Author Topic: Sleeping Kit.  (Read 11103 times)

NeilC

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Re: Sleeping Kit.
« Reply #15 on: 17:02:56, 28/04/16 »
I'd just get the first snugpak one you mentioned if you really need it that warm. At that price you can't go too far wrong. It won't be small and it will be heavy. But that's what cheap synthetic bags are like. There aren't any miracle fibres or technologies making them like down bags. At that price, they're usually a sheet of fibre sewn into the shell and that's about it so the warmer they are, the heavier and bigger they are. That's what many of them are labelled according to the grams per square metre of filling the X Bag 250 or the Y Bag 400 etc.


I did quite a while with one of these:http://www.decathlon.co.uk/5-light-hiking-sleeping-bag-2-3-season-green-left-id_8242017.html - fine for about April to November 1.2KG and packs smaller than some.

dungie203

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Re: Sleeping Kit.
« Reply #16 on: 12:29:45, 29/04/16 »
Do you even need it to pack down that small given your 60l bag?

Synthetic insulation doesn't like being strongly compressed and doesn't bounce back like down.


Im not sure Neil, i think i may be panicking a bit lol, with the Zephyros 2 being long i was hoping for a small sleeping bag to fit at the bottom of my sack with enough room for the Z2 to fit along side it. I was unsure if the bag filled the whoe of the bottom of my sack and was say 24-25cm thick if the bag would then be long enough to take the Z2 on top of it. Im probably way over thinking it. If i can figure out if it will fit ill probably just go for a bigger and cheaper bag.

Im also not not sure what sort of bag to get  :-\   I want it to be warm enough for say March and maybe October/November but then again i dont want to be sweating my roe out in the summer!

Who ever though a sleeping bag could bring a man to the brink of insanity, although im fairly close to that brink anyhow i suppose  :)

dungie203

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Re: Sleeping Kit.
« Reply #17 on: 12:36:48, 29/04/16 »
I'd just get the first snugpak one you mentioned if you really need it that warm. At that price you can't go too far wrong. It won't be small and it will be heavy. But that's what cheap synthetic bags are like. There aren't any miracle fibres or technologies making them like down bags. At that price, they're usually a sheet of fibre sewn into the shell and that's about it so the warmer they are, the heavier and bigger they are. That's what many of them are labelled according to the grams per square metre of filling the X Bag 250 or the Y Bag 400 etc.


I did quite a while with one of these:http://www.decathlon.co.uk/5-light-hiking-sleeping-bag-2-3-season-green-left-id_8242017.html - fine for about April to November 1.2KG and packs smaller than some.


That decathlon looks a really nice bag, cheers for the link Neal, its for sure on my maybe list. Really light and if you say its ok for April to November that should do me.

When you say the first Snugpak one i take it you mean http://www.survivalaids.com/snugpak-the-sleeping-bag-olive-green?gclid=CL2EkI3gs8wCFUHGGwodZQAB1Q

Thats a bit cheaper than the last ebay one i posted. It looks a good bag for the money although that decathlon looks really good and i like the weight. Think id need the XL.


NeilC

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Re: Sleeping Kit.
« Reply #18 on: 12:40:08, 29/04/16 »

Im not sure Neil, i think i may be panicking a bit lol, with the Zephyros 2 being long i was hoping for a small sleeping bag to fit at the bottom of my sack with enough room for the Z2 to fit along side it. I was unsure if the bag filled the whoe of the bottom of my sack and was say 24-25cm thick if the bag would then be long enough to take the Z2 on top of it. Im probably way over thinking it. If i can figure out if it will fit ill probably just go for a bigger and cheaper bag.

Im also not not sure what sort of bag to get  :-\   I want it to be warm enough for say March and maybe October/November but then again i dont want to be sweating my roe out in the summer!

Who ever though a sleeping bag could bring a man to the brink of insanity, although im fairly close to that brink anyhow i suppose  :)


I'm guessing the Zeph is long because of the poles which you can take out and shove down separately. I wouldn't be worrying the exact position of items in your bag at this point.

dungie203

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Re: Sleeping Kit.
« Reply #19 on: 12:42:12, 29/04/16 »

I'm guessing the Zeph is long because of the poles which you can take out and shove down separately. I wouldn't be worrying the exact position of items in your bag at this point.


I was more concerned they wouldn't fit to be fair but i am prone to worrying over things.

fernman

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Re: Sleeping Kit.
« Reply #20 on: 13:36:52, 29/04/16 »
Every sleeping bag I've had from past to present, has been a fairly tight fit in its stuff sack across the bottom of my rucksack, and I am guessing that is going to apply to 99% of all rucksacks. (Don't forget to put it in a strong plastic bag to keep it dry.)

As NeilC has pointed out, you can remove the end poles from a Zephyros, although I must admit I find it a bit fiddly to put them back at the end of the day, when I'm tired, have cold hands and it's raining. But it is what I do, and I fold the tent to fit the width of my rucksack. If you leave the end poles in, it is too long, you can only put it in your sack vertically, then you might end up with an imbalance of weight between one side of your sack and the other.

I keep the tent rolled up with a couple of lengths of velcro, which you can buy on eBay, it goes in a heavy-duty black bin bag to stop it making anything else wet (I also use the bag to sit on in the porch, it keeps my backside dry) and I pack it on top of the sleeping bag. The pole bag is slender enough to be poked down one side of the sack, the peg bag is small enough to be tucked almost anywhere. The tent bag stays at home, it still has the swing tags on it, good as new!

dungie203

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Re: Sleeping Kit.
« Reply #21 on: 15:39:09, 29/04/16 »
Thanks fernman thats good to know, apart from being fiddly are they easy enough to remove as im a bit heavy handed lol and clumsy.

If you suggest plastic bags does this mean i dont need to fork out for dry sacks or whatever they are called? Will xtra heavy duty bin bags do the trick for my kit?

fernman

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Re: Sleeping Kit.
« Reply #22 on: 17:51:41, 29/04/16 »
Thanks fernman thats good to know, apart from being fiddly are they easy enough to remove as im a bit heavy handed lol and clumsy.

Ridiculously easy to get out, not so easy to put back. First you have to lay the tent on the ground, inner and outer are together, remember, and you rummage about to find where the end poles go. Once you've found either the top or the lower end of where one fits, you then have to poke the pole into the tiny pockets that hold it, and to make it more difficult these will have closed up while the tent was folded.

If you suggest plastic bags does this mean i dont need to fork out for dry sacks or whatever they are called? Will xtra heavy duty bin bags do the trick for my kit?

Correct! For my sleeping bag I used to use a large Duty Free bag, that was strong enough (I don't need one now, my present bag, Vango Venon 600, was supplied with a drybag). For my tent I buy the black sacks from Tesco with "The Green Sack" in large green letters on the side; I've found the thin bin  bags tear too easily. For spare clothing any clear plastic bag of an appropriate size will do, and you can buy freezer bags or ziplok bags in the pound shop for things like paperback book, spare map, and foods (to keep the latter together as much as to keep them dry)





dungie203

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Re: Sleeping Kit.
« Reply #23 on: 09:01:55, 30/04/16 »
Cheers again Fernman. I think my local Asda do similar heavy duty bags for about £3 for 15 of them, ill also check in Aldi as there usually cheaper  ;)

With the tent i may try packing it with poles in to start with and see how it feels and if it will fit, saves messing about putting those poles back in but although fiddly it does sound manageable.

How did you find the supplied pegs with the Z2? I hear there not up to much but i was hoping to get away with them to save having to buy more.

Right back on topic, i think after all the research, much appreciated advice and general confusion i may just go with the original bag i was thinking of which is Snugpak The Sleeping Bag for just under £30. From the reviews ive been reading its ok down to around zero and looks long enough. If i go for this then i can spend the other £50-£70 i will be saving on getting the cheap bag on a waterproof jacket and maybe some over trousers.

fernman

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Re: Sleeping Kit.
« Reply #24 on: 10:56:53, 30/04/16 »
The supplied pegs are nasty cheap things, but if you're on a tight budget you can at least make do with them until such time as you have the spare cash to replace them. Having studied other pegs when I first got my Zephyros, I can point out that the originals are at least lighter!

Tip: make yourself a peg pusher to save hurting your hand on the sharp edges. Buy a 3/4" (19mm) nylon barbed tee on eBay, and cut off half the length of the side pipe. Don't bother with a black plastic one from an aquatic centre, they are not strrong enough, while a white 1" plastic waste tee from B&Q is too big a diameter, also heavier.

Overtrousers are an unfortunate necessity. I dislike wearing  them, but water runs off a waterproof jacket onto unprotected trouser legs, and even if it isn't raining, walking past wet bracken will soon soak your legs. Beware of some cheap overtrousers that you can't get on or off over your boots.

dungie203

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Re: Sleeping Kit.
« Reply #25 on: 14:11:48, 30/04/16 »
The supplied pegs are nasty cheap things, but if you're on a tight budget you can at least make do with them until such time as you have the spare cash to replace them. Having studied other pegs when I first got my Zephyros, I can point out that the originals are at least lighter!

Tip: make yourself a peg pusher to save hurting your hand on the sharp edges. Buy a 3/4" (19mm) nylon barbed tee on eBay, and cut off half the length of the side pipe. Don't bother with a black plastic one from an aquatic centre, they are not strrong enough, while a white 1/2" plastic waste tee from B&Q is too big a diameter, also heavier.

Overtrousers are an unfortunate necessity. I dislike wearing  them, but water runs off a waterproof jacket onto unprotected trouser legs, and even if it isn't raining, walking past wet bracken will soon soak your legs. Beware of some cheap overtrousers that you can't get on or off over your boots.



Do you mean something like this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NYLON-Barbed-Tee-Hose-Connector-Pipe-Joiner-Tube-Fitting-Air-Fuel-Water-Petrol-T-/140702039949?var=&hash=item20c27ebf8d:m:mWxZhDsqkC37JvhuP-XNcyg

Ill see what cash i have at the time and if i have enough ill get better pegs, any recommendations?

As for overtrousers i like the look of the Berghaus Deluge ones mentioned in another thread on here. £35 is a bit more than i wanted to pay but they seem to be good. Ill do a bit more research closer to the time.

fernman

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Re: Sleeping Kit.
« Reply #26 on: 08:43:12, 01/05/16 »
Yes something like that would do. It's cheaper than the one I bought, which is:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Plastic-Barbed-Connector-Pipe-Hose-Joiner-Tubing-Fittings-Air-Fuel-Water-Petrol-/140888313466?var=440090829433
The title of my one says plastic, but the illustration says nylon. A black plastic one I bought earlier broke on its second use.
You need to cut the side piece off by at least half, otherwise it doesn't push the pegs in far enough.

Pegs: I bought Hilleberg v-pegs, excellent but cost a lot unfortunately. There was a thread on here last year (?) where pegs were discussed, I seem to remember Alpkit ones were recommended. There is also discussion here http://www.outdoorsmagic.com/forum/gear/zephyros-owners-thread/46381.html if you've got all day to read its 35 pages!

forgotmyoldpassword

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Re: Sleeping Kit.
« Reply #27 on: 15:07:56, 01/05/16 »
Delta Ground Anchors and Y-Beams are pretty bomber.  You have a greater chance of losing the guy from the tent than the ground with those properly placed.


Overall advice dungie, get basic kit and spend some time out on the fells.  Often you can end up paying well over the odds for what are pretty reasonable conditions at the moment.  If you get in to doing it often, your need for those items won't go away, and you can wait to pick up things during sales.


I'd suggest having a chat with some mates who are in to the outdoors, and see what kit they have unused/spare.  Ask to borrow a couple of bits they haven't used in a while, gain a bit of experience and see what works out for you.  Most people understand the reticence in spending upwards of £400+ to get in to backpacking if they aren't sure they'll like it, which if you include a tent, mat, backpack, bag, waterproof gear and boots I'd say is a reasonable estimate towards the lower end.  Try things out, see what weight you are comfortable with, see what space you need in a pack, and more importantly what conditions you actually enjoy walking in.  Personally I like it pouring down with wind blowing in my face as much as I do sunny days, but I know everyone isn't like that, and in the UK that limits your ability to get out and make use of your investment in gear unless you have a very flexible job.

dungie203

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Re: Sleeping Kit.
« Reply #28 on: 15:58:05, 02/05/16 »
Thanks for all the advice guys  :)

dungie203

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Re: Sleeping Kit.
« Reply #29 on: 16:03:44, 02/05/16 »
Delta Ground Anchors and Y-Beams are pretty bomber.  You have a greater chance of losing the guy from the tent than the ground with those properly placed.


Overall advice dungie, get basic kit and spend some time out on the fells.  Often you can end up paying well over the odds for what are pretty reasonable conditions at the moment.  If you get in to doing it often, your need for those items won't go away, and you can wait to pick up things during sales.


I'd suggest having a chat with some mates who are in to the outdoors, and see what kit they have unused/spare.  Ask to borrow a couple of bits they haven't used in a while, gain a bit of experience and see what works out for you.  Most people understand the reticence in spending upwards of £400+ to get in to backpacking if they aren't sure they'll like it, which if you include a tent, mat, backpack, bag, waterproof gear and boots I'd say is a reasonable estimate towards the lower end.  Try things out, see what weight you are comfortable with, see what space you need in a pack, and more importantly what conditions you actually enjoy walking in.  Personally I like it pouring down with wind blowing in my face as much as I do sunny days, but I know everyone isn't like that, and in the UK that limits your ability to get out and make use of your investment in gear unless you have a very flexible job.



Do you mean something like these https://www.alpkit.com/products/y-beams?gclid=CN3uw8HUu8wCFVYo0wodGFYMAA

Seem a god price for £8 for 10 :)

 

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