sleeping bag

shykins

my little un (age9) is going to scout camp in a few weeks and needs a sleeping bag.. would appreciate any advice on what sort to get, eg. do i get childs or adults.

i assume some are warmer then others??...i guess it wont be that warm by end of april

also do u know anywere that has them at a good price??

many thanks in advance
x

Little_John

Buy an adult one, everyone else will have one. if he like camping he will continue in to scouts and what ever the one furter up the line is called now.

I started off with an in expensive basic rectangular one and it was fine for a few years but it was bulky and didnt pack away in to a stuff sack so it got messed up when carrying it. I had a 3 season Vango after that whihc was great and wore out after about 13 years. I now have an other Vango 4 seasons, they are brilliant keep you warm when its cold and not to hot when its warm just remember to tell him to to put clothes on when he goes to bed underwear or PJ's to benifit from the sleeping bag he will warm up much quicker. I will check to see which one I have and let you know

holstar

depends on how much you are willing to spend, and when he will be using it

-the 'season' rating on sleeping bags is outside in that number of seasons, so a 1-season bag = summer in a tent, 2 seasons = spring and summer in a tent, etc.
So, going around now, a 2 season or a 3 season would be most suitable. But...a higher season rating = heavier and bulkier, and also a bit more expensive. If you think he will be doing more expedition-style camping (eg Duke of Edinburgh), then the smaller/lighter the better, for ease of carrying...if its rarely going to be carried on his back, then a larger one will suffice.
A warmer sleeping bag may be too hot in the height of summer, in which case he won't need to zip it up....a thinner one may be too cool around now, in which case he needs to wear more layers inside the bag....advantages and disadvantages to both really.

-at 9yrs old, go for an adults one, as (dependent on height obviously) you would expect him to grow out of a kids one at about age 10-11, and sleeping bags tend to last around 10 years

-mummy-style, or rectangular...rectangular ones have more space for 'kicking' room at the foot end, but are slightly larger when packed down, and also aren't as efficient at keeping the person warm, as there is 'wasted' heat round his feet.
-ones with a hood will keep his head warm and therefore limit heat loss

-cost...really depends on what use you want to get out of it, and what warmth. For a 2-season bag, you are looking at around £20...but if you want a better quality manufacture and a smaller pack size, then look around £40.
Shopping around on internet will nearly always get you better prices than in shops...but I advise you try and see the one you want to buy 'in the flesh' so to speak...different fillings feel very different. By that I mean that a 2-season bag with filling A can feel really thick and fluffy, but a 2-season bag with filling B can feel very thin...just different thermal properties of the fillings mean they have the same warmth.

a few basic things to remember...
-when he gets it out the pack..give it a good shake...sleeping bags work by trapping air in the filling, so give it good shake to get lots of air in it, that way he will be warmer. If he doesnt shake it out, he may get cold. Also, extra air makes it a bit more comfortable to sleep in (feels more 'fluffy')
-make sure he takes a hat and gloves with him...extremeties get cold first. Hopefully he wont need them, but if he finds he is cold, then a hat/gloves will keep him much warmer.
-take a foam sleeping mat to put under his sleeping bag (Scouts will probably have already told him to)..this adds extra comfort and also insulation from the ground.

I used to work at Millets, specialising in the equipment side of things, so feel free to drop us a PM if you want any more help.

HTH
Hol x

Little_John

holstar wrote:

A warmer sleeping bag may be too hot in the height of summer, in which case he won't need to zip it up....a thinner one may be too cool around now, in which case he needs to wear more layers inside the bag....advantages and disadvantages to both really.

great advise for you there.

The pros and cons of wearing clothes inside a bag

Pros you feel warmer in the short term, if the temperature drops alot very quickly then you notice it less.

Cons the warm air gererated by body heat is traped between the body and the first layer of clothes once that is warm then the next layer and finally the warmth reaches the area in the bag then the filling taking longer to get warm so having fewer layers you heat the bag sooner and feel the benifit much quicker.

If I am ever camping and its too warm I just open the zip and let some cool air in. you cant make a lower season rated bag warmer. They no longre make the bags I have but the equivalent seems to be the nightstar 250, reasonably light and good temp ratings.

shykins

thank you so much for the wonderful advice here. once again i am blown away by how helpful everyone is

little un has expressed a wish for a camouflage bag and whilst i wont get him one of those if others are better i thought i would do a bit of a search and have so far found the following:-

Scout250 camo bag at £16.00 from khyam
snooza camo 14.99 from little trekker
vango wilderness camo £13.99 at gear zone

do u think they will do him for end of april or do i need a 3 season??... i dont foresee him getting it to camping so much that he will want to sleep out when its really cold lol... mind u who knows if so i can always buy him a more expensive one later on
once again thanks for all your advice
xx

holstar

well....
vango wilderness camo 13.99, has a comfort temperature of +11-+20. Its not yet +11 overnight, so he will be cold in that one.

the snooza camo 14.99 looks to have an ok temperature range, so that should be ok.

the scout250 also looks ok, temperature-wise.

as i said yday, make sure he has hat/gloves and other layers with him, so if he does get cold then he has ways to get himself warmer.

the snooza one is considerably narrower though, so depending on his build he may prefer the wider one. Also bear in mind how big he is going to grow. Although you can always buy him another one if he grows out of this one, you shouldnt need to for around 10-15 years (usual lifetime of a sleeping bag)

HTH
Hol x

Little_John

Another thing to consider, some groups only ever "camp" inside so the temperature never gets too low if they do sleep in tents find out which type, the old patrol tents (large green with a single ridge) are quite large inside and it takes alot of time for them to heat up if they ever do the smaller lightweight tents have a more closed in fell and warm up much quicker so you can get away with the lighter weight bags. I used to sleep in patrol tents in cubs and scouts so we go the warmer bag. since I swaped to a smaller tent I sleep witht e zip open.

shykins

yaaay got my internet back so can thank you guys again... have just one more question.. found some more sleeping bags on campingandcamo..

they have type 2 camouflage for 24.99 and type 4 for 29.99.. is it worth me going for one of these as opposed to the scout 250 i saw at £16

i really do appreciate your time helping me.... spose i have to look for a mat as well now lol

x

holstar

shykins wrote:

they have type 2 camouflage for 24.99 and type 4 for 29.99.. is it worth me going for one of these as opposed to the scout 250 i saw at £16

have looked at the site, and they dont give any temperature ratings for either bag. From price alone, I would guess they would be suitable, but it would be worth you emailing them to find the temperature ratings before you buy them

shykins wrote:

spose i have to look for a mat as well now lol

mats...millets sell em at £4.99...you can probably get them cheaper elsewhere if you look hard enough. Basically, a foam mat, same size (ish) as sleeping bag, maybe 1cm ish thick...but provides a good amount of insulation and comfort from ground.

HTH
Hol x

smiley_2

:j I bought my son a sleeping bag from millets last year when he was camping with scouts, think its one of the venturer ones. The sales staff were excellent and even gave me discount as it was for scouts. So if you actually go in the store tell them its for scouts and you should get it a bit cheaper :j

Little_John

Yeah scout leaders get 10% discount I am not sure about cubs and scouts but ask them for a discount what do you have to loose? I always ask