Sleeping Bag Help

[beestin]

HI, im new on here so hope im posting in correct place.

I've been looking into getting a new sleeping for various camping trips in the UK and around Europe.

Im undecided though between the Snugpak Discovery and the Carinthia Defence 4.

Unless theres a better option?

I want the bag to be lightweight, comfortable in as low temperature as possible and waterproof (with or without bivvy bag). Also, footroom to accomadate boots is a must and the whole thing going to be extremly hard wearing and tough throughout whole item.

Must pack relatively small.

Thanks

Marc

[RE8ELD0G]

Take a look at the other snugpak's aimed at military use, they go down to -20 and have the sewn in inserts for wearing boots etc.
They are not waterproof so you will need a Bivvy unless your in a tent or hammock.
Softie elite 4 is the one im going to buy as had a softie before and it was very good and very very warm.

[BareThrills]

I have the elite 4. Great bag but not light and doesnt pack susper small. but then none of them do unless you drop £300-400 on a down bag

[Greek1983]

Carinthia Defence 4 has attaching points for a polycotton liner (sold separately), meaning you not only increase the temperature a bit, but also protect the inner of the sleeping bag from dirt, dust, mud etc. Don't know if you prefer centre-zip bag over a left/right-hand.

Concerning size, take a look at the video below (in French)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNcASH0jUw0

[The Lord Poncho]

Defence 4 is a lovely bag. I have a Softie 10, a Snugpak elite 3, and a Carinthia Defence 4. When I want luxury, it is the carinthia all the way. The fabric in the carinthia is waterproof too (but the seams aren't)- fine for snow holing or similar though. The snugpaks will definitely need a bivy if whatever you are doing risks getting them wet- plenty of fairly cheap lightweight and compact solutions for those though (e.g. alpkit hunka). When I want compact and lightweight, the snugpak elite 3 has the edge, but it is nowhere near as warm. I make up for that with wearing a softie jacket (and sometimes softie trousers) inside it.

Your stated criteria will never really be met all in one bag- most likely whatever bag you have will be a compromise between light, compact and warm, very durable (and waterproof). I would say the Defence 4 is a pretty good choice though, augmented by a snugpak for summer or lightweight use. Carinthias can be found in new condition on ebay (they are the new issue british army bag) for under £100. They come in two lengths (200cm and 220 cm), so if you are below 6ft tall, make sure you save a big of weight and bulk and get the 200cm version (these are a little harder to find).

[brambles]

As The Lord Poncho says the Defence 4 is a lovely bag - I was in mine last night and toasty throughout! I also have the Tropen summer bag which is a very good sleeping bag in its' own right for warmer temps and makes for a truly arctic level system when used as an inner for the Defence 4. The compression stuff sacks they come with are very good indeed at getting the bags down to a pretty small size for a large synthetic fill. One correction though, they come in 185 and 200 sizes, not 200/220, and at 6'5'' I am very comfortable in the 200 size versions.

[spandit]

If you buy the Dutch military sleep system you get a Defence 4 AND a Tropen for about £85... The Tropen has a built in bug net which makes it great for summer camping

[The Lord Poncho]

One correction though, they come in 185 and 200 sizes, not 200/220, and at 6'5'' I am very comfortable in the 200 size versions.

yep, spot on- my mistake!