Sleeping Bags

Captain wrote:

Hi All,

Not sure if anyone is using anything made by these guys.

www.makoti.co.za//aboutmain.php?pagename=about_sleepingbags.php

Their prices seem reasonable + they're local + they specialise in Down Products. Anyone have an opinion on them?

I've just checked out their Mummy Sleeping Bag on their website, it comes in three temperature ratings (-5/-15/<-15) but there's no indication if this is an EN13537 rating and if so whether this is T Comfort, T Limit or T Extreme; also no indication of weight. The dimensions given are 200x150/70 which is small: I made a liner from a fleece blanket this size and I felt like a silkworm: too tight for me. The do offer to make custom sleeping bags, and the inner can be cotton or rip-stop to reduce weight.

Any volunteers in PE/Uitenhage keen to check them out further (with a scale)?

Josh of the Bushveld wrote: I don't have any photos of it on me, here's the website which has some. I'll try remember to take some comparing it to my FA Ice Breaker

Josh, how did the quilt work out for you?
Any feedback on warmth, comfort, how you used it etc?
Thanks

I saw the rectangular -5 Makoti sleeping bag at their agents in Howick today. Only bag they had there, apparently the bags are usually made to order.
The bag appears very well made, and has a nice "look" and "feel" to it.
Baffled, and has a zipper baffle as well.
Apparently the -5 rectangular with a cotton inner weighs 1350g. I imagine the mummy with a nylon inner would be a bit less.
I didn't think to ask about he temperature rating unfortunately, Andrew.
I think if I were in the market for a new bag I would have a look at these.

Thanks for the update Papa Dragon:
1350g is pretty impressive for a -5degC rated sleeping bag, makes me suspect that the temp rating is probably subjective & based on someone field testing it, like all the firstAscent sleeping bags. Never the less, a mummy bag with ripstop inner could well come in at close to 1000g, and an imported equivalent sleeping bag will cost considerably more. As you say, definitely worth investigating further.

edit: when you say that it is 'baffled' do you mean that the inner is not stitched directly to the outer but has a short fabric 'wall' in-between, or do you mean that there is a baffle around the circumference at chest height to stop warm air escaping from the opening?

andrew r wrote: when you say that it is 'baffled' do you mean that the inner is not stitched directly to the outer but has a short fabric 'wall' in-between, or do you mean that there is a baffle around the circumference at chest height to stop warm air escaping from the opening?

Hi Andrew, yes baffled as in the inner and outer separated by a fabric baffle. Also a "flap/sausage" of down-filled fabric right around the zipper.

Thanks for all the feedback on these products. Certainly seems like a future option.

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

www.tenpoundbackpack.com/gear-lists/sleeping-bags

Look at the range of gear available overseas

If anyone was wondering why we only get a few not-so-great sleeping bags sold on the local market - for the last few years, MMO has had a special on Mountain Hardwear Lamina 20 sleeping bags. They retail for around $200 in the States, and they are trying to clear stock for R2010 - and clearly are still struggling to sell it!

www.mountainmailorder.co.za/index.php?_a=viewProd&productId=2910

This is the best sleeping bag for the Berg (IMHO), being a -5C bag weighing 1.3kg and being synthetic (i.e. not as badly off if it gets wet). The fact that they still can't move these bags at this price says quite a bit!

I have actually considered picking up one of these, as a backup for when my MHW Pinole 20 (the Lamina 20's predecessor, same specs, but 100g heavier) eventually starts showing signs of giving up - although I don't think that will be in the next 5 years anyway (I have had it for 5 years already).

Got to have a good laugh when my K-Way Kilimanjaro II, in which I was cold on Kilimanjaro, is a supposedly -8C down bag weighing 1.8kg (advertised as 1.65kg) - yet my 400g lighter synthetic (and now outdated) MHW bag is considerably warmer. Incidentally, the North Face Inferno is a -40C down bag that also weighs 1.8kg.

I recently picked up a NF Blue Kazoo -10 degrees, weight in the large bag about 1,4kg (the normal size is 1,25kg) with treated down (probably not as good as synthetic when wet but better than non treated down). Was on "special" which made it just slightly more expensive than my IceBreaker (also the long model). So, basically same price but weighing nearly 500g lighter and definitely warmer, with treated down.

Tested it on one of the hottest days Pretoria had in living history and nearly died! Climbed into the Ice Breaker afterwards and it was definitely not as hot - probably due in part to the larger area that needs to be heated up. Think it was about 5cm's wider on either side.

Problem is South Africa doesn't really get cold, so a 4 season bag is generally overkill. I had a 4 season bag specially made for me that I took on our recent Everest trip - tried it out on a Giants hike in 2015 in the snow and it was pretty toasty inside it. Outside temperature that nigt on my Fenix 2 was -8 at just before midnight, but when we woke up next morning at 6am inside the bag it was still 27 degrees. At 2kg it is obviously a bit heavy and bulky, but it did the job. However, it would need to be much colder for this bag to really justify its existence in SA, hence you would'nt normally find it locally.

Please could I ask someone who has an FA Ice Breaker to weigh it, and let me know the weights? Listed at 1.6kg, but often the listed weights are not accurate.

No ulterior motives, just some planned upgrades.

Thanks
Papa D