Bushwalk Australia

Was hoping someone could recommend a sleeping bag/maker that has a sleeping bag of either -10c or -15c that is rectangular? I struggle to be comfortable when in a mummy bag as I usually sleep in a bit of a weird position.

It is going to depend on your budget, I had some time to spare this AM, how long is your piece of string?? WM do some really really nice bags in that range but Made in USA comes at a price

http://www.westernmountaineering.com/in ... ntentId=39

Paddys sell WM, but i don't know if they have this one

Hi, Roman use to have a couple of down bags with a pertex shell that were rectangular and good for around minus 10-12.

Hi

I have two Western Mountaineering bags but they are in the mummy style. Great bags but if sourcing from USA be aware that their standard bag can be a fair bit narrower than standard Aussie issue. If you are under 6'2" then One Planet does a great range of semi rectangular bags in the Bush-lite series. I have one and a bit short on me but people that have borrowed it love it. The weight penalty is around 200 to 300 grams and a bit more bulk than the mummy One Planet bag that I also have but the width is greatly appreciate.

Cheers Brett

My wife hates mummy bags but she has gotten a Mountain Hardwear Lamina 20 (women's) that she finds hugely comfortable. It's only rated to -7, but we both think this is a pretty accurate warmth rating. It only weighs around a kilo, and can be gotten from the US for cheap. Highly recommended.

I HATE MUMMY BAGS!!!!

I am a 6'2" side sleeper, hate feeling cold at night and like to spread out a bit....
don't buy anything untill you have a look at the stephenson trpile bags!!!
http://www.trailspace.com/gear/stephens ... riple-bag/

I assume the-10 to -15 is comfort rating you refer to?
from the macpac range-
Lattitude 700XP is -4/-10/-29 http://www.macpac.com.au/shop/en_au/gea ... -size.html (because this XP shell is windproof this bag sleeps a little warmer than the manikin test when as warmed air isn't pumped out as you move around)
...or...
Lattitude 900 is -8/ -15/ -35 http://www.macpac.com.au/shop/en_au/gea ... -size.html

these are tapered rectangluar bags, which is inbetween the fit of a mummy and a true rectanglular bag.

That stevenson system looks interesting. I think its analagous to the single walled tent vs double walled tent discussion.

i'm in the market for a super warm bag and really want to get the best "warmth for weight" ratio bag. The photos look abit outdated on their website and their prices are right up there with the best western mountaineering bags, but i'll definitely be looking into those stevensons.



edit:
never heard of that brand stevensons before but they made some mighty claims on their website about being the best. Whether true or not, i'm sure they could have chosen better colour combinations for their tents. I think they should also use some professional photographers for their website to reflect how serious they take their business. Nothing particularly bad about looking home made, but marketing wise i think its harder to reach the masses who tend to judge books by their cover.
http://warmlite.com/about

There will be people here that know way more about Stephensons than I do - but they really are both legendary and an institution in the niche outdoor gear scene in the US : - Stephensons Warmlite being a kind of 'sine non quo' of "expensive but fantastic".
The home-made website you're mentioning has had a huge revamp since last I looked - it's way 'slicker' than it was (!)
I believe they are a family of nudists or 'naturists' - possibly explaining why one photo shows naked women entering sleeping bags. ie - it's a naturist thing, not a pervy marketing ploy (I think).
People who have used their gear often seem to swear by it - *really, really* enthusiastically.
This could be on account of needing to defend the huge dollar amounts they've parted with in order to acquire said gear - or it could be because it really is that good.
I don't know for sure, as I own none of it. Meh.
But i have spent untold hours attempting to decipher their somewhat cryptic explanations of Vapour Barrier clothing. Vapour Barrier being one of the Stephensons central design tenets.
I don't know that they are much interested in 'reaching the masses' - I had someone tell me that they were kept flat-out ('and quite profitable thank-you-very-much') from their very 'bespoke' approach to outdoor gear.
Young Bill Stephenson (in your link) certainly does have a beard on him doesn't he ? Extraordinary.
Someone here will have some less frivolous info on Stephensons for sure.

Cue less frivolous person..

Specs for stevenson sleeping bags:
weight: ............2kg-2.5kg
cost:................. $580-$810 US
wait: .................up to 2 months if not in stock
packed size: ........27cm x 68.5cm
temp: ...............+15C to -60C

I just cant see myself lugging one of these stevenson bags around.

But that is the weight including the Down-filled Air Mat and the inner bag, that really isn't much heavier than the total weight of my [[ sleeping bag+ Bivvy sac + Thermarest ]] combined.

having been a cold sleeper all my life I always go by the comfort rating, and I use that as MY personal survival temperature.
If as I suspect the OP is using a porter to carry her gear ( as you should-- you have to provide employment- it isn't considered slave labour )) then the weight really isn't a factor.

I do not know how "Roman" get their temperature ratings ( I doubt they send a sample to Europe for testing ) but I suspect that they are wildly optimistic and always assume using inside a tent on a substantial mattress.

temp: ...............+15C to -60C

F, not C , I think.

On their website, +60F to -80F is actually about +15C to -60C

ninjapuppet wrote:On their website, +60F to -80F is actually about +15C to -60C

Like the idea of Russian Doll type approach plus the room as some mummy bags especially from USA origin can be way too tight to achieve what looks on the surface as impressive warmth to weight ratios. I especially appreciate meaningful sizing information so you can get the right size bag.

How warm should a bag be, is always personal thing but when creeping past a true -10 comfort rating bag you are looking at bag that will be too warm for most places for most time of the year in Australia. Getting to hot and waking up sweaty means you very quickly get cold so in a way an overly warm bag can be self defeating. Good to see though innovative companies can still carve out a niche in a market swamped by "look at me, me to's”.

Cheers Brett

Thing is, a rectangular bag, staying warm and saving weight dont go togther. This is why Many good brands offer rectangular or quilt shaped bags at warmer ratings and not so many as the rating increases. Marmot once made the 'Mammoth' (I think), if you can get one used they were a nice big (heavy) warm bag.

Well I have been down to minus 18 on more than one occasion when camping at Pretty Valley, so 0F / -18C is where i want my bag to be, you can always ventilate.
having a bag that is a tight fit can increase warmth per gram at the expense of comfort, I tend to err on the side of comfort, also I am a believer in wearing clothing inside the bag as temperature drops.

I am a firm believer in the multi-bag system but the OP has rejected that approach, so what can we recommend to bettiebebop

An option is this http://www.quiltpillowfactory.com.au/ht ... _top_id=58. They make custom fills but naturally are not rated to standards so you would need to know a bit about fill ratios to go that way. However, if you get it wrong they can top up but naturallty this means that you do not get the advantages of dedicated lofting space that a carefully optimised bag can achieve so the bag is heavier than what it could have been. But as Nuts says warmth and size comes at the cost of weight and bulk so depends on what annoys you the least. I have a quilt from this company and very happy with the quality of down used. Did consider briefly such a bag as an option but packed size precluded it. Curiously when talking to the company they often recycle the down from a customer's quilt into a new casing as casing life is somewhat shorter than decent down and good down is expensive. Makes sense if your bag casing is damaged.

Cheers Brett