Over the past two summers I’ve been happily using the very lightweight Trakker Snoozelite sleeping bag. This simple bag is all that’s required on a warm night but, come the cooler months, I return to my faithful all-season bag that I’ve been using for nine years or so now. The old bag has served me well, but it is very heavy and soon feels damp when the night draws in, so the time has come to move on and invest in something that makes full use of modern materials. Ideally it has to fit my Compact Levelite Bedchair without draping on the floor, so what could be better than the latest AS365 Compact Sleeping Bag from Trakker? This cracking little sleeping bag ticks all the right boxes and has been purposely designed to fit the bedchair I currently use.
First and foremost the bag utilises Q700 Hollowfibre filling for greatly improved insulation that traps lots of air around your body and doesn’t weigh a significant amount either. A reversible liner can be zipped in or out and offers the choice of warm touch fleece or silky smooth polyester that allows you to move freely in the bag. Special crash zips have been fitted three-quarters of the way down either side, which facilitates a quick exit whilst maximising insulation around your feet. Large external baffles help prevent draughts penetrating the zips, whilst internal baffles further improve heat retention. The bag fits to the bed via the usual elasticated hoods at either end, plus two additional retention straps around the middle to ensure it stays fixed in place at all times. The external high-tech material is highly breathable to prevent internal moisture retention and yet it is also very waterproof. So, if you do like to sleep under the stars, a rain shower isn’t going to cause too much discomfort.
Measuring 200cm long and 80cm wide, the AS365 will fit several smaller bedchairs on the market, but really comes into its own when paired with the Levelite Compact Bedchair. Most surprising of all is at just 4.2kg this new bag weighs less than half what my old winter bag weighed! Everything about this bag has impressed me thus far, but the true test will come over the next four or five months as night-time temperatures plummet.
The AS365 Compact Sleeping Bag carries an RRP of £169.99, but you can expect to pick one up for £149.99 from most tackle shops. For those of you who like a full-size bed and bag there is a standard sized version of the AS365 that retails at £189.99. For further details about this and other Trakker sleeping bags visit www.trakkerproducts.co.uk.
