Sleeping Bags

I've noticed that Due South sells the North Face Cats Meow bag for good price also. Can't recall the weight but it's light and warm. My only 'ding' is its pack size of because the synthetic fill doesn't pack as small as down. It's worth a look though...

I see that First Ascent have launched a new synthetic back called the AMPLIFY Range. www.firstascent.co.za/product-category/sleeping-bags/synthetic/

Does anyone have a review on any of these bags yet?

I took the -8 Mr Price sleeping bag to the Drakenbsberg last weekend. The first night wasn't that great. The zipper somehow broke during the night and I couldn't repair it no matter how much I tried that night. I managed to fold the sleeping bag with my arm, sleeping only on one side the entire night. The next morning I managed to fix the zipper and had quite a pleasant night during night two.

It kept me warm though when most of my party had complained about the cold, so no faults there.

Hi Guys, I went through last winter with a Mr Price -8 bag and it never let me down even in the coldest times. It has a new type of filling and with its compression straps folds into a small bundle. Just as important is to have a well insulated mat as the 2 work hand in hand.

My discussion with ASL on the Sale Warning thread sparked some more web searching for lightweight (SA) winter bags. I'm still convinced that quilts are an option, even though it seems nobody is using them here. I found this, which seems pretty good value:
The Enlightened Equipment Enigma 750 (review of similar bag by same manufacturer here). It costs USD265 for a 10 deg F (-12 deg C) bag which weighs under 650g! This should be good enough for the 'Berg in the winter, coupled with a decent sleeping pad and the right clothes. The 0F/-17C bag costs USD10 more and weighs about 730g. The higher fill bags are lighter but cost significantly more.

To recap, the idea behind a quilt is that the bottom of a sleeping bag is compressed, and doesn't offer any insulation so we may as well cut it off, especially if using a proper sleeping pad.

From what I can see, the quilt does not have a hoodie to cover your head, which I find very important when its cold, as so much heat gets lost through the head.

Western Mountaineering has a fantastic -7 ultralight sleeping bag, the 6 foot one weighing only 820g. Check it out here:
www.westernmountaineering.com/index.cfm?section=products&page=sleeping%20bags&cat=ExtremeLite%20Series&ContentId=17

It doesn't have a hood. I'm not sure how much I've used my hood in the past TBH (but may not have been that cold either). The suggestion on a lot of other gear and review sites is to use a separate down hood, similar to a balaclava, e.g. as described here (another 40g).