I work in a small camping shop. Before I recommend a sleeping bag there are a couple questions.
I'll do this in it's entirety for those who may not know the in's and out's.
#1 who is the bag for ( don't assume it's for the person your speaking to). The reason for this is most blokes don't feel the cold as much as the girls. teenage boys will over heat at the drop of a hat. Teenage girls are the opposite and will freeze ( particularly is fashion is allowed to have a say)
#2 What temps are you expecting?
#3 Are you gunna need to carry it ( does the packed down size come into play) The explantion for this is young ( 10yrs old) Scouts or Cadets a cheaper ( therefore bigger) bag can take up half their pack)
#3 how often are you gunna use it? Is it a one off or a once a month use?
#4 Whats your budget? Do you need a down bag ( to fit the other criteria)?
From the answers to these I can normally give a recommendation.
Fastest was 90seconds asked the questions as we walked over to the bag display made my reco, walked back.
I have three bags all Roman brand
http://www.roman.com.au/
Obviously an Aussie brand,
but I can't fault them.
The bags I have
A, +8 degrees cel ( mid 40's fh) Packs to a fit inside a 2lt coke bottle
A, +3 ( mid 30's) same width and length as a 2lt bottle
A, -5 ( low 20's) slightly bigger than a 3lt.
I haven't used the -5 here ( it is my wife's) I'm at 27degrees South, Huston Texas is 29degrees North So I'm closer to the equator than there for example
I have used the +8 and a silk liner at 0 degrees quiet comfortably but I'm a very hot sleeper.
I used the +8 and +3 together one inside the other at -7 ( 20degrees)
Silk liner will add a couple degrees warmth, a damp cotton liner just might kill at 30 degrees fh. A liner is much easier to wash mid trip than the bag itself. A bivy bag will also add a couple degrees but if it is hot the bag will make you sweat.
If you go deep enough on the Snugpac ( on the Snugpac website (but that was a couple yrs ago), The test results I found where a -5Cel bag had been tested in a bivy on a thermorest the tester stated " At -5 I was cold but I knew I wasn't gunna die" That isn't what I would call a realistic warmth rating.
The crux of all this use a reputable brand bag, choose the bag on the temps you expect, If you feel the cold go for something about 7-8 degrees ft colder than you expect You can always undo the zip. If you skimp ( cheat) on the rating ( either because of the packed size or the cost) you will be cold/miserable.
CArl
I'll do this in it's entirety for those who may not know the in's and out's.
#1 who is the bag for ( don't assume it's for the person your speaking to). The reason for this is most blokes don't feel the cold as much as the girls. teenage boys will over heat at the drop of a hat. Teenage girls are the opposite and will freeze ( particularly is fashion is allowed to have a say)
#2 What temps are you expecting?
#3 Are you gunna need to carry it ( does the packed down size come into play) The explantion for this is young ( 10yrs old) Scouts or Cadets a cheaper ( therefore bigger) bag can take up half their pack)
#3 how often are you gunna use it? Is it a one off or a once a month use?
#4 Whats your budget? Do you need a down bag ( to fit the other criteria)?
From the answers to these I can normally give a recommendation.
Fastest was 90seconds asked the questions as we walked over to the bag display made my reco, walked back.
I have three bags all Roman brand
http://www.roman.com.au/
Obviously an Aussie brand,
but I can't fault them.
The bags I have
A, +8 degrees cel ( mid 40's fh) Packs to a fit inside a 2lt coke bottle
A, +3 ( mid 30's) same width and length as a 2lt bottle
A, -5 ( low 20's) slightly bigger than a 3lt.
I haven't used the -5 here ( it is my wife's) I'm at 27degrees South, Huston Texas is 29degrees North So I'm closer to the equator than there for example
I have used the +8 and a silk liner at 0 degrees quiet comfortably but I'm a very hot sleeper.
I used the +8 and +3 together one inside the other at -7 ( 20degrees)
Silk liner will add a couple degrees warmth, a damp cotton liner just might kill at 30 degrees fh. A liner is much easier to wash mid trip than the bag itself. A bivy bag will also add a couple degrees but if it is hot the bag will make you sweat.
If you go deep enough on the Snugpac ( on the Snugpac website (but that was a couple yrs ago), The test results I found where a -5Cel bag had been tested in a bivy on a thermorest the tester stated " At -5 I was cold but I knew I wasn't gunna die" That isn't what I would call a realistic warmth rating.
The crux of all this use a reputable brand bag, choose the bag on the temps you expect, If you feel the cold go for something about 7-8 degrees ft colder than you expect You can always undo the zip. If you skimp ( cheat) on the rating ( either because of the packed size or the cost) you will be cold/miserable.
CArl