Thread: Sleeping bag

Originally Posted by possum_shooter

Montbell Japan are well worth a look. Some great lightweight gear and warm with some pretty cool features not seen in other bags around the same price range.

I had a Mont Bell as I'm 6.4 they are way to small and no way near as well made as the Domex.

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I have a Macpac latitude 700, I have never been cold since and no longer need to wear all my gear to bed, I use a liner and don’t usually zip the bag all the way closed as I get too warm. I just don’t think it’s worth the risk if things go wrong i know I can keep warm.

Originally Posted by 2post

I have a Macpac latitude 700, I have never been cold since and no longer need to wear all my gear to bed, I use a liner and don’t usually zip the bag all the way closed as I get too warm. I just don’t think it’s worth the risk if things go wrong i know I can keep warm.

Totally. I had the 500, was a good bag and I am a cold sleeper but never froze in it. I think a liner is the way to go also.


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Look at the Macpac Epic,Sea to Summit etc all about same weight warmth.
Watch for sales and a $600-700 get down to $450 or so.
Bivouac,Gearshop and Macpac have regular sales.

I worked with two guys who took standard old Kiwi tramping gear to the dry valleys in Antractica several years in a row. Mangy thin synthetic fairy down sleeping bags, bush shirts and Olympus tents. At first I thought this was madness, but there is more to it. One of them had a sleeping bag so thin it should not have been considered a sleeping bag.

Position your tent well. Eat a very high calorie dinner. If you have a stingy dinner after a day in the hills, you will freeze. Just pack butter in there like you are on an Antarctic crossing and you will be toasty. Keep your gear dry. You read a lot of hunting stories of guys with sodden gear and this need never happen, but it requires discipline. Your dry gear stays in your pack liner, you strip off wet gear outside the tent and leave it there, you put dry gear on inside the tent. In the morning you get up and put the wet gear back on. Wet stuff never comes inside the tent. The moisture will end up everywhere no matter what you do.

I bought a Kathmandu down bag 20 years ago and it has finally reached the point I can sleep in it zipped up. It has never been wet and has spent more than a year total in West Coast and Fiordland bush. If you went for 2 weeks a year that would take 20 years.

Have seen some shocking campsites from hunting parties in Fiordland. Maybe the worst are ones where water streams under the tent. Turns the tent into a form of refrigerator.

Originally Posted by Tussock

I worked with two guys who took standard old Kiwi tramping gear to the dry valleys in Antractica several years in a row. Mangy thin synthetic fairy down sleeping bags, bush shirts and Olympus tents. At first I thought this was madness, but there is more to it. One of them had a sleeping bag so thin it should not have been considered a sleeping bag.

Position your tent well. Eat a very high calorie dinner. If you have a stingy dinner after a day in the hills, you will freeze. Just pack butter in there like you are on an Antarctic crossing and you will be toasty. Keep your gear dry. You read a lot of hunting stories of guys with sodden gear and this need never happen, but it requires discipline. Your dry gear stays in your pack liner, you strip off wet gear outside the tent and leave it there, you put dry gear on inside the tent. In the morning you get up and put the wet gear back on. Wet stuff never comes inside the tent. The moisture will end up everywhere no matter what you do.

I bought a Kathmandu down bag 20 years ago and it has finally reached the point I can sleep in it zipped up. It has never been wet and has spent more than a year total in West Coast and Fiordland bush. If you went for 2 weeks a year that would take 20 years.

Have seen some shocking campsites from hunting parties in Fiordland. Maybe the worst are ones where water streams under the tent. Turns the tent into a form of refrigerator.

So Tussock just to clarify, and if I am not mistaken, you recommend stripping off outside the tent when in Antarctica and leaving the removed clothing outside overnight, then dressing ones self in these 'aired' clothes upon rising ??

Everyone sleeps at different temps obviously. My mate bought a halo, very nice lightweight bag, supposedly water resistant. They are designed to be slept in using layers should you encounter a colder night than normal, they're not an extreme low temp rated bag. G got cold in his bag a couple of nights on our roar trip...got to negative 7 or 8, snow on tent etc. He had to put on his down jacket and hat to get a good night sleep. One night his feet must have been touching the end of the tent and his bag sucked up a fair bit of moisture.

I bought a Macpac epic 600 last year before winter tahr trip last year and am very happy with it. I sleep in my undies with a silk liner and have yet to get cold, my nose will be icy cold but i'm toasty as in the bag. As Tussock says, my wet gear comes off and stays outside, tucked under the vestibule I am not climbing in and out of. Wet gear and boots creates moisture.

Another thing to really consider to keep warm is a decent filled sleeping mat, so you have decent insulation from the cold ground. They can make the world of difference.

We always laugh at how the old timers must shake their heads at us with all our flash gear we use to keep comfy and warm. Man some of those guys must have been tough bastards.

Originally Posted by JoshC

We always laugh at how the old timers must shake their heads at us with all our flash gear we use to keep comfy and warm. Man some of those guys must have been tough bastards.

I can remember always being cold wet and miserable as a grunt when on ex in NZ.
Waiouru and Tekepo humping around half your body weight in rain, hail, snow or shine. Digging in, in frozen ground everytime you stopped.
You never got warm apart from when digging or stomping for weeks.

Coldest I have been was when we were cut off way out the back of the training area in Waiouru for over a week. No vehicles or helos could reach us.
We were dug in to stage 4. The pits may as well have been underground freezers.
We had what I thought at the time, we're decent sleeping bags.
Kept losing guys to Hypothermia and even frostbite but there was no way to evac them.
It was beyond miserable.

I remember having a chat with the CSM and QM on site who said they have had it way worse and never had a sleeping bag back in their day. They carried just 2 grey army blankets and woollen battle dress.
From then on I treasured my shitty synthetic sleeping bag that always seemed damp and heavy
Yup, don't know why or how but they were definitely harder bastards back in the day.






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Originally Posted by Moa Hunter

So Tussock just to clarify, and if I am not mistaken, you recommend stripping off outside the tent when in Antarctica and leaving the removed clothing outside overnight, then dressing ones self in these 'aired' clothes upon rising ??

Nothing to do with Antarctica. Antarctica is dry. When in the South Island bush you generally come home dripping wet as a matter of routine. No raincoat will stop that. You take the soaking wet clothing off, you leave it in a heap in the vestibule of the tent, or better, hang it in the fly if you have one, then you put it back on in the morning.

I have seen a few grins as guys tried to get into frozen thermals.

Not trying to lecture the experienced guys, but I have seen lots of guys with a fair bit of experience drag a shitload of moisture into the tent. It all ends up in your bedding and dry gear.

Originally Posted by R93

I can remember always being cold wet and miserable as a grunt when on ex in NZ.
Waiouru and Tekepo humping around half your body weight in rain, hail, snow or shine. Digging in, in frozen ground everytime you stopped.
You never got warm apart from when digging or stomping for weeks.

Coldest I have been was when we were cut off way out the back of the training area in Waiouru for over a week. No vehicles or helos could reach us.
We were dug in to stage 4. The pits may as well have been underground freezers.
We had what I thought at the time, we're decent sleeping bags.
Kept losing guys to Hypothermia and even frostbite but there was no way to evac them.
It was beyond miserable.

I remember having a chat with the CSM and QM on site who said they have had it way worse and never had a sleeping bag back in their day. They carried just 2 grey army blankets and woollen battle dress.
From then on I treasured my shitty synthetic sleeping bag that always seemed damp and heavy
Yup, don't know why or how but they were definitely harder bastards back in the day.






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When you read about troops out in winter and you see the gear they had (lucky if they had blankets) you wonder how they did not just freeze to death. I guess a fair few did.

@JoshC where do you get that silk liner for your undies

God you Southlanders are hard buggers

Hope you had a good roar

Originally Posted by Tussock

When you read about troops out in winter and you see the gear they had (lucky if they had blankets) you wonder how they did not just freeze to death. I guess a fair few did.

Imo it is an age thing as well.
Younger=hardier. There is obviously a point where it is too cold for anyone but the younger you are the better you handle it.
I just look at my kids getting around on cold frosty mornings in shorts and t shirts like it's summer.

I am thankful for modern gear that keeps me warm in the hills.
If we had it when I was serving we still would have found something to whinge about.

I have an old original macpac solstice sleeping bag, got it years ago. Has more duct tape on it than a roll of duct tape to be fair.

Best bag I have ever used high up mid winter in the alps or at 7000 ft in Canada during autumn.
Modern bags must be better again in warmth and value you would think.


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Originally Posted by Danny

For the money the Halo will be looked at first. Mate took out his Macpac epic and even though we were both wet through he at least didn’t nearly die. In mine I nearly did.
Certainly good bags around these days, need to get one.
Thanks guys.

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I have the Epic 600 and it is almost too hot. I never zip it up even this last week with all the tarns freezing over down here i had it open. I also have used it on the tops without a shelter as realized I left the tarp behind so slept under the stars and even with the heavy dew settling on it i was warm enough in early March (Wouldnt recommend but good to know if in a pinch).

Originally Posted by Stocky

I have the Epic 600 and it is almost too hot. I never zip it up even this last week with all the tarns freezing over down here i had it open. I also have used it on the tops without a shelter as realized I left the tarp behind so slept under the stars and even with the heavy dew settling on it i was warm enough in early March (Wouldnt recommend but good to know if in a pinch).

That’s good to know, I’ll get a liner also. For an xtra bit of coin the Epic 800 but if you’re saying the 600 is warm enough well it’s definitely worth a good look.


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Originally Posted by Tussock

Nothing to do with Antarctica. Antarctica is dry. When in the South Island bush you generally come home dripping wet as a matter of routine. No raincoat will stop that. You take the soaking wet clothing off, you leave it in a heap in the vestibule of the tent, or better, hang it in the fly if you have one, then you put it back on in the morning.

I have seen a few grins as guys tried to get into frozen thermals.

Not trying to lecture the experienced guys, but I have seen lots of guys with a fair bit of experience drag a shitload of moisture into the tent. It all ends up in your bedding and dry gear.

I know and agree with what you are saying but it can be hard to leave gear out of the tent on a freezing night. In fact dealing with wet gear is the biggest problem on trips. Some tents are much worse for condensation than others.