Does anybody's son use this sleeping bag

[AnnieB]

Quallofil Minus 5 Degree Mummy Bag

 

I found it at Amazon for around $50.

 

Does it really work in 0 weather? Does your child keep warm?

 

My son just crossed over to Boy Scouts and needs to get a 0 sleeping bag. It gets really cold here on winter nights and they do a lot of winter-time camping. The down side is I can't afford to spend a lot on one. Is the above bag a good one? If not, does anybody have any recomendations? Thanks!

 

 

[Be_Prepared]

I cannot speak to this particular bag, but please keep in mind that most bags are rated based on a "sleeping bag system" of using a bag and a closed cell pad. Your main heat loss is thru the bottom - due to the compression material being compressed, and the contact with the cold ground causing a thermal reduction and heat transfer. Your second main heat loss it thru the head, at night, if uncovered.

 

To compensate: Use a closed cell pad underneath a bag. Use a flannel bag insert ( available at most stores - Walmart, etc. as a stand alone flannel bag for under $ 20. Sleep with loose wool socks and a simple wool hat.

[NIscouter]

The sleeping bag you are refering to indicates the fill (Quallofil) and the rating on the temp by whoever manufactured it, which should be pretty close to the actual. I would also think about summer camping when buying a sleeping bag - a 0 degree bag is useless above 60 F. You might consider a 20 degree bag or higer rated bag that you can put a blanket or insert into in real cold weather. I recommend that you have your SON ask the SM or ASMs of your troop for recommendations on sleeping bags. They should be a great source of info on this. You can also look at the REI website or other simliar web sites that provide basic info on sleeping bags. Good luck and stay warm!

[OneHour]

Try ScoutDirect.com by Alps Mountaineering. I'm not endorsing them nor am I adversing for them, but they do give very good discount to scout and scouter about 40%. My son has a bag mummy bag that is hollofil. It has kept him warm even in 17 campout.

 

http://www.scoutdirect.com/sale.htm

 

Also look into

 

www.campmor.com

 

http://www.rei.com/outlet/index.html?stat=header_outlet

 

for other possibilities of savings.

 

About degree bag, Quallofil mummy bag is good enough in cold weather and they are fairly good to the rating. Remember, the boy needs to learn to dress in layers. My 20 rated bag was able to keep me warm when we were in a night of in 17 campout. Of course, I had fleece blanket/bag inside as well as wearing two layers of clothing. If there are foot warmers and the likes that the boys can toss inside the sleeping bag to provide a little more warmth; however, these warmers can cause serious burns if they come in direct contact with the bare skin.

 

As for Quallofil or Hollofil or down, down is the lightest and most compressible and provides the most warmth; however, if it gets wet, you are out of luck in terms of keeping warm. On the other hand, the quallofil and hollofil will still provide warmth even if they get wet.

 

You need to worry more about a good sleeping matt, ie. closed cells type. This will prevent the ground from draining the warmth down into the ground.

 

Others may have a better advice. Down here in Texas, we're good with 30 bag about 5% of the time. The rest of the time a nice blanket would work just wonderfully.

 

Good luck.

 

1Hour(This message has been edited by OneHour)

[kenk]

What is the brand name if the sleeping bag?

 

The combination you list - Qualofill, mummy shape, rated for 0 degrees F - all indicate that the bag should meet the needs for winter camping, BUT the quality of the bag's construction is a big factor. The better bags are sewn such that there aren't cold spots where there are seams.

 

Also, a bag rated for 0 degrees F, though absolutely necessary for winter camping, may be too hot to be comfortable for a cold summer night of camping. I myself purchased two bags for myself and my son - a winter bag (very warm 0F mummy) and a summer bag (lighter insulation 40F square).

 

Regardless, talk with your troop leaders - they'll know what works best for their boys.

[Gags]

Annie,

 

To answer your basic question - yes, that bag should be fine for all kinds of winter camping. Qualofil isn't the "greatest & latest" technology anymore, but it's still better than the rectangular $20 "sleep-over" bags. Since price is a concern (as it is for I think everybody), $50 sounds like a good price for a -5 deg bag.

 

Now for the variables:

If you son is still on the "small" side, be aware that a full size adult sleeping bag can leave unwanted space at the bottom of the bag that can fill with colder air. This can probably be solved by just stuffing tomorrow's clothes in the bottom.

Sleeping pad - you can spend $10 - $100 on sleeping pads. The beauty of it is that you'll stay just as warm with a $10 close cell foam as with a luxury thermarest close cell / air mattress combo with 3 inches of comfort for $100+. Pad's can get expensive in a hurry. Walmart/Target or any outdoor store should have these pads. Close cell foam is just a 1/2" or so of "squishy" foam, similar in size but thicker than a yoga/exercise mat. Comfort isn't a big factor for 11 year olds (that what leaf beds are for underneath the tent). What you need it for in the winter is to reflect your body heat back up at you, and reflect the cold back into the ground.

 

Before this gets too long, I'll just add one more suggestion. See if you can buy a bigger stuff sack than came with the bag. 11/12 year olds have a very difficult time putting a sleeping bag into a stuff sack. In fact, the biggest hold up (for me anyway)during backpacking trips in the mornings is waiting for the kids to pack up their sleeping bags. Especially a -5 deg bag. It will be big. He'll need help. You can always get whats called a compression sack. Once he gets the bag stuffed in, there are straps around the outside that will be easier to cinch down (and compress the bag)than trying to stuff the bag back into it's original stuff sack. Just something along the lines of not setting the kids up for failure.

 

You won't necessarily need another bag for summer. Just lay on top of the winter one, and bring a sheet or two for cover.

 

Holy cow this turned into an essay. Best of luck on your purchase. And if you have the brand name, I'm also curious as to what it is.

 

Cheers,

 

Gags

[orennoah]

I'd be very leary of this bag.

 

The brand, Neus Trading, isn't shown on any of the standard backpack gear sites I checked.

 

Off brands are notorious for wild-a$$ed claims about temperature. There are neither government nor industry standards for sleeping bag temperature ratings. One manufacturer's 20 degree bag would be rated -10 degrees by another.

 

Go with a quality bag, made by a quality manufacturer. To save money, look at the discount outdoor retail websites, such as www.rei-outlet.com or www.sierratradingpost.com.

 

A quick illustration. My father purchased at $100 down sleeping bag for me when I was Scout in the late 60s. That was a lot of money, but that bag always kept me warm, even in a blizzard at Donner Lake in the Sierra Nevadas. It also kept my son warm in his early Scouting career. We just retired it to "sleep over" duty, two years ago. Because it was a high quality bag, it was a tremendous bargain in terms of cost per nights of comfortable sleep.

 

If I can plug my Troop's website, check out the Scoutmaster Gear Tips at www.scouttroop14.org.

 

- Oren Noah