Hi all,

I'm putting together my first bikepacking setup and I'm really struggling to find a sleeping bag that's got the right balance or warmth, pack size and cost.

I have an ultralight Decathlon bag that's rated to 'comfort: 15deg, limit: 11deg and extreme: -1deg' so only really useful for Summer.

I'm only going to be doing trips in the UK and can't myself heading out in the depths of winter so am I right in thinking a 3 season bag will suit best?

As for pack size the bag needs to fit in the 8L Podsacs handlebar bags that Planet X sell, along with my Alpkit Bivi Bag and sleeping mat.

In terms of budget, the nearer to £100 the better, though I am not sure if this is realistic or not?

Can anyone recommend any brands, models or retailers I should be looking at? Any advice from tenured mountain goats welcome!

As you might imagine, lots of threads on this.

A lot depends on how warm you sleep, if you are a cold sleeper look at the "comfort" rating, if a warm sleeper look at the "limit" rating as initial starting points. Forget the "extreme" rating - that's the temperature at which you won't die - you certainly won't get any sleep unless of the permanent variety

A good sleeping mat also makes a big difference, get one with as big an R-value as possible. Exped Synmat/Downmat and Thermarest NeoAir are the go-to makes and model ranges on here.

Weight, bulk, price - pick any two. Generally down bags will be lighter and pack smaller than synthetic but there are some synthetics that come close. The downside (sic) is the price, quality down bags and quilts cost. On the upside they have a much longer lifespan than synthetic bags so the high initial cost gets amortised over the years - I've a PHD Minimus 200 bag, it cost £170 in one of their sales but I've used it for over 100 nights over a period of six years so it's not that expensive looked at like that. Some people don't get along with down so it may not be an option.

Among the synthetics the Mountain Hardware lamina series seem popular but I've no experience of them.

An alternative to a bag is a quilt but you will need a good mat to get the best out of these. The go-to make on here for quilts are Cumulus - expect to pay £150 to £170 depending on how warm you want things. Quilts also have a wider usable temperature range as they are easy to vent when it gets too hot.

I've used one of these:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/AEGISMAX-Urltr ... 135&sr=8-6

to below freezing, backed up with base layers, thick socks and a fleece hoody. I noticed one of facebook marketplace recently for £65 (nothing to do with me, I'm keeping mine).

I’d be concerned about how ethically sourced that down is

I'm just sorting out the finer details and will be adding a range of Criterion bags to the shop but sadly, £100 won't get you very far. As Bob says, best to think of a bag as a long term investment ... makes it easier to swallow

Bearbonesnorm wrote: ↑Thu Sep 03, 2020 10:12 am I'm just sorting out the finer details and will be adding a range of Criterion bags to the shop but sadly, £100 won't get you very far. As Bob says, best to think of a bag as a long term investment ... makes it easier to swallow

Any info about how their down is sourced? There’s nothing on their website, usually those that source ethical/responsible down are more than happy to shout about it. They go in to great technical detail about how warm it is and the tests done, yet nothing about the source, I’m suspicious of that (but happy to be proven wrong) however if they can’t/won’t tell you the source, or it’s sourced in a cruel manner then I’d have to say it’s something you shouldn’t be selling


https://www.criterion-sleepingbags.co.u ... tion/#what

Any info about how their down is sourced? There’s nothing on their website, usually those that source ethical/responsible down are more than happy to shout about it. They go in to great technical detail about how warm it is and the tests done, yet nothing about the source, I’m suspicious of that (but happy to be proven wrong) however if they can’t/won’t tell you the source, or it’s sourced in a cruel manner then I’d have to say it’s something you shouldn’t be selling

After 'do you want a brew?', it was one of the first questions I asked the rep I'm assured that all their down is certified / traceable and a byproduct of the food industry as it should be, ie not taken from live birds.

Bearbonesnorm wrote: ↑Thu Sep 03, 2020 10:40 am

Any info about how their down is sourced? There’s nothing on their website, usually those that source ethical/responsible down are more than happy to shout about it. They go in to great technical detail about how warm it is and the tests done, yet nothing about the source, I’m suspicious of that (but happy to be proven wrong) however if they can’t/won’t tell you the source, or it’s sourced in a cruel manner then I’d have to say it’s something you shouldn’t be selling

It was one of the first questions I asked the rep I'm assured that all their down is certified / traceable and a byproduct of the food industry as it should be, ie not taken from live birds.

Excellent (tell the rep to get it in their website!)

Excellent (tell the rep to get it in their website!)

They're a very small company and the MD can be a little slow when it comes to tech', internet etc.

there is no such thing as ethical down but i realise meat eaters dont care that much I cannot really think of an ethical way to harvest me for my meat and then usemy skin but its animals so crack on as that is how we treat them.

The lamina ones are pretty good in use and i got mine for £90 in a sale and its good to zero IME. After that i just use it with my summer one for extra warmth
As for longeivity or comparison i have only ever used synthetic so I can offer no opinion.
Certainly still using a jacket at over 10 years old without any obvious decline in warmth/loft.

Lazarus wrote: ↑Thu Sep 03, 2020 10:53 am As for longeivity or comparison i have only ever used synthetic so I can offer no opinion.
Certainly still using a jacket at over 10 years old without any obvious decline in warmth/loft.

It's the compressing/uncompressing of the insulation that's the problem, or was with the early synthetic insulation. It's made up of long filaments of essentially very small plastic tubes so folding, scrunching, compressing the material breaks these filaments into ever smaller lengths meaning they become less effective. I'd a synthetic jacket that lasted well over ten years but it was either being worn or hung up in a wardrobe, a synthetic sleeping bag of the same vintage was basically landfill due to the regular bouts of "get in there yer bastid".

https://www.criterion-sleepingbags.co.u ... wn-policy/

good point though UTR...

It's the compressing/uncompressing of the insulation that's the problem

Yes I am aware but i only really compress mine to go ridng all the rest of the time they are beautifully lofted under my bed ! I also tend to not bother tocompress them as much as possibleand dont use compression sacks and tend to use bigger bags than provided with them - will it help who knows but I will feedback in 2027 !

redefined_cycles wrote: ↑Thu Sep 03, 2020 11:11 am https://www.criterion-sleepingbags.co.u ... wn-policy/

good point though UTR...

Heh! Dumbass of the day goes to me

there is no such thing as ethical down

That's right Jon and the Criterion rep actually said the very same thing.

Get a good mat. IMO good mat + crap bag is bearable (and can be bolstered with layers of clothing etc). A crap mat and a good bag can be OK but bolstering a mat is more challenging / problematic.

IMO

dogthomson wrote: ↑Thu Sep 03, 2020 9:26 am As for pack size the bag needs to fit in the 8L Podsacs handlebar bags that Planet X sell, along with my Alpkit Bivi Bag and sleeping mat.

Does no one else think this is highly unlikely to be possible, or is all my kit just that massively bulky?

AlexGold wrote: ↑Thu Sep 03, 2020 11:59 am

dogthomson wrote: ↑Thu Sep 03, 2020 9:26 am As for pack size the bag needs to fit in the 8L Podsacs handlebar bags that Planet X sell, along with my Alpkit Bivi Bag and sleeping mat.

Does no one else think this is highly unlikely to be possible, or is all my kit just that massively bulky?

At the £100 price point I'd say unlikely. At say a £200 price point for the bag, entirely possible. Again you are in the features vs price conundrum. No one right answer.

You can pick up a cheapish down bag sometimes on eBay if you are patient. As others say though, spending £200 will get you something really nice that will last a long time.

Like this one:

https://rockrun.com/collections/sleepin ... tar-20f-6c

https://www.rei.com/rei-garage/product/ ... g-bag-mens

This any good to you?? I'm gonna get into trouble with the missus (and almost saved up enough for a superlight version of this warmth rating) if I buy another so might be letting go of this... Don't think I've actually used it outdoors but can confirm that it is good... In fact, it's really really really good with a vent hole at the feet end.

Still in 2 minds but thought to put it out there whilst I see how I feel bout losing it

AlexGold wrote: ↑Thu Sep 03, 2020 11:59 am

dogthomson wrote: ↑Thu Sep 03, 2020 9:26 am As for pack size the bag needs to fit in the 8L Podsacs handlebar bags that Planet X sell, along with my Alpkit Bivi Bag and sleeping mat.

Does no one else think this is highly unlikely to be possible, or is all my kit just that massively bulky?

Agree. No chance. Unless you stuff it in with two Park Tools metal tyre levers, and I just wouldn't.

Dogthomson, I think you probs needs to rethink you're set up a bit. Are you running a bar harness/bag or seat pack?. Lots of "us" tend pack our sleeping stuff together to keep it away from the wet stuff, so the sleeping bag or quilt, the mat and perhaps a pillow, in the same dry bag. And for me that place is a handlebar harness, into which usually also goes a jacket, hat, some leggings and a long sleeve top.

For others it's the seat pack .. just depends what works for ya.

Thanks for the advice guys, really useful.

In terms of setup I bought the Podsacs bar, seat and frame bag bundle from PX, although it turns out the frame bag won't fit my bike, an On-One Scandal 29er, somewhat ironic!

Was planning on rolling the sleeping bag, Alpkit Hunka Bivi and Alpkit Airic mat together and having that in the bar bag and then having everything else in the seat bag and an alternative frame bag. By the looks of some of the replies above that may not be feasible though?

Was planning on rolling the sleeping bag, Alpkit Hunka Bivi and Alpkit Airic mat together

In theory that always seems like a good plan but generally falls short of the mark. It often takes up more room than packing them individually, can make your sleeping bag damp and is often more faff too come bedtime.

dogthomson wrote: ↑Thu Sep 03, 2020 8:41 pm Was planning on rolling the sleeping bag, Alpkit Hunka Bivi and Alpkit Airic mat together and having that in the bar bag and then having everything else in the seat bag and an alternative frame bag. By the looks of some of the replies above that may not be feasible though?

Generally folk try and keep 'wet" and "dry" items apart, whether that's wet in the front, dry in the back or vice versa depends on what you've got and the available space at each end.

Carrying on from the ethical debate, I went back and 'eye-candied' Tundra again. Came across this page. https://www.tundrasleepingbags.com/ethical-down