it would need to keep me toastie on a cold night in a tent,and plenty of room inside ,what have you bought and found to work well
cheers fellas.
cheers fellas.
recommend a decent sleeping bag
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I bought a snugpack softie 3 last year well made and warm bit restrictive maybe due to the shape but a lot warmer than my old square one.
I have been using a Mountain Equipment Helium 250 (Regular) the last couple of years. It suits me Camping from Late April through to September time, as it has a good warmth rating (proper test rating).
It's light and packs down small as it is down filled. Plus has good zippers & Hood to keep the warm air in & cold air out.
And always use a liner too - it helps keeps the sleeping bag cleaner, but can also help to keep you warm, or cool. I use a lined/thermal liner duing the colder months, and a silk liner (or similar material) during the warmer ones.
www.mountain-equipment.com
It's light and packs down small as it is down filled. Plus has good zippers & Hood to keep the warm air in & cold air out.
And always use a liner too - it helps keeps the sleeping bag cleaner, but can also help to keep you warm, or cool. I use a lined/thermal liner duing the colder months, and a silk liner (or similar material) during the warmer ones.
Helium 250 | Mountain Equipment
Using 261g of minimum 700-fill power DOWN CODEX-approved duck down and a high-performance, 100% recycled Helium 20D outer fabric, the Helium 250 is an incredibly efficient but lightweight and packable sleeping bag, perfect for warm-weather backpackers and tourers wanting to decrease their pack...
www.mountain-equipment.com
Alpkit's still got a sale happening, EXTRA10 gets another 10% off.
alpkit.com
Lightweight Sleeping Bags Down and Synthetic Sleeping Bags
Lightweight summer sleeping bags with small pack sizes. 2-season bags for typical May-September British conditions or above 0°C. 1-season bags for hot climates and summer camping.
alpkit.com
Have a look at Thermo rest sleeping bags
I know they are more known for sleeping mats but the bags are excellent and very small pack size etc
I have this one and it is bloody good
rockrun.com
I know they are more known for sleeping mats but the bags are excellent and very small pack size etc
I have this one and it is bloody good
Thermarest Hyperion 20 UL
The Thermarest Hyperion 20 UL is an ultra lightweight down sleeping bag that offers high performance features. Ideal for fast and light adventures.
rockrun.com
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I've got 45 years of sleeping bag experience. Today, I have four bags, all for different scenarios. All of these are used in conjunction with a sleeping system. That being, Sleeping mat, Sleeping bag, Sleeping bag cover (Bivvi bag, Gortex) Pillow. For use in a tent, Hammock, or bare wild camping.
British army Arctic sleeping bag - Great heavy duty, very warm, - 25, I've slept on bare snow and ice in this bag. Compression bag, Rip stop, Synthetic hollow fibre filling. Pros Very warm. Works well when wet or damp. Cheap. Cons. As bulky as a house. Takes up one whole pannier !
Rab Ascent 700 - Top of the luxury list. Half the packed size of the Arctic bag. Compression bag, 4 season. -15c. Duck down. Pros, very warm. Light and packs small. Cons, Cost. Huge storage bag when not in use.
Snugpak Softy Harrier 9 - Budget middle of the road bag. Packs up small. A third of the size of the Arctic bag. Compression bag, Hollow fibre filling. Ripstop. Pros. lightweight, compresses small. Cheap. Cons Dont use in winter !
British army warm weather bag - This is tiny. Quarter of the size of the Arctic bag. Compression bag, I use this when I go south July & August. Its very thin.Synthetic filling. But great to get into on those hot nights, or unzip and use as a quilt. Pros, Very small compressed. Light, Cool. Cheap. Cons, Summer only.
There will never be a sleeping bag, that does it all. And, like any performance equipment. You get what you pay for. 80% of my trips, I use the Snugpak Softy Harrier 9. A fantastic all rounder.
British army Arctic sleeping bag - Great heavy duty, very warm, - 25, I've slept on bare snow and ice in this bag. Compression bag, Rip stop, Synthetic hollow fibre filling. Pros Very warm. Works well when wet or damp. Cheap. Cons. As bulky as a house. Takes up one whole pannier !
Rab Ascent 700 - Top of the luxury list. Half the packed size of the Arctic bag. Compression bag, 4 season. -15c. Duck down. Pros, very warm. Light and packs small. Cons, Cost. Huge storage bag when not in use.
Snugpak Softy Harrier 9 - Budget middle of the road bag. Packs up small. A third of the size of the Arctic bag. Compression bag, Hollow fibre filling. Ripstop. Pros. lightweight, compresses small. Cheap. Cons Dont use in winter !
British army warm weather bag - This is tiny. Quarter of the size of the Arctic bag. Compression bag, I use this when I go south July & August. Its very thin.Synthetic filling. But great to get into on those hot nights, or unzip and use as a quilt. Pros, Very small compressed. Light, Cool. Cheap. Cons, Summer only.
There will never be a sleeping bag, that does it all. And, like any performance equipment. You get what you pay for. 80% of my trips, I use the Snugpak Softy Harrier 9. A fantastic all rounder.
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cheers mate thanks for that ,i am just looking now on ebay at the artic army bags
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If space isn't an issue, they are a No Brainer. There's always loads of them for sale on ebay, Marketplace etc.
And yet when we had them on South Georgia in winter they were not warm enough compared to civvy bags and as you say take up huge space
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8 weeks in the northern Norwegian plains, With the full system, and the issue Thermal jacket and trousers they were fine. Thank god. One night it was recorded minus 18. I do believe, that if they were the same size, bulk, with down instead of Hollow fibres they would be much better. But it was common that the doss bags got wet, and down is no good for those conditions.
Ah
Im back in mid 80s and the arctic bags were down filled and very bulky and frankly crap and being honest I am very sceptical of any Army Kit as it is usually well below par or at least used to be - made by the cheapest contractor etc
We regularly had temps drop to -30º or below at night - we nearly all had civvy bags although I cant remember what make mine was but it was not cheap at the time, we also use silk liners and gore tex Bivi bags in the tents and would be toasty warm
As an aside ive been looking at PHD sleeping bags but they are frighteningly expensive and overkill for any camping in the UK in reality
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When i first signed up, they were down bags, 58 patern. And arctic. But from the 1990's onwards there was a new issue, the full system. Mat, closed cell, doss bag and girtex bivvie bag. It all worked well for me. Ill look at that PHD stuff
I have one of these for cold weather camping trips. It’s superb. 
www.inglesport.com
Rab Ascent 1100 Down Sleeping Bag - Inglesport
Technical Equipment Retailers to the Sport and Professional markets for Caving, Climbing, Rope Access, Work at Height and Rescue since 1977
www.inglesport.com
Snugpack have a comprehensive range at prices to suit most wallets. The bags are rated by the lowest temp they can be slept in comfortably. Silvermans do mail order or, if you're over east London way, the shop is worth a visit. The best approach in my experience is modular. By adding a Goretex bivi bag to your kit, you effectively add another season to your sleeping bag, likewise, adding a fleece liner will also add extra warmth as required. When touring, I often find myself in various climatic conditions so need to adjust my sleeping system to suit (sleeping by the Med in summer, a fleece liner may be sufficient but, move to the altitude of say Andorra later on the same day and you may need the bag and liner). Having a modular approach also adds flexibility to you packing as well. The G10 issue bags are very robust and I can also testify that they provide unrivaled warm but they're ridiculously bulky, however, If you're planning to buy one 2nd hand, make sure it has been laundered to the highest standard, unmentionable things have likely took place in it. 
https://www.silvermans.co.uk/collections/camping-survival/Sleeping-Bags
https://www.silvermans.co.uk/collections/camping-survival/Sleeping-Bags
I have a thin mummy shaped very warm called Hunter 1 packs very small and bag liner made of the same material as your favourite pile jacket both packed up take up less room than a conventional sleeping bag.
i would say as well as a decent sleeping bag you should look at a decent mat, a good mat will make a huge difference to not only your warmth but also comfort. nothing worse than a poor nights sleep when you have a lot of traveling to do the next day.
PHD usually have a sale, a couple of times a year and the Bargain Box-https://www.phdesigns.co.uk/bargain-box is worth keeping an eye on. Still bloody dear, but slightly less painful. I look at stuff I bought years ago, the prices now are gob smacking, I'm glad I got them when I did.
I spent many cold nights in a '58 pattern bag. Looking back, no-one ever advised to store it uncompressed, or even to fluff it up before use... it was probably a decent bag but the mysteries of getting the best out of down were unknown, or at least unshared! That design was good though, with the built in waterproof base and the hood doubling up as a protective packing bag.
I found that it was difficult to actually compress the 27 feathers that were in mine
Snugpak Softie Elite 4 - decent spec, waterproof outer, -10c comfort rating -15c extreme. Not cheap cheap, but often on slae. I paid £120 for mine last year it is absolutely wonderful and you can keep your boots on because the bottom is lined for muddy boots - or fold the bottom boot section over and have extra padding. I struggle to keep warm but this bag is very comfortable with hard frosty nights.
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