The First Ascent is suited for the very coldest of conditions.
THis super-light K-Way bag is suitable for use three seasons of the year, or everything but the coldest conditions.
Three things to think about 1. Down or synthetic? Goose down offers the best insulation against the cold, and it has the advantages that it’s incredibly light and can be squashed down really small. However, down costs more and if it gets wet it takes a long time to dry out. Those clever chaps in white coats have spent years to come up with synthetic alternatives such as PrimaLoft and Sensofil. They’ve almost cracked it, but Mother Nature still wins. Our advice? A synthetic sleeping bag is fine if weight and space aren’t a problem, and they’re cheaper too. But if you’re a serious camper or hiker there’s nothing better than down when the temperature drops.
2. Shape? A rectangular bag (envelope-shaped, in other words) is spacious and feels more like your bed back home. Another advantage is that you can zip two bags together to make a double bag if you think there’s a game of mixed doubles on the cards.
A tapered (mummy-shaped) bag hugs your body for greater insulation, but some people find it too restrictive. Our advice? If you’re a hiker planning an outing to the Fish River, go for a mummy bag. The extra warmth and reduced weight are a bonus. Fair-weather campers can happily stick with envelope-shaped bags.
3. How warm? A temperature rating tells you what kind of conditions the bag was designed for. For summer camping, a bag that’s rated to about 5 ºC should suffice. For winter, use something that’s rated to 0 ºC or colder. And if you’re off to climb Kili, go for -10 ºC or lower.
For summer camping
Howling Moon Mistral
When we found out that Campworld had just updated its popular Howling Moon sleeping bag range, we phoned to ask what the most significant change was. The answer? Size.
Simply put, they don’t want a big person to feel restricted in one of their bags, so they’ve committed to a “real size” rating (which they say indicates the true dimensions of the bag rather than the length of the material before it’s sewn together). The Mistral measures a spacious 210 x 100 cm, which is great news if you’re built like Jono Lomu.
The payoff, of course, is that it’s bigger and heavier than most other bags (packed size is a rather hefty 50 x 25 cm), but this shouldn’t be a problem if you’re going on a fishing trip in your Hilux. Fill: Synthetic Temperature rating: 2 ºC Weight: 2,58 kg Cost: About R450 from Campworld. Contact: 012 797 7300; www.campworld.co.za go! says: A mesh bag is included. It should keep the bag fresh during long-term storage.
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For winter camping
Vaude Navajo Comfort 220
Vaude is a leading German outdoor brand, and you can be sure that this is a top-quality sleeping bag.
Sleeping bags with decent synthetic filling (like Sensofil) are a bit more expensive, but they’re also lighter and smaller. The Navajo is rated -2ºC and tips the scales at less than 2 kg. Its packed dimensions are 23 x 26cm.
One drawback: It doesn’t have a cowl top. Baldies also like hiking. So if you have a vinyl roof, wear a beanie! Fill: Synthetic Temperature rating: -2 ºC Weight: 1,9 kg Cost: R830 Contact: Eiger Equipment; 021 555 0363; www.eigerequipment.co.za
go! says: This bag will be fine for most winter camping situations, but if you’re heading for the Kalahari or Namibia in mid-winter, we recommend you stick with down.
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For summer hiking
K-Way Zermatt 950
Most synthetic-fill bags are too bulky for hiking. The Zermatt is different. It uses a fill called PrimaLoft, which they say has the highest warmth-to-weight ratio of any synthetic insulation. The advantage is that this bag will keep you warm without gobbling up all the packing space in your backpack. When squeezed into its stuff sack it measures a reasonable 30 x 15cm.
K-Way gives this bag a three-season rating, which means it’s good for use throughout the year except the coldest winter months. And the PrimaLoft fill is made from 50% recycled materials, so you can sleep tight without worrying about the melting ice shelf in Antarctica. Fill: Synthetic Temperature rating: 0ºC Weight: 950 g Price: R700 Contact: Cape Union Mart 0860 034 000; www.capeunionmart.co.za go! says: With this bag, there’ll still be place in your backpack for your bedtime tot of Old Brown Sherry.
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For winter hiking
First Ascent Ice Breaker
This bag has a clever trick to it: You can move the down around inside to keep yourself at a comfortable temperature – just as you would with your bedding at home.
The way it works is that the down is stitched into channels that run across the bag from underneath to on top. By shifting the down around you can vary how much is covering you, and how warm you will be.
So whereas this bag is rated to -8 ºC and will keep you warm on the coldest of winter nights in our mountains, it is also versatile enough to be used during the summer months. No wonder it’s currently South Africa’s bestselling down sleeping bag. Fill: Goose down Temperature rating: -8 ºC Weight: 1,4 kg Price: R2300 Contact: First Ascent; 021 787 9380; www.firstascent.co.za
go! says: First Ascent also has a smaller version, the Ice Nino, which is suitable for women and smaller-framed men. It’s rated to -5 ºC and sells for R2200.
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