Bushwalk Australia

Ive been needing to get a new winter sleeping bag for a while now, my current one has seen its day so i started looking and found this

http://www.paddypallin.com.au/equipment/camping/sleeping-bags-and-liners/paddy-pallin-feathertop-900-sleeping-bag-2.html

has anyone used one in the snow? going to start doing some more snow/winter/cold temperature trips and for the price it seems good, but is it or should i get something else.

for snow and winter camping should i really be getting something with dryloft or goretex as the outer? or will the material used on that one be fine?

Cheers in advance
Ashley

Hi Ashley,

I haven't used a PP bag but the price seems cheap. The heavier the shell fabric the longer it takes to pass any trapped moisture so in some case lighter is better IMO. Also the 750 down is in the lower grade for most quality bags so it is a heavier bag for the temp.

You could go with a lighter fabric and better quality down and construction but you get what you pay for. I like Western Mountaineering as a good quality brand for reference. http://www.westernmountaineering.com/in ... ntentId=37 A bag like that would be around $200 more expensive. I think you would notice the difference in quality.

hikingoz wrote:Hi Ashley,

I haven't used a PP bag but the price seems cheap. The heavier the shell fabric the longer it takes to pass any trapped moisture so in some case lighter is better IMO. Also the 750 down is in the lower grade for most quality bags so it is a heavier bag for the temp.

You could go with a lighter fabric and better quality down and construction but you get what you pay for. I like Western Mountaineering as a good quality brand for reference. http://www.westernmountaineering.com/in ... ntentId=37 A bag like that would be around $200 more expensive. I think you would notice the difference in quality.

+1 - what hikingoz said would be my assessment too.

I'm a huge fan of the WM bags, but I think in this case the Feathered Friends Raven would be an ideal choice at 1kg.

I'm buying this bag tomorrow

http://www.paddypallin.com.au/sale/equi ... g-bag.html

what are mont bags like? i found this and was wondering if i should put it on the list

http://www.camphikeclimb.com.au/product_info.php?cPath=8_35&products_id=834

havent had a look at the ap2 bag but will put it on my list.

The WM bags are nice but they are a bit out of my price range unless i can get on from overseas, i havent found anywhere that will send them

The feathered friends looks sweet, will look a bit more into them when i get a chance.

main thing i need is a bag that will fit me at 185cm, some seem to be a regular bag, some are a long and incur more costs

Cheers
Ashley

wildernesswanderer wrote:I'm buying this bag tomorrow

http://www.paddypallin.com.au/sale/equi ... g-bag.html

hey they have this here

http://www.kellysbasecamp.com.au/p/5915123/sea-to-summit---alpine-apii-sleeping-bag-regular-.html

little bit cheaper

lorddas wrote:The WM bags are nice but they are a bit out of my price range unless i can get on from overseas, i havent found anywhere that will send them

I know Moontrail in the US ship WM bags to Aus, but I doubt it would be cheap if you were only buying a sleeping bag.
http://www.moontrail.com/manufacturers. ... urerid=108

Ashley, the Mont bags are good, and that's a huge price drop on the website you posted, but even with that reduction it's still expensive for what you're getting.
750 loft in a winter bag just ain't good enough and neither is the weight.
That would be the issue also with the Paddy Pallin bag you mentioned in your original post.
I have a big problem with a website that suggests a -9 to -15 bag is ultra-light at 1.64kgs.
I have a -29 bag that weighs 1.5kgs, so it kind of makes you wonder.
What temp range are you after, is it -9 or -15 ?
I would be more inclined to lean towards the STS Apll.
As Robert H has mentioned check out Moontrail in Houston.
But, just because you can't get a direct shipment from the states isn't a huge problem.
Use a freight forwarder like Shipito (there are many others).
You'll be able to get the bag shipped for nothing to the forwarding agent, who will then charge you about $10 on top of the freight cost.
You could look at my favourite bag, the Marmot Plasma 15 (-9), I notice Moontrail have it for $439.
It's a beauty and that's a fantastic price.

I just recently purchased a WM Sycamore sleeping bag from Moontrails.com. Great service, arrived 10 days after ordering it. Take note WM bags are a bit on the shorter side. I ordered the 6`6" long version which is about the exact same size and length as a Mont Zodiac 500 regular length which I also have.