sleeping bag

hi can any-one recomend a good single sleeping bag

Sorry no, I married her and then she woke up.

NORGIL wrote:Sorry no, I married her and then she woke up.

hi very droll

Oops, I think I may have misunderstood the original question.

Duvalay.

Duvalay here too... Might seem expensive at first but can assure you that you'll not regret it later on, just stick to the summer weight as the others are too bulky & really not necessary.

Would never go back to a standard sleeping bag.

If it's just a sleeping bag you're after make sure it's not one of those mummy ones where you can't move your legs.

We used a pair of king sized Snuggledown hollow fibre bags zipped together for years. Never cold, too warm sometimes in fact.
These are the oblong ones Rose, but I do have a 5 season 'mummy' bag from when I used to backpack and it is very snug.

Never tried a Duvalay and at that price, I never will. If I was going to spend that much I'd be looking at down bags.

Frank

Duvalay, but a bit bulky to store.

I made 2 Duvalays using our own goose down duvets , a Slumberdown memory foam mattress from Argos sale, cut in half, and 4 single, cotton duvet covers that we used already. Instructions are on the internet.

Very easy, very very satisfactory. Better than the original product which uses synthetic so bulky duvets and polycotton covers.

I hate sleeping bags but these are the best sleeping solution we have had in 50 years of Camping. We did buy Duvalay bags to store them in so Duvslay did not get ripped off !

Hi there,

For me "Sleeping Bag" = "Vango".

They have a tremendous range suitable for all seasons.  I have one of these ...

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... and it has served me well for nearly five years.


If the Sonno isn't what you are looking for then check out the Vango site here ...

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... and take your pick.  

Best regards,

I also made my own, for the Topaz I had at the time, already had the original Duvalays for the caravan ,they were too big for the Topaz,  so used Duvet  covers from Dunelm, sewed down the length with the opening at the bottom, at the top shorten by 6" where the duvet was going  , bought A memory foam mattress from eBay and cut in half lengthways, job none very economical to make.easy to take off for washing, min is folded in half and takes up little room in the Luton. I have natural filling in the duvet.

Quilter wrote:I hate sleeping bags but these are the best sleeping solution we have had in 50 years of Camping!

Interesting Quilter - I also hate sleeping bags with a vengeance. Can't stand getting tangled up and having to struggle to turn over. They were always the worst aspect of camping in my view.

One vital criterion when choosing our first van was the length of the double bed (I'm 6' 3") and the speed and ease with which it could be deployed. (I presume those who are using sleeping bags don't use the double bed?) In our Nuevo it takes less than one minute to make the bed, and about two minutes to pack it away - simply because rolling up duvets in the morning takes a bit longer than chucking them onto the bed at night!    (We opted for the overcab lockers with bedding storage very much in mind.)

We used to carry one thick and one thin duvet, and lie on whichever the season dictated with the other on top. Now we carry two thin ones and a bottom sheet. If it's very cold we use both duvets, one on top of the other. It works for us.

Slightly off topic, but another perspective for fellow sleeping bag haters!  

Dave

Dave: rolling up the bedrolls and putting them the capacious bag in the morning and unrolling them at night takes only minutes.   They are all in one piece. The reason I like the  Duvalay concept so much is that your duvet stays put at night, no sliding off what is usually quite a narrow bed( we use 2 singles) as it is anchored firmly to the mattress under you. No cold area either as one side is a complete seam.

 I have made ours so that the seam at the bottom is complete and you cannot poke your feet out at night. The cover can be made so only the long side seam is sown and the base is open for those who do like freedom for feet. 

What does take time is changing them for washing. You do need a good grasp of 3 D geometry in order to put clean covers on. When making them you also have to bear in mind that one seam on one bag comes on the left and on the other bag on the right. This is something Duvalay do not do so one seam of a pair of Duvalays will be the zip.

Quilter wrote:Dave: rolling up the bedrolls and putting them the capacious bag in the morning and unrolling them at night takes only minutes.   They are all in one piece. The reason I like the  Duvalay concept so much is that your duvet stays put at night, no sliding off what is usually quite a narrow bed( we use 2 singles) as it is anchored firmly to the mattress under you. No cold area either as one side is a complete seam.

 I have made ours so that the seam at the bottom is complete and you cannot poke your feet out at night. The cover can be made so only the long side seam is sown and the base is open for those who do like freedom for feet. 

What does take time is changing them for washing. You do need a good grasp of 3 D geometry in order to put clean covers on. When making them you also have to bear in mind that one seam on one bag comes on the left and on the other bag on the right. This is something Duvalay do not do so one seam of a pair of Duvalays will be the zip.

Having two duvalays in the caravan  one on each single bed, they are permanent single beds, they can be changed over so that the zip is on the inside next to window wall on both, , so opening on both is at the gang well side, I imagine this is how they are used on a double bed, but opening in the middle, if next to walls,  the ones I made are the same as I use the single beds in MH if taking a friend otherwise it is only the one. the seam at the bottom is sewn so far along and shaped like the Duvalays. , I just put in foam mattress from the bottom and also quilt easy to pull out for changing. if foam mattress has a thin cotton cover on makes it easier to slide in. with the seam next to the window wall no draughts and doesn`t slip , I hated sleeping bags when tenting so went this route, each to their own it is comfort at the end of the day, parden the pun.

Quilter wrote:Dave: rolling up the bedrolls and putting them the capacious bag in the morning and unrolling them at night takes only minutes.

Thanks Quilter, but where do I put the capacious bag? (Rhetorical question.)

Don't forget you have a Broadway and ours is a Nuevo. (The Broadway would have been our ideal van, but that extra couple of feet in length makes all the difference if we want to store it at home!!)

The additional two feet of storage space makes a heck of a difference. In our van it would tip the balance between coping perfectly well, and never having quite enough room for everything. Always a compromise isn't there?

Dave

You don`t have to have the bag it`s just a big holdall, tat was extra when we bought ours we didn`t and they take up less room without, folding them in half I found takes up less room than rolled, quilt folded over mattress and then folded top to bottom.

daisy mae wrote:You don`t have to have the bag it`s just a big holdall, tat was extra when we bought ours we didn`t and they take up less room without, folding them in half I found takes up less room than rolled, quilt folded over mattress and then folded top to bottom.

Good idea. I might look into making a couple of flat bags or try with dry cleaners bags for a bit as flat would be neater.  We bought the bags largely to keep them clean. We keep them under the driver's side bed where, rolled in the bags, they sqash and things like cycle helmets etc go in between. We did try leaving them permanently on the beds with a throw over but it all got a bit seedy.

We're currently homeward bound after 3 months away and the underbed locker will be used, last stop, for some wine etc so the bedrolls are travelling on the seats and, in the evening, on the cab seats.

We use two king sized duvets folded in half. We lay on one side and fold the other over us. No problems with it moving and easy to put into covers

Sue68 wrote:We use two king sized duvets folded in half. We lay on one side and fold the other over us. No problems with it moving and easy to put into covers

Been there ! Done that !

Lovely and cosy in winter but a thinner duvet underneath is a bit harder on old bones in summer. I think we have just about used every possible method of bedclothes and sleeping arrangements in our time...but stand to be corrected.

We use the quilt from our bed with a fitted sheet under us (adapted to fit). Warm, roomy, cover of our choice, goes into a large stuff-sack during the day. Most of all - I can kick my half off and cool down without undoing a zip or disturbing himself and himself doesn't get tangled up in it. For extra warmth we have an old cream wool blanket on board just in case.