Sleeping Bags at the OMM

[Ravinous]

For those of you doing the OMM and who were surprised to see on the kit list that you had to take a '3 season sleeping bag', organiser Jen Longbottom has made a statement...

sleeping bag statement for OMM 2009 event

Sleeping bags
At the recent SLMM a team was disqualified for having only a silk liner which did not constitute a sleeping bag. Also MMM officals have raised the issue of survival bags.
Subsequent to this we issued a statement that sleeping bags 'must be 3 season'.
This is now raising lots of questions and this is to modify and clarify that statement.

'Seasons' is an old and now defunct measure of sleeping bag efficacy so the industry switched to temperature ratings some 2 years ago. Unfortunately that has caused even more confusion because of old (UK) ratings, USA ratings and new Euro ratings which can differ by as much as 10degC for the same bag and even different testing houses vary as much as 4-5degC. To further confuse, these ratings it should be noted, are assuming the user is inside the bag without any clothing. Of course how warm you will be depends also on the efficacy of your ground pad and your personal techniques for keeping warm.
Many teams appear now to be using alu foil sheets ( as often given out post road runnning events)
So we need a sound sensible way to say whats acceptable and whats not and enable any kit checker to make a sound and acceptable judgment. Bearing in mind we have always tried to avoid rules which prevent the innovations of individuals or companies being ruled out by bureaucracy.

1. No alu foil bags
2. no silk liners used alone (NB a silk liner does upgrade the temperature rating of your bag by 2-3degC if you wish to 'up' your sleeping bag rating.
3. The sleeping bag must be adequately insulated for the typical OMM event temperatures which may occasionally go as low as zero deg C. In practise this means (as at 2009 but innovation may change this) a down bag of not less than 400g or a synthetic bag of not less than 800g will do the job.
4. survival bags should be bags and not sheets.

So Down bags with total weight of 400g + or synthetic of 800g+ are good to go.

I have a PHD minimus which is about 495g which I have used for several years now. Sleeping in clothes and on bubble wrap, in a small tent with another body inside it, I have never had too much problem getting some sleep and not being too cold. But I personally would not say that the bag (or a bag with 95g less in weight) would qualify as a 3-season bag!? It is so subjective as to be meaningless?

Perhaps they should just put down the following in the kit list :
Sleeping Bag (excluding storage/carrying case/cover) - dry weight: minimum 400g (down), 800g (synthetic)
Of course at the kit check at the end of the race, your sleeping bag is likely to be heavier due to moisture from sweating whilst sleeping/condensation/getting damp/wet etc. - so I am not sure how you police this other than pre-event (and on the way to the start line and not at registration when you can then go back to your car and swap kit over!) Plus - possible cheating? - taking a 300g bag and deliberately soaking it with 100ml of water at the finish would work too!!

The whole situation is rather tricky. Trust and responsibilty are paramount.

[EddieH]

I carried a good down bag in one of those swimming Galloway KIMMs. Wet down forms hard balls which are bot uncomfortable and have 0% thermal properties. It was a very cold night, particularly as we had accidentally left the tent pegs in the car It took months for these balls to disappear completely.

[Freefall]

I cannot remember just how cold I was in my lightweight KIMM sleeping bag as it was stolen by some scally when it was left in my son's flat in Sheffield about 8 years ago. It was green and lightweight and very cold (similar to the blue lightweight cold one filled with minimal down iIgot from Mountain Equipment). It's only one night and with a bit of extra gas it's survivable in October.

[LostAgain]

It's only one night and with a bit of extra gas it's survivable in October.

I take it you eat curried beans to get the gas blowing

[Duncan]

I presume bags like the Rab "Quantum Top" are ok, that only have a single layer of material / mesh on the underside, and down filling on the top (so long as they are more than 400g of course).

I was quite amused to look at Rab's website http://www.rab.uk.com/equipment/sleeping_bags/the_quantum_series---116/, and under comfort rating, whereas for all other bags they list a temperature, for the Quantum Top they say "N/A" - i.e. comfort is not an option when using this bag!

I don't see policing this rule is such a big problem. Most sensible thing seems to be to do spot checks on finishing (where for chasing start classes you can explicitly pick out the top placed teams to check). The chances someone is going to douse their 300g bag with water to get it up to 400g (and ruin it in the process) are surely fairly small, and I don't think the weight difference between starting & finishing will be so great either - I think it'll at least be pretty clear if you broadly within the spirit of what they are trying to achieve.

Are there any down sleeping bags on the market that weigh less than 400g anyway?

[RJ]

I think they should have a check at the overnight camp!! If you don't have the correct bag when you set up your tent then you get disqualified there and then, and have to pack up your tent and set off back to the start!!!

[EddieH]

Kit checks! When I did the Swiss KIMM every team's bags were checked 100%. Having brilliantly packed our bags (thanks to Andy L) we were made to empty both of them on an outdoor table in torrential rain whilst an official ticked off every single compulsory item. Not a clever start in my opinion and it no doubt had something to do with the mass start taking place while we were still 500m away.

[PG]

In practise this means (as at 2009 but innovation may change this) a down bag of not less than 400g or a synthetic bag of not less than 800g will do the job.

When I first read Jen's statement I wondered if she meant total weight or fill weight (e.g my Rab Quantum bag has 200g of down, but weighs about 500gm).

But then I checked the OMM products. The OMM PA1 bag ("Great for .... an OMM") weighs 360gm and contains "150g 700 fill power down – to lower half of bag only". I don't suppose anyone is going to be disqualified for using an OMM bag at an OMM.

[Duncan]

Ha ha that's quite funny. My reading is that they are indeed implying you cannot use an OMM PA1 bag at the OMM. because it is below the minimum specified weight for a down bag.

[pyrat]

I think this should do the job nicely - http://www.alpkit.com/shop/cart.php?tar ... =pipedream

[swat]

And at 460 grams Jen shouldn't complain.

[mikey]

Comfort : -3ºC* (This is a short bag for people who know how to use it. Failure to insulate your upper torso may result in permanent injury)

So only short intelligent people can use it. That rules out a few.