Sleeping bags

[Profpointy]

It's OK going for as small a pack size as possible but I tried sleeping in a mummy bag and got terrible claustrophobia......

It's best to climb in feet first not head first. Pish taking aside, you needn't do up the hood drawstring - just leave the top open a bit more. A zipless one might be a bit claustrophobic - and zip also helps if it's a bit warm. Mummy style ones are warmer for a given weight.

 

[Bellabow]

I've been thinking about this recently. I think a few considerations are:
How are you going to carry it?
Is space at a premium?
Cost?
Temperature during use?

Temperature is the biggy, are you going mid summer and sleep warm anyway? In that case a 1-2 season synthetic can be bought cheap and they pack down quite small. If you're going for a 4 season plus bag to keep you warm in the middle of winter a synthetic would be huge and down may be you're only option. Then think about carrying it, if it's going in a large pannier bag, and will be on it's own, you could probably afford the space for a cheapo synthetic, if you're going ultralight then down again may be your only option. Another factor that I take in to consideration is cost. How much are you willing to spend?

I'll be adding a few bits to my blog later on this evening. I'll be posting up comparison pictures of a cheap crappy tesco synthetic microlite bag versus a cheap crappy Vangor wilderness 250 bag.
Both bags come in at the £20 mark, which is dirt cheap.
The Tesco bag has a comfort rating of 13*c, the Vango is 5*c.
The Vango weighs 1.3 kg, the Tescos bag is about half that. The Tescos bag also packs to about half as small. It'll make more sense once I've uploaded pics and weights etc.

I've done some research on liners and from what I can tell it seems they're primarily useful for preventing the need to clean the bag, and offer little to no insulation benefits. The Thermartex Bedding Blanket however, is supposed to work well. I think I'll be grabbing one to combine with the Tescos bag for spring / summer. During colder periods I'd just have to bite the bullet and lug the Vango bag around.

Many thanks for this information. Size is to be a minimal as we're using panniers. Do you have a link to the Tesco one? I do like the idea of sewing up a duvet and using a self inflating mat.

 

[Ootini]

Many thanks for this information. Size is to be a minimal as we're using panniers. Do you have a link to the Tesco one? I do like the idea of sewing up a duvet and using a self inflating mat.

There's a link on the blog I think.

 

[Ootini]

Here you go. This is my basic, very non-scientific comparison of both sleeping bags: https://bikepackingonabudget.wordpress.com/2015/03/18/sleepy-time-pt-3/

 

[Bellabow]

There's a link on the blog I think.

Thank you again Ootini

 

[Bellabow]

Here you go. This is my basic, very non-scientific comparison of both sleeping bags: https://bikepackingonabudget.wordpress.com/2015/03/18/sleepy-time-pt-3/

The tesco micro lite doesn't seem to be on sale any more. Is there an equilivent?

 

[Ootini]

The tesco micro lite doesn't seem to be on sale any more. Is there an equilivent?

I'm not 100% sure, however I'd put money on the fact that it wasn't "made" by Tesco. I reckon it's some cheapo generic supplier that had a Tesco badged shoved on it. I'd start by Googling "Microlite mummy synthetic sleeping bag" or similar.
Looks like Tesco did a special on the sleeping bags. A quick Google reveals that at one point they dropped the price to £11, and then to £6.50 to shift the stock, I reckon at that point they were difficult to get hold of.

 

[sittingbull]

@Ootini What's your reluctance to go with the Vango Wilderness 250?

It's one I was considering based on thermal qualities.

Too much space taken in the panniers?

 

[Ootini]

@Ootini What's your reluctance to go with the Vango Wilderness 250?

It's one I was considering based on thermal qualities.

Too much space taken in the panniers?

Yeah that's pretty much it. I've got nothing against the Vango at all, I like the bag, it feels lovely and warm in comparison to the Tesco bag (which I didn't mention in the blog, may be I should have). The only reason I'd rather take the Tesco bag is purely down to the space saving. If I could find some method of compressing the Vango bag down to a similar size I'd be up for taking that instead. Plus, as I've mentioned on my blog, I intend to go camping in spring / summer, so if I can get away with the thinner, lighter bag, why not ? Not point carrying twice the weight and size if it's not needed.

 

[sittingbull]

I've been watching these recent touring threads with interest. I'm without any real camping experience so am learning what the basic requirements are and then deciding how to carry them on a bike. I think like you I don't want to spend excessively to find I don't like it, so it's a question of compromise, which isn't always good. I suppose if you take a thinner sleeping bag, that leaves more room for clothing which could be worn at night if the bag choice was wrong

 

[Ootini]

I've been watching these recent touring threads with interest. I'm without any real camping experience so am learning what the basic requirements are and then deciding how to carry them on a bike. I think like you I don't want to spend excessively to find I don't like it, so it's a question of compromise, which isn't always good. I suppose if you take a thinner sleeping bag, that leaves more room for clothing which could be worn at night if the bag choice was wrong

True, but the space issue is only really concerning the pannier bags. In one of the posts on my blog I did mention another possibility, and that is to pop the Vango in it's compression sack, and really compress it. Then throw the sleeping bag and sleeping mat in to the bottom of the 15 litre dry bag and strap it to the top of the rack. This means I've got a super toasty bag, and both panniers still empty. Then the concern becomes weight instead.

 

[sittingbull]

I could be wrong but I would have thought there were limits on compression and if Vango could compress it further they would have done and used that as a selling feature.

I think I read you're taking a Vango Ark 200 tent, where's that going?

Edit: I see you've got the tent between panniers and a dry bag.

 

[Sea of vapours]

I could be wrong but I would have thought there were limits on compression and if Vango could compress it further they would have done ....

There certainly are limits, of two types. Firstly: using a compression sack, you can do considerably more than the manufacturers intended or would recommend, but there's naturally a limit. Secondly, synthetic bags break down pretty quickly if over-compressed repeatedly (as you would be doing if you needed to compress it excessively every day. i.e. they lose their loft and stop being as warm as they were, irreversibly. A few tens of cycles of excessive compression isn't going to affect [most] bags much, but a few hundred certainly will. So 'how long do you want it to last?' is a relevant question if you're thinking of compressing a lot.

 

[MichaelW2]

I'm touring in July and in France

The nights are pretty warm unless you are at altitude. I use a cheap, thin 2-season synthetic, even in Sept.
A 1kg-1.2kg should be OK, eg Snugpak Softie3
I have a heavier synthetic for Northern 3-season; Ajungilak Kompact, but this is overkill for France in July.
With compression sacks, release the compression as soon as you can, ie pack it last and unpack it as soon as the tent is up. Don't sit on a compressed sack. Store the sleeping bag long term, loose, ie an old duvet cover or pillowcase.
sleeping bags should be stuffed into compression sacks, not rolled. Keep the zipper done up and suff with the zipper inside, ie not against the compression sack.

 

[Ootini]

I could be wrong but I would have thought there were limits on compression and if Vango could compress it further they would have done and used that as a selling feature.

I think I read you're taking a Vango Ark 200 tent, where's that going?

Edit: I see you've got the tent between panniers and a dry bag.

Nooo, that was the original plan. The vango ark is way too heavy. 3.4kg! It's been swapped for a cheap Yellowstone 2m tent at 1.4kg which is split over 2 minidrybags and popped in a pannier.