Whilst seemingly on another attempt to consume the internet in just one short evening, I came across the Tundra Pure range of bags from Warmth Unlimited on the OutdoorGB site. These bags caught my eye immediately as I’d never heard of the brand before and on paper they stood out in terms of the claims about quality, performance and ethical credentials. I’m seriously interested in these and wonder if anyone knows of them or has experience with one of the bags? They also seem to do a Pure and Dry range but there is very little around about these too.
For a while I’ve promised bring my Nephew out for a night in the hills and for even longer I’ve been trying to get Charl out sleep out high above the city lights too. The one thing that has ultimately put pay to my attempts so far (over and above Charl’s avoidance tactics and my own time constraints) has been the absence of a serious sleeping bag for my would-be guests.
I’ve kept my eye out for the odd used bargain on eBay but I’m not really sure I’m comfortable spending a decent chunk of my cashola on down that I have no idea about how it may have been used and abused. I”m a bit picky about this and not sure its worth the risk.
The company appear to be Polish and are completely new to me. The English website is far from finished and so the information I can go on is the product info from OutdoorGB and the odd mention on Outdoors Magic and LFTO forums. Tiso are listed as a distributor on the manufacturer’s site but they list the bags as discontinued.
The prices seem reasonable for the spec with the Pure –5 coming in at 214 earth pounds:
- Temperature rating –5
- Waterproofed foot box and hood
- Differential fill for foot and chest area
- Full length zip and baffle
- Fill power 860+
- Fill weight: 400g
- Weight: 850g
There is little on the net about the fabric (aside from a claimed weight of 30g sq meter) but it certainly looks to have some potential.
The Alpkit Pipedream 400 that is currently top of my list of options and is both cheaper and lighter. It does however use a lower fill power and is only rated to –3 but, as we all know, this is the stuff of great debate!
The question is whether the Tundra bag is worth the additional cost for the higher fill power, waterproofing and ethical production. I do wonder how it would compare to my Cumulus Quantum 350, rated to -6, given that it has a higher fill power and fill weight and yet the rating seems more conservative for the Tundra bag.
Actually, whilst sat here typing this post I’ve just had a eureka moment: There is always the option to upgrade my own bag (I’m tempted by the Western Mountaineering Ultralight) and let my guests hang out in the Cumulus – now there’s an idea….
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2 comments:
I aquired the Pure and Dry -5 from GoOutdoors for £150 when they had it in one of their specials.
I've been very happy with it, cozy whenever I've used it. Coldest was downto around -1 or -2 and I was snug in my bag and Vaude tent. With no need for extra clothes/hat etc.
Some thoughts on my website
Hi, I have had the Tundra Pure and Dry -20 for about 4 years now. The "Dry" option means that the outer fabric is waterproof, which I had a chance to test - it is. I was sleeping in it outside at 0 degrees wearing only in my underwear and a thin fleece and I was sweating when I had my arms inside. When I woke up all the overnight dew has condensed on the bag's surface, but I was all dry inside! The only problem I found is that the zip gets stuck quite often, but there's a way how to close it without a problem. Overall a very good product.
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