HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT SLEEPING BAG

HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT SLEEPING BAG BY SIR JOSEPH®?

Sir Joseph® offers several product lines of sleeping bags filled with goose down. Hereunder please find 3 steps and a few model situations to help you make your choice.

1)    Step 1 – answer the following questions to select the product line: Where are you going? What do you need the sleeping bag for? How often do you want to use the bag?

a)   A frequent use, shorter trips and treks – we recommend the line TREKKING – models RIMO (possibly the wider model RIMO SCOUT) and ATTACK.

b)   A longer backpack trip where you have to carry all your belongings – we recommend the line LIGHT – models PAINE or KOTEKA, possibly our lightest bag MINIMIS 320

However, the LIGHT series is not recommended for frequent use (every weekend etc.), it is primarily designed to save the weight and space during multi-day adventure, expeditions etc.

c)   Extreme use in high mountains, polar areas or whenever you want to be sure the down filling is well preserved from moisture – we recommend the lines ALPINE or HIMALAYA. Thanks to the outer membrane material used on these sleeping bags you can bivouac or stay overnight without use of a tent or a bivouac sack and feel comfy.

2)    Step 2 – make your choice according to the temperatures: Is your target destination warm, cold or freezing?

• Each of the product lines offers several options. These vary according to the volume of used down. The more down, the thicker insulation layer around the body, the colder conditions you can withstand.
• E.g. „PAINE 600” means there are 600 grams of goose down, „PAINE 900” uses 900 grams of goose down. The amount of down sets the recommended temperatures of indented use. (Further parameters 600, 650 or 800 CUIN bring info about so called fill power of down. The higher CUIN of down, the better insulation abilities it features.  The combination of the volume of down (in GRAMS) and its fill power (in CUIN) sets so called recommended temperatures certified by the international standard EN13537).
• To choose the sleeping bag for a woman follow “Comfort Temperature“, when selecting for a man follow „Limit Temperature“. (Never follow Extreme Temperature, the selected bag will enable you to survive but never allow you to have a good sleep).

To choose the best sleeping bag follow and compare the parameters in Sir Joseph® sleeping bags tab.

See an overview of individual model and for each size of the sleeping bags you can compare their:

• Comfort and Limit Temperatures
• Total weight
• Proportions: shoulder, hips and feet
• Compressed volume/ dimensions

The total weight is the second most important criteria for selection after the recommended temperatures.

3)    Step 3 – the right size, the choice of Right/Left Zipper and Connectability

• We offer 3 sizes of bags 170 / 190 /200 which means for the total height of the user approx. 170, 190 or 200 cm.
• Models LOOPING, KOTEKA, MINIMIS, ATTACK and kids KIKI feature the Left Zipper only. Other models offer the option of the Left as well as Right Zipper. The side is set from the point of view of a person lying on their back in the bag. The Left Zipper is suitable for the righthanded, as from inside it is easier to operate the zipper (which is at the left shoulder) with the right hand (try yourself:)
• As for Connectability, in general it is convenient to connect a bag with the Right to the one with the Left Zipper (two zippers of the same side can be connected as well. However, one of them will not feature the hood under the person´s head but on/over their head). Two sleeping bags of different length can be connected as well – in the area of feet both of the zippers will start, at the area of head the longer bag will spare a bit of the zipper that cannot be connected.

To make the final decision the price of the bag, the frequency of use and a fact whether you have another one (or more sleeping bags:) should be taken into account.

Someone takes the lightest and the most packable model (LIGHT series) for a short weekend trip, someone is happy with RIMO 1000 during a demanding expedition high up in the mountains.

Do you enjoy your trips just time to time especially from spring to autumn? A 2- season bag is enough. Do you want to escape to the nature more often? It is worth having a lighter one for summer and a 3-season or winter one for colder conditions. This way you can always have the right bag on hand.

MODEL SITUATIONS TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT SLEEPING BAG FOR A SPECIFIC USE:

A)   Frequent use at weekends + occasional treks in Europe, Asia, early spring/late fall.

• RIMO 850 or RIMO 1000   - The biggest advantages: versatile use and wide range of temperatures
• Or ATTACK 400 / RIMO 600 for summer weekends and lighter model of PAINE 600 / KOTEKA 500 for trekking

B)   I use my sleeping bag mainly for biking trips, multi day trekking, occasionally weekends in early spring/late fall.

• KOTEKA 500 or PAINE 600  for a lady
• KOTEKA 290 (possibly KOTEKA 500 according to the temperatures) or PAINE 400 for a man

C)   I use my sleeping bag mostly during fall and/or winter and/or in the mountains up to 6,000 MASL, I spend the night in a tent or bivouac outdoor.

• ERRATIC 1000                     for a lady
• ERRATIC 850                       for a man
• In case an extreme winter adventure or expedition turns up, I consider a plan B (buying LOOPING 900 or LOOPING 1200)

D)   I prefer a light backpack, enjoy winter conditions and stay in a tent, at a cottage/hut/chalet, but sometimes bivouac in a bivouac sack.

• KOTEKA 850 or PAINE 900

E)   From now and then in spring/summer/fall, I go for multi day bike trips, fast trek and/or climbing with friends, sometimes I stay overnight in a bivouac. I need to be fast, flexible and packable.

• KOTEKA 290 or MINIMIS 320 (according to the expected night temperatures)

F)   A trip to warmer destinations (with a back-up plan for cold weather). E.g. climbing in Italy in May combined with a few days of alpine touring in the Alps where it can still be freezing.

• DOUBLE ATTACK – A combination of two sleeping bags in-one. In summer I have two sleeping bags at my disposal. These can be connected (with Left and Right Zippers) and I can share the cosy place with a friend. However, I have a good winter sleeping bag, too.

G)   I sleep in a car and all I want is an extra wide sleeping bag or a blanket.

I´m tall and well-built, all I need is an extra wide sleeping bag.

I´m not fond of mummy shape, I want enough space as I want to be able to move my body or bend my knees.

• TONKA down blanket sleeping bag, width 1 m (a sleeping bag), i.e. 2 m wide blanket
• Or extended model RIMO SCOUT – 3 modifications according to the temperature

H)   Which sleeping bag is the best for little spies?

• KIKI DOWN filled with down – to be used from spring to fall
• KIKI BASIC filled with hollow fiber – to be used in summer. (Easier maintenance and care at home)