Sleeping bag-advice sought.

Darter
Never ever skimp on sleeping bags, get the lower rated bags, and in saying that
We only buy -10c or -12c rated sleeping bags, and trust me if you are out in the bush it gets really cold at night. But in saying that, we also have a couple of St Vinnie specials, as "throw overs", just in case.

I tend to go for the "Jumbo" sized ones, as you can actually roll over in them.

Click here, for some good advice

Also consider the fact that cold will come up thru the bottom of your swag, at night.
to counter this I have an aerobic matt, which is a high quality, waterproof rubber matt, that fits under my swag perfectly.
A lot of my mates have gone for the camp stretchers, and recon I am mad on the ground, but I am warm with my setup and that's all that matters

Hope this helps ?
cheers Bucky

Darter

You pay a fortune for lightness and size reduction. For backpacking I use my goose down bag. IF I am car camping then I use a bulky, heavy 20 year old Roman brand bag as I still find it wonderfully warm, even though my goose down one is more expensive.
Work out what type of bag you will need, no point paying for a down bag if you don't need one, or even a expensive compact synthetic fill. It is also really impossible to compare between different manufacturers ratings. You can really only com pare within one manufacturers.
Size of bag is also personal choice, more restrictive mummy bags keep you warmer.
I'm 185cm tall, I have no problems with regular bags, depends on the individual

Mark

We tried thermarest style mattresses with sleeping bags in the tourer tent but have sort of gone the reverse of you (Hubby doesn't find thin mattresses comfy), we brought a swag and figured we could just use it as is or roll it out in the tent.....you're right though most of the time we just take the swags now rather than the tent, suppose if the weather was really nasty we'd grab the tent.

I agree, if you camp with a partner it might be a better idea to consider buying a doona.
On your own it's probably toastier being zipped up in a good sleeping bag.

The advice I would have with buying sleeping bags is to look for ones that have a "warm feel" material on the inside, ours (Roman extremelite zero) are more nylon like and I find that to be rather cold (when you move and touch a section you weren't touching previously). The kids have BlackWolf branded ones which are warmer material on the inside and the kids have never complained of being too cold, in tent or swag.
But do pay attention to the lengths too, I tried out their bags and they're slightly shorter, a bit on the short side for me and I'm only 169cm tall.(they weren't kid specific models as far as I know).

Blankets wise I like these (for camping and home) they're like the ones you find in a hotel, nice durable and thicker feel to them not thin like some BigW or Kmart ones
HostDirect Blankets

We found the Roman sleeping bags we have to not be warm enough on really cold nights so have gone to a thin doona plus one of the above blankets for the swag.
You could always look at a nice woolen doona or feather down doona if synthetics aren't your thing. We do carry a couple of army blankets for spares etc...lol but most of the time when you're lying there cold at night nobody can be bothered to go into the car and get one lol.

Hi Darter,
plenty of advice already given on bags so I won't give you the same info :). Just don't scrimp on price; you get what you pay for.

The other way to get more warmth out of a bag is to visit dedicated camping/walking stores like Mountain Design etc. You can buy silk liners and other material liners which you sleep in inside the bag. Keeps the bag clean and adds warmth. Silk liners for example add about 5 degrees to the rating and pack up to the size of a fist.

Cheers,

I gave up using sleeping bags, but know they are quick and easy.

My wife and I now tour in our Fourby and use stretchers, a 10 Cm self inflating matress and sheets / blanket and king single dooners......warm as toast, and the bed is almost like being at home.

NOTHING beats a good sleep after a big days driving.

Ok,I'll look into it a bit more,to go into a proper camp shop sounds like a good idea.

I am thinking,after reading replies-just give my swag ago with with thermarest-it will fit in and have plenty of room.I have always been warm in it with woollen blankets ets,just a bit hard on ground-the thermarest should fix that.

Thanks for advice.

Darter

Plenty of good advice already offered. I'll add a few dot points which might (or might not) be helpful.

- In your case the primary reason for a sleeping bag is convenience (when compared to the alternatives others have suggested above). As you know good ones - both down and synthetic - can be compressed into small stuff bags for easy stowage.

- If you decide on a bag then you should ask about the temperature rating and the amount and type of of fill, moreso if you are a cold sleeper or expect to encounter cold nights. Someone was on Exploroz recently talking about Coleman synthetic bags which didn't appear to be preforming to expectations.

- Most heat is lost through an exposed head, followed by the feet. Any bag claiming -5 comfort ought to have a corded hood in my opinion - for the one in your link this doesn't appear to be the case.

- If you want to make your bag last always use a liner.

- Being able to totally unzip your bag for use as a cover is big plus in warmer conditions.

- Synthetic bags are bulkier and heavier than down but easier to clean and far cheaper. You can buy very good quality synthetic bags for $100 -150.

- Many people don't like the confinement of a bag (or a stretcher for that matter). Just remember the bigger/roomier the bag the less efficient (relatively speaking) it will be in trapping your body warmth - which is essentially all that blankets, doonas, quilts and sleeping bags do.

- Sleeping bags are regularly on sale and there's no reason to pay "full retail" in most cases.

G'day Darter
FWIW I tend to use a sleeping bag when solo and the doona when it's company. For solo travel a bag, thermarest with a cotton sleeve made from an old sheet is most convenient for me.

My problem is bags is more often being too hot rather than too cold. Even the summer weight one I picked up in NZ is still toasty in the warmer months unless I am up high and the temps are down low.

Oh, and bags usually zip open completely - still not a doona though.

Cheers
Mark

we bought a coleman big foot -5 each and it is fantastic. Liner zips out when weather is hot and is awesome in minus temps (-1 to -3 has been fine). Size wise, it is massive (we are big peeps!), very comfy and folds down to quite a small bag. Was a bit more expensive though ($140+ from memory)

http://www.colemanaustralia.com.au/gear/big-foot/bigfoot-sleeping-bags/big-foot%E2%84%A2-c-3-sleeping-bag-green.aspx