58 Pattern Sleeping Bag

[mini-thumper]

I need a bag warmer than I used at Llanthony for the Austrian jaunt and have seen several of these on flea-bay. Are they any good? If no what are the decent army bags called?

Any info gratefully received!

Cheers

Boyd 

[guest18]

58 pattern are the old down filled bags with a waterproof back, ok new but all knackered now and useless wet. Google snugpack and buy the green ones (cheaper than the equivalent "civvy" coloured ones!)
Ask my swmbo about her sleeping bag....! 

If you *must* have an Army one then you want the current issue type, Transalp John may be able to advise? I think you have his email, if not drop me a line...

[guest18]

http://www.snugpak.com/index.php?MenuID=160-131&ItemID=9
why swmbo loves me (amongst other reasons!) and is toasty warm while out camping 

[Richard]

You can still buy the 58 bag new if you search carefully.  Otherwise I would go for the current arctic pattern.  Awesomely warm, far to much so in the summer.  Of course all army bags are bulky.

The Snugpak alternative is nice, but rather more expensive. 

A decent inner bag makes a big difference, you could probably then get away with the standard army bag - but make sure you get the right length.

Richard

[robG]

Go for the current pattern with gortex bivi . Superb . Used mine at elefant 06 and was toasty .

DO NOT! go for a 58 pattern . Ritchie's right they are knackered . The clue's in  the number , they were designed some 50yrs hence .

Rob .

[Steffan]

http://www.snugpak.com/index.php?MenuID=160-131&ItemID=9
why swmbo loves me (amongst other reasons!) and is toasty warm while out camping 

You need to talk to Bill.. from Baxters of Yarm. I  get all my stuff from there and the service is second to none.  I can give you the number if you want. He does the whole snugpak range. BTW Smudge is entirely correct, I have a winter and a middling one  + a liner (adds another season) and if things get really nobbling then you slide the one into the other.

Steffan

[jules]

Boyd ,
if you do decide to get on from Ebay be sure to ask for measurements of the bag,
I.E.length and width at the shoulders,obviously the larger the better,you have slept in mine which is a large  but they do come bigger,
i have no experience of the snugpak bags as the army arctic bag has always been up to the job for me,and like RobG say's the difference a bivi bag will make is huge,throw a liner in and as long as you go to bed warm/hot you will be toastie for the rest of the night,Viv and i found this when at the 06 Elephant we just slept on our mattress under the stars,
oh yes you were there,i was just looking at the photos yesterday,remember sharing the sausage!!!! . and that was before the Grappa came out!!!!
Why hav'ent i seen any of your photos Boydo

[Andy M]

Like,  everyone else says, the current issue arctic bag is the way to go.

A word of futher warning as if there haven't been enough, I've seen the '58 pattern bags sold in "disposal" condition. The MOD used to think they should only sell what they'd done with to rag manuacturers and the like, they didn't want some foreign army buying job lots they didn't know about. They therefore ripped or poured paint on them. How these have survived in this condition for so long when the MOD stopped doing this in probably the '80's is beyond me, but i've seen them online this year. The supplier seemed to think you'd pay your fiver and hope you got one the Quartermasters Stanley knife had only knicked 

Andy

[Steffan]

andy, do you have the details of the supplier for that rack we discussed?

[Andy M]

Sent you an e-mail about two minutes ago. Drop me a line if you didn't get it.

Andy

[guest18]

Like the others say the goretex bivi bag is worth its weight in gold, makes a huge difference 

[mini-thumper]

Why hav'ent i seen any of your photos Boydo

Cheers to everyone for the, as usual, excellent information! I will be VERY careful about what I buy. The one I had at the Elefant was very good even thought it was too small. I will keep searching!!

Even though the trials-and-tribulations of this club sometimes p*ss me off it really is a very good place to be most of the time.

Regarding the photos I didn't take that many. What I've got I'll send to you via e-mail.

Boyd

[mini-thumper]

Is this the type I'm looking for?



Boyd

[Richard]

Looks like a proper Arctic to me anyway.

Richard

[jules]

The zip looks too long for my liking,ask for some measurements,i think that's a smaller bag than mine,
looks like the type i bought for Viv