I'm sure a few of you will have spotted this already but the new pipedream sleeping bags are available for pre-order. I'm liking the design, the central half zip and horizontal / vertical baffles seem like a very good idea (very similar to the old Golite lightweight bags, which is no bad thing). There's a synthetic version for the paranoid and the spec of the down bag - 300g of 750fp 90/10 down, should be good for much of the year as long as you don't sleep really cold. I'd have liked it not to be stitch-through but it does keep the weight / price down and on a non-winter bag isn't so much of an issue ... I think they'll sell plenty: https://www.alpkit.com/products/pipedre ... term=PD300

That looks very nice and id be tempted if i didnt already have the all the bags i needed (famous last words)

I know this is going to sound really stupid but can some please tell me what colour it ^ is?

Black with red zips

Black with red zips

That's good ... I thought it was some odd green colour.

top zip has my attention!

much more sensible than a side zip

Funnily I was just looking at these before I logged on here
As a purchaser of a Pipesdream 400 I was interested to see what changes had been made to the spec and how it compared to what I had
I like the theory of what they have done, makes sense but not a significant step forward for me to repurchase just yet until the old one is used more.

I am however curious about synthetic bags, and have experienced the multi day dampness effect in a down bag.
Not looked at synthetic bags yet BUT that's a lot of extra weight (over three times as much) For those bigger trips you could carry multiple bags and still have less weight.

Is that particularly light anyway? I have a synthetic bag that weighs that and I'd take it to a couple of degrees above with clothes on.

It cosf me 20quid too

This is utter "armchair" stuff but I'm not so taken with it.

I sleep fairly warm and side zips make more sense, stuck a foot out to cool. I'm also a front / side sleeper so a central zip, when used to vent, will just cool the wrong bits.

Stitch through just seems cheap and poorer performance for weight (wild guess) so a false economy.

And after all that, if you want a good summer / warmer weather pit get a quilt. They just make so much more sense.

In reality it might be great and no doubt because it's Alpkit it will sell. However, Stu's test of their pot illustrated some of the stuff that looks all fancy is more style than performance.

having used both top and side zip I would always choose top zip for temperature regulation.

You only need to do a small amount to get a significant improvement as you are venting the core

You dont end up doing the hokey cokey all night trying to get the right temperature.

You can do it while lying still so you arent pumping all the warm air out the bag to reach the zip when you wake up cold.

I dont like cold feet.

And they are far far far easier to get into in a bivvy bag.

i am an extremely warm sleeper and move around foot out means a twisted bag.

I'm with CM. It's Alpkit so they'll sell out but my money would go on a quilt or a Cumulus bag. I don't think this offers anything on any of the competition.
If it was £40-50 cheaper, it would be more attractive.

New alpkit bag looks good, apart from the stitch through, don't like that.
Speaking about synthetic bags, snugpak recently released this: http://www.snugpak.com/outdoor/clothing ... ing-system which I'm hopefully getting to test in the coming month or so, 650g, synthetic, and 'rated' down to 6°C (I know for a fact, the ratings are slightly dubious).
I'll keep you posted.

That ^^^^ looks like a proper thin bag!

I'm hopefully getting to test in the coming month or so, 650g, synthetic, and 'rated' down to 6°C (I know for a fact, the ratings are slightly dubious).

Think I'd wait for summer

s8tannorm wrote:

I'm hopefully getting to test in the coming month or so, 650g, synthetic, and 'rated' down to 6°C (I know for a fact, the ratings are slightly dubious).

Think I'd wait for summer

Tbf, I've used my 5°C rated softie at 0°C with no problems at all in a bivi bag with some clothes on. Though I do sleep very warm.

s8tannorm wrote:I'm sure a few of you will have spotted this already but the new pipedream sleeping bags are available for pre-order. I'm liking the design, the central half zip and horizontal / vertical baffles seem like a very good idea (very similar to the old Golite lightweight bags, which is no bad thing). There's a synthetic version for the paranoid and the spec of the down bag - 300g of 750fp 90/10 down, should be good for much of the year as long as you don't sleep really cold. I'd have liked it not to be stitch-through but it does keep the weight / price down and on a non-winter bag isn't so much of an issue ... I think they'll sell plenty

Read in OM that Alpkit had bought the design to their new lightweight tent from the now defunct GoLite in order to get it to market quicker. Could be they also licensed the sleeping design too?

or for 100 quid less.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_nkw=l ... eName=GSTL

lafuma lightway 45. I used this for alpine bivis in and around the alps summer and winter for a few years, obviously I had other layers on. worked well untill it had a run in with a crampon.
but for scotland inc winter, perfectly adequate with a light layer and a liner.

and much cheaper.

Chris

Ben98 wrote:New alpkit bag looks good, apart from the stitch through, don't like that.
Speaking about synthetic bags, snugpak recently released this: http://www.snugpak.com/outdoor/clothing ... ing-system which I'm hopefully getting to test in the coming month or so, 650g, synthetic, and 'rated' down to 6°C (I know for a fact, the ratings are slightly dubious).
I'll keep you posted.

I see you 650 g and drops the weight 150 grams with Danish ingenuity.
http://www.nordisk.eu/uploads/tx_templa ... car_UK.pdf

andreas wrote:

Ben98 wrote:New alpkit bag looks good, apart from the stitch through, don't like that.
Speaking about synthetic bags, snugpak recently released this: http://www.snugpak.com/outdoor/clothing ... ing-system which I'm hopefully getting to test in the coming month or so, 650g, synthetic, and 'rated' down to 6°C (I know for a fact, the ratings are slightly dubious).
I'll keep you posted.

I see you 650 g and drops the weight 150 grams with Danish ingenuity.
http://www.nordisk.eu/uploads/tx_templa ... car_UK.pdf

Now that's just showing off

Ive a seriously itchy trigger finger now the Pipedream is down to £145 on early bird preorder. Can after really beat that? ~650g and ive more of a tendency to trust their rating of 6c - that snugpak just 'looks thin'. Hmmm?