Best Sleeping Bags and Mats
Good quality and flexibility can join together to create one big bag. Good that you can remove the outer layer to create a good summer blanket
Awesome Toasty Warm Sleeping Bag – Took this sleeping bag to the Snowy Mountains in cold and snowy weather and was completely warm. I used to take 2-3 layers of sleeping bag/blankets… Read more
whilst camping in cold weather but needed to economize on packing space so took the leap and purchased this cold weather sleeping bag. I was not disappointed at all. Packs up really compact, is well designed and most importantly was toasty warm when it was in -4 Celsius weather near Thredbo.
Travel light and stay warm – Without exception one of the finest light weight bags I have ever used. I am a fanatical ultra light hiker and this bag has been used in the most horrible conditions with outstanding levels of comfort. Show details
Good quality and size for all of my sleeping needs to fit in. Show details
Im overall happy with the product. There comfortable I've had 2 for about 5-6 years now. They have both cracked at the plastic sounding the valve,… Read more
but after sicaflexing them back together they have been good since. Not sure if that a tick for Sica or Denali.
Badly made - leaks around valves – Bought two of these mats for our tent. About the third time of using them noticed that they were not holding air. One of the selling points was… Read more
that they have four valves to let in air. This is unecessary and is the main week point. The bonding of the wall to the valves is badly done and the walls just pulls out from the valves allowing air to leak out when inflated or air to leak in when they are rolled up. This has occured with several of the four valves on each mat. Whilst each mat was supplied with a repair kit to fix a punture, but this repair kit is no use to fix the defective bonding of the valves. Not sure if I got two from a defective batch, but I would not recommend buying these mats.
A product to this cheap is always suspicious but the technicality is in the words "self-inflatable mattress", the mattress part is self-inflatable-… Read more
the pillow part is not. fortunately as long as you have some half decent lung capacity, you can blow into it and blow up. I don't recommend this for anyone of 55 kilos though. You'd be touching the ground. Its $18 but its honestly worth 10yuan
Avoid if you care about deflation...or good customer care – Wait for the updated version. The current version (Apr 2024) has dodgy valving. It is fine to inflate, but to deflate you need to remove the valve,… Read more
spin it around and attempt to click it back in place. This is not what the instruction say, nor is it easy to do. I assumed the valve had been built incorrectly as it only let air in, not out. It is supposed to do the reverse. I took it back to the store for a refund. It was then the attendant told me that lots of people have complained about the same issue, but that it is a "Chinglish" thing (his words not mine). He then showed me how we are supposed to remove the valve and attempt to click it back in reversed. This is not easy to do. It took me many attempts and sore fingers to get it done....and that was on a shop floor, not in a small tent. When I told him I would not have purchased the mat had I known this, and that it is not as advertised, his response was along the lines of "its advertised as a sleeping mat and you can sleep on it, so you have no case to make". I suggested this was against Australian Consumer Law, his response was essentially, "good luck with that, many have tried before". Terrible customer service Anaconda. You know you have made a bad product that doesn't match the instructions or the advertisement. Rather than pedaling faulty products, how about you simply get a new batch of valves made to replace the faulty ones. It would cost you a lot less than the loss of subsequent business you'll get from everyone you've disappointed. The mat itself is very comfortable, you just can't easily deflate it.
Light and priced, but middling comfort and so noisy! – Note: this review is the for the Insulated version circa 2018/2019. The Good: * It's quite affordable - half the cost of a typical Thermarest, and… Read more
cheaper than equivalent Expeds. * Warm enough for three-season use in most areas, without being too warm. * Inflates fast, good valve setup. * Reasonably light and rolls up to a compact bundle.
The Bad: * Pad thickness is noticeably less than the typical ~70mm of other inflatable pads, and the waffle air cells just aren't as comfortable as linear baffles. Especially if you're a side sleeper. * The squeaking and noise of moving about/rolling on the mat will likely drive you insane. It'll definitely drive your tent or hut companions or anyone else within earshot insane. Original versions of the Thermarest NeoAir Xlite were heavily criticised for the "crinkling" noise they made. Having owned/used both, the Sea To Summit UL mats are far worse.
Bottom Line: It's a decent enough mat but the noise pretty much ruined any chance of decent sleep on a six-day trip. It was promptly returned and exchanged for the equivalent spec Exped which still serves me well to this day. I'm told Sea To Summit have since improved the design and made both the sleeping surface and interior insulation system quieter, but can't vouch for this.
Waste of money Doesn’t do as product describes & not comfortable to sleep on as sags one end & middle then blooms up the other end Doesn't inflate as much as described Will not purchase anything for that companies brand again Show details
Nice sleeping bag- a year later – Got this on sale from anaconda. Good quality down bag, Seems warm enough, has draft tubes, hood, offset baffles etc. Seems nicely lifted and appears… Read more
to be durable, no down escaping through seams or lose threads- a year later and this bag has been used heaps, still no feather loss. Would not hesitate to recommend
A wonderfully warm, compact and light winter sleeping bag – The Good: * High quality 850 fill power goose down for great warmth (-8 degree C at "Comfort") at light weight (880gm for regular size) * Lofts up… Read more
quickly. * Packs down wonderfully small - though you'll need to buy a separate compression sack to achieve this. * Silnylon shell fabrics feel lovely to the touch and have proved surprisingly durable, given how thin they are. * Comes with separate storage bag to protect down when not in use. * Though it's hardly "cheap", it is quite reasonably priced given the specs and performance.
The Bad: * Sea to Summit use a locking zip on all their bags (that I've owned anyway) - they all seem to work in the most unintuitive manner and refuse to unlock when you're in a hurry to get out of the bag! Please, just use a regular zip! The zip also tends to catch on the ultra thin shell material though to be fair, all bags of a similar design do the same, you just need to be careful when using the zip. * Part of being a warm yet light/compact sleeping bag is a snug fit that minimises dead space/material and air gaps. The bag can definitely feel a bit constrictive if you're broad shouldered or just used to rectangular bags. * Does seem to have a tendency to form condensation on the top of the bag's shell fabric when it's cold. * This isn't the fault of a -8 degree C bag, of course, but unless you're a particularly cold sleeper or only camp at altitude, a seriously warm sleeping bag like this isn't going to be comfortable over the warmer months. Definitely a cold weather/snow camping bag only. (The less-lofted Spark II and III versions are better general purpose sleeping bags for most people.)
Bottom Line: For the money, the Spark IV (and its female equivalent, the Flame IV) is a high performing sleeping bag, with great warmth and low weight. Combined with an appropriate high R-value mat, it's a solid sleep system for winter trips in the snow and above the treeline.
Comfy and warm – Purchased the 0° and -3° range. Very large to fit in. The -3 was very warm, I actually got too hot. It has a lining you can take out as well if too hot. We used them in a tent with temperature only as low as 5° throughout the night.
Good enough – Mine was the black version with the silver (mylar?) coating. You can't get them any cheaper than this, probably because of transport costs, but this… Read more
certainly does the job. Most others don't even come with the mylar coating so I consider that a bonus. The thermal insulation itself comes from the foam cells being filled with air (air is a poor conductor of heat) so really, a cheap foam mat is all you need, no need for a fancy expensive brand unless you want a folding one or a durable air mattress.
Instantly noticeable increase in temperature the moment you lay upon on it. Not sure if it is water proof though, I don't know enough about foams yet. Some versions use a 'closed cell' foam type, which I am not sure if this has. I am not too keen on testing it out either
3 out of 4 faulty mats – 2 with faulty valves. One delaminated off the foam. Kathmandu not interested in even sending us replacement valves so we can fix them ourselves. I won't be buying their products again Show details
Locally made bag with a couple of snags – After an extended search for a suitable sleeping bag for hiking I landed on this one. Service at one planet was excellent, knowledgeable friendly… Read more
staff in little Bourke street.
Bag is super light, with 15 d fabric (non dwr), which means it will need to be handled a little gentler than the heavier pretext bag, but lifetime repairs are available if needed.
Bag is nice fit but the one transverse baffle is slightly tighter than the rest of the bag, leading to a little tight spot and I’m not huge. Also the zip sits against your cheek when hood is tightened, and aforementioned zip is difficult to get to when zipped in.
But the bag is warm, and even when damp performance is excellent, just a couple of little improvements would make this a world beater!
Need to be able to use a pump – Great Mat for Hiking / camping. Packs small. Unfortunately it doesn't have a way to pump the mat up other than breathing into it? Similar mats from… Read more
other brands either come with a device to do this or you can buy separately.
The plug on this mat doesn't let you use a third party pump either. Would be great if they could include an air pump device or sell one for purchase.
Good value for the price you pay for it happy with it
Cold nights – Used my Denali 500 on the Bibbulmun track. On very cold nights +2 to -2. I froze my rear end off, even with thermal underwear and jacket on top of me. Show details
Good but valve can be finicky - UPDATED worth a second try? – Large and cumfy. Takes time to inflate (especially your first time). It self inflates... be patient You can put in extra air (not much required).… Read more
most people say do not use your beath to inflate but as yet have found no pump / ,connection that will suitable go over in some way the valve in any fashion (you dent need high pressure at all..)
The trick is making sure the valve is sealed once you have it inflated. It needs to be as concentric and seated in the housing as best as possible (it has no fixed axis it is free floating like many). Valve is tricky enough that we specifically carry a spray bottle of soapy water when camping.. so you get the picture.
Pack up is not as hard as people say you just need to fully open the valve initially and fold a few times then close valve to "air out only" then fold few more times..
The pack bag is oversized because you never get it back to original (like a bail of hay) and yes it is large! but that's comfort.
If i could chose again I would NOT buy just because of the valve (would choose a brand that does not use that type of valve)
UPDATE FEB 2024: Purchased an Exped Megamat 10 LXW (a 100mm - 4" unit) the valves are very good... But its no where near!! as comfortable as the Oztrail Fatmat 750 was when it was not leaking air. The Exped is s l o w to inflate and no mater how you balance the air it still is not as comfy as a Fatmat 750.. (and there is no way I'm going to spend a fortune on an Exped 150mm - 6" unit).
End of day contemplating getting another Oztrail 3D fatmat 750.. just have to pray that the valve works longer than a few nights because sleep is number one when your away camping.
Dear Rog, Thank you for taking the time to share your… Read more (+1 reply)
Not breathable – I have been car camping solid now for 3 months. I bought this mattress for the back of my car. Has been great, kept its shape & thickness though due… Read more
to not being breathable you sweat, a lot! I ended up buying a mattress topper problem solved. So if you plan on buying this product I would look at a mattress topper as well.
Comfy nights sleep or not – Zempire double Bomber self inflating airbed after trying it out in the lounge room, it was very comfortable for a mattress only about 50mm thick,… Read more
after a few days I noticed my bottom was on the ground and as this was a separate panel for each of us My sweety was fine. no warranty on on holes. But the hole we found was not on the bottom it was half way up the side. Hmm. So just put up with it as there was no camping stores after Broome. It was OK as the foam inside was a bit comfy. Got to Darwin. Right Time for a new bed. Off to we sell fun camping, Read some good reports on the Darche,4x4 1400 queen All Terrain Self inflating mat airbed, that was for for a few weeks then one morning my bottom was dragging on the ground. Took it to the pool the heat seal had a bees whisker of rubber holding it, So a hole the size of a pen was apparent. Took it back as holes are not covered. But they couldn't believe what they saw. Hmm that's not good. Here's another one. No choice there the biggest and comfy ones they have. Tried again. The next morning my bottom was on the ground again. Nooooo this can't be happening. Another trip to the pool to find a tiny hole were the plastic had come away. Back to we sell fun. We don't have anymore that size. Ohhhh really you could get 2singles lol. No thanks. I want my money back please OK then it takes 5days to clear. So what do we sleep on in the meantime. A quick research B. C. F has Wanderer 4x4 Queen on special. I called them. Sure Mate we have heaps of them do you have one I can lay on one to test it out. he says sure but the air comes out because they have no bungs. Your joking right. No sir that's how the demo models are .So I try it out and it goes right to the floor what's the point. If I don't like this I'm bringing it back is that OK and I want my money back thanks. out in the lounge room, it was very comfortable with for a man only about 50mm thick, after a few days I noticed my butt was on the ground and as this was a separate panel for each of us Contacted Snowy no warranty on on holes. But the hole we found was not on the bottom it was half way up the side. Hmm. So just put up with it as there was no camping stores after Broome. It was OK as the foam inside was a bit comfy. Got to Darwin. Right Time for a new bed. Off to we sell fun camping, Read some good reports on the Darche,4x4 1400 All Terrain Self inflating mat airbed, that was for for a few weeks then one morning my are was dragging on the ground. Hmm not again. Took it to the pool me the heat seal had a bees dick of rubber holding it, So a hole the size of a pen was apparent. Took it back as holes sent covered. But they couldn't believe me what they saw. Hmm that's not good. Here's another one. No choice there the biggest and comfy ones they have. Tried again. The next morning my are on the ground again. Noo Another trip to the pool to find a tiny hole were the plastic had come away. Back to we sell fun. We don't have anymore that size. Ohhhh really you could get 2singles lol. No thanks. I want my money back. OK then it takes 5days to clear. So what do we sleep on in the meantime. A quick research B. C. F has Wanderer 4x4 Queen on special. I called them. Sure Mate we have heaps of them do you have one I can lay on to test. says sure but the air comes out because they have no bungs. Your joking right. No sir that's how the demo models are .So I try it out and it goes right to the floor what's the point . If I don't like this I'm bringing it back is that OK and I want my money back thanks. At home opened the bungs, it filled up after 10mins bungs in later on it, it was like laying on a section of a magic castle.. A few more breaths made it balloon. Hmm this isn't good feet above our heads. .my are bot to BC. F So now we are on the Clark Rubber foam that was at the bin after a couple left lol .Happy days after on it, it was like laying on a section of a magic castle.. A few more breaths made it balloon.
Thank you for taking the time to provide us with your… Read more