Sleeping Bags & Shrouds

Never fear cold nights again with TF Gear's toasty 5 season bag!

Stay comfortable for the seasons ahead with Carp Spirit's new line of high performance sleeping bags.

Standing for All Season, I have been testing the AS 365 Compact since December and I have been out in very cold conditions, well the brief spells we have encountered anyway. Being the Compact I thought that by saving space and weight the bag would suffer and be a little chilly. However, I have been pleasantly surprised. Inside there are baffle strips that run the length of the bag and these enable the user to warm the bag much faster because there is less wasted space to heat.

New on the market, we were keen to put it through its paces and considering it’s a single-layered bag we were astounded by the results. Minimalist in design, it boasts several unique features that we think are extremely clever and indeed useful. First up, the bottom of the bag utilises a drawcord system and three-quarter-length zip so you can reduce the amount of wasted space at the bottom to help warm the bag up even quicker with your body heat. Staying with the bottom, a detachable, easy to clean heavy-duty foot protector is supplied, while the head end sees two internal handwarmer pockets for wraparound comfort.

At just under £90 the Discovery is the joint cheapest on test, alongside the Chub Vantage. You may be expecting a no thrills, cheap and cheerful product but that is not the case at all. With a very generous external draught skirt there is no way uncomfortable breezes can enter through the zip, which can often cause a restless night’s sleep. Another key feature is the external pocket on the tip of the bag, perfect for either your mobile phone or alarm receiver, keeping it to hand yet protected and close enough to wake you when needed.

Without a doubt the top choice for the roving angler. Packing down to the smallest size and being the second lightest on test, the X Snugpak Techlite showed remarkable heat retention properties when tested. Sadly there is no escaping the price and, yes, it is the most expensive on test but for the anglers who can afford it and rely on a lightweight, high-performance bag, this has got to be the choice. Only dropping by 2.