss make available everywhere in Switzerland. It's difficult to come across a shop that don't sell them. Anyway, there's two things that puts me off them : the price, and the weight. They're quite expensive (from what I've seen), and compared to other makes are heavier for the warmth. Take the Goose Bay Arctic, -24° comfort and 2070g ; from Carinthia (an Austrian make who make the bags of alot of European armies) the equivalent weighs 1500g (Explorer Down 800) ; from Exped (Switzerland), you get a fully waterproof one for that weight and warmth (2070g/-25° comfort) ; from Valandré (France) you get the same for 1400g (but it's not very clear, maybe -25° is the extreme rating)
Maybe Ajungilak are also a bit less generous in their temperature ratings, because it's got much more fill than the others (300g more than Exped, and 500g more than Carinthia, but Carinthia use a heat reflecting coating on the inside), so it's maybe warmer than the others, even though they say it's the same warmth. (OK, then construction and lots of other things come into consideration). They also give a second rating (ISO something rather than EN something) that is -30° comfort. But then the Carinthia sleeping bag rated at -30° comfort weighs 1700g...Complicated isn't it?

Anyway, they seem heavier than the other makes, but it's maybe just an impression. Appart from that, they are supposed to be excellent sleeping bags. [erm, could somebody please tell me the weight thing is wrong, like that I can get interested in them again...?]

To come back to the original subject, I have a heavy Salewa "3-season" bag. But I hate season ratings so here's the temperature ratings : comfort: down to 3°/-2°, extreme -17°.
The design is great: roomy, it's got a collar (I'm not buying a sleeping bag without one now that I know how great they are), it's a bit too long (220cm and I'm 175) so I've got space for my clothes in the bottom like that they're nice and warm in the morning, it's got a wider space for feet (but anyway my feet are far from the end). Basically it's got every design feature I could possibly want. I can also pack it up absolutely tiny with two compression straps (the cheap straps with ladder locks on each end, just pass them round the packsack length wise).
I slept perfectly comfortably at around 0° early this spring with it, wearing just a T-shirt inside (I was actually just about hot). It's also very breathable, as I've been able to see this summer...(mat soaked in evacuated sweat). I have to use it as a quilt in summer though, it's too hot otherwise.
The only downside is the weight, it weighs 1500g, which is quite alot for a 3-season bag. It's heavy because it's cotton-lined and only 450cuin down.
It also cost only £40. I'm really happy with it. The model is "Salewa Dreamer 650".

Otherwise is you want the ultralight pack/ultralight wallet solution, you could have a look at the Mountain Hardwear range, they're very light (but you pay for it...).

But just go round looking at the special offers, you'll be sure to find something good.

[Mikey P]

Try one of the Snugpak bags. They're light, small, well-priced and seem to be quite robust. Worth a look, anyway.

[jakunen]

Cheers guys.
Popped into Blacks last night and used the last of my wages to buy the Ajungalak(?) Kompact Spring 2-3 season bag, already forgotten the name of the bag!!!!!
A very well spent £45.

[tenbears10]

Cheers guys.
Popped into Blacks last night and used the last of my wages to buy the Ajungalak(?) Kompact Spring 2-3 season bag, already forgotten the name of the bag!!!!!
A very well spent £45.

Well done for that. I'm going to Cambridge Sat fingers crossed so hope the Blacks is doing the same deal. Sounds like it is a national sale only not online more's the pitty.

Bill

[jakunen]

From talking to the guy in the shop it is a national sale on all their bags. Millets are also doing a similar sale (mind you they are the same company...)

[tenbears10]

Looks hopeful Cambridge will have some, hope they haven't sold out. I'm going for other stuff as well but I'm getting excited about this now. I've had the same blacks own brand (made by ajungilak) bag since I was about 14. About time for a new one.

Bill

[jakunen]

Their 'own brand' used to be quite good. I've got a 3 season bag I bought when I worked for them. Its more like a 4 season in warmth and has certainyl taken a LOT of abuse. Just wish it was a bit smaller when packed...
Reading had a lot of stock so I presume Cambridge will not run out. I think that Cambrige was one fo their bigger stores if I remember aright? (Its quite a while since...)

[tenbears10]

Know what you mean, I used to work for YHA Adventure shops and they have been bought out and gone bust again since then. I think Field and Trek just bought all the then Karrimor stores which have recently sold all their stock at silly prices.

Bill

[jakunen]

Tell me about it. Went in to Reading to renew my membership and get some kit and Bang and Olfsen had taken the shop over.
Was not at all happy!

[leon-1]

Well since I have been having a look at one of the sites to get a new pole for a tent of mine here is a link to the wild country sleeping bags page, £35 for one of thier bags, it's not bad if a bit large :wave: