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Rab Ascent 300.....

Rab Ascent 300.....


Postby Manwaeadug » Fri Oct 18, 2019 11:03 pm

Just wondering if anyone has any experience of the aforementioned sleeping bag and if it is a suitable choice for 3 season camping in Scotland?

I narrowed my choice to this after getting advice on it from another forum prior to finding this one, but figured as this one seems to be geared more toward Scotland I could possibly get a bit more info or suggestions before I pull the trigger. No harm in getting as much advice as I possibly can I reckon.

The bag has a limit of +1 and I figure hydrophobic down should be ok as long as I'm careful (rookie mistake?), it does make sense from a weight to warmth perspective.

I'm a warm sleeper, pretty restless so really narrow mummy bags will probably be too restrictive for me (the wider toe box in the Ascent 300 seems good). I'm looking to keep the weight of my bag and sleep pad down as best I can (as my tent is a wee bit heavy at 2.6Kg, 2.25Kg trail) and I'm shopping around the £250 mark. I'm happy to spend a little bit more for a much better option, but would be even happier if I spent less (If I could get my entire sleep system for £300 I'd be delighted).

I'm a complete novice so any advice I can get will be appreciated.
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Re: Rab Ascent 300.....

Postby davekeiller » Sat Oct 19, 2019 7:55 pm

The comfort Temp of 6C and limit of 1C, suggest that it should be fine for use in Scotland from about May to September.
People argue about the best choice of material, but a pertex outer and hydrophobic down sounds like a good combination. Obviously you're going to try and keep it dry, but Scotland's a wet country and this should mean that if it gets a touch damp it's not the end of the world.
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Re: Rab Ascent 300.....

Postby Manwaeadug » Sun Oct 20, 2019 8:19 am

Thanks Dave.
That's pretty much the time of year I'll be wanting to use it. I was a wee bit concerned about down getting damp, but it seems to be the way to go for keeping weight as low as poss.
Pity I couldn't get a synthetic one with the same spec though.
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Re: Rab Ascent 300.....

Postby mrssanta » Sun Oct 20, 2019 8:46 am

Make sure you put it in a drybag.
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Re: Rab Ascent 300.....

Postby john.malley » Sun Oct 20, 2019 1:09 pm

If you need a bit warmer pop it into a tvek sol escape bibi.. v little weight but breathable and waterproof so doesn't get wet or damp in the tent overnight .. used one for years with a 450grm bag spring autumn
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Re: Rab Ascent 300.....

Postby Manwaeadug » Sun Oct 20, 2019 2:00 pm

@ mrssanta - Thanks. I'm intending to use one of those compression type dry bags for the tent, one for my sleeping bag and one for spare clothes and a merino base layer for sleeping in (if these are required). I figured it shouldn't be too much of an issue if anything else got a bit wet. Maybe a bigger dry sack for everything instead of the rain cover would be an idea too. Don't know if all that would be overkill though.

@ john - I tend to sleep warm and reckon there's more chance I'll end up half in half out of the bag, but I'll keep that in mind should I be mistaken. Thanks.
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Re: Rab Ascent 300.....

Postby mrssanta » Sun Oct 20, 2019 3:55 pm

Your tent will almost definitely get wet. My recommendation would be to put everything bthat needs to stay dry in a drybag. I use one for sleeping bag, one for spare clothes, one for extra layers, one for emergency kit.
Leave the tent bag at home and stuff the tent between the other things. It goes in better that way.
Don't bother with a rucksack cover. They flap, blow off and are really annoying, and rain will get into your rucksack anyway.
Others may think this is daft advice but seems to work for Rudolph and me.
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Re: Rab Ascent 300.....

Postby davekeiller » Sun Oct 20, 2019 5:35 pm

That's broadly what I do.
There's no point keeping the tent in a drybag because it will get wet anyway, but it's definitely worth keeping clothes and sleeping bags in drybags.
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Re: Rab Ascent 300.....

Postby Driftwood » Sun Oct 20, 2019 8:51 pm

Just playing devil's advocate for a moment, is bagging a wet tent worthwhile to at least reduce it soaking other things? (In one case, fixing it to my pack compression straps, rather than inside, but that was just the retreat after a wet and blowy night).

Admittedly, I've tended to plan bothy diversions, and other get-outs, to minimise the hassle of a wet tent in the morning. And so far escaped facing night after night in a drenched tent. It may be tempting fate to mention that ... :lol:

A definite yes to dry-bagging carried clothes, and particularly the sleeping bag.
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Re: Rab Ascent 300.....

Postby Manwaeadug » Sun Oct 20, 2019 9:40 pm

Thanks for the advice everyone, much appreciated. :)

Regards the dry bag for the tent; my thinking on that was that if the fly was wet I'd jam that into the rubber spider web(?) strap thing on my rucksack and pop the inner into a dry bag to try and keep that dry (maybe need to rethink that now). That's for a multi day camping scenario; a one night camp I'll probably end up bunging it into my rucksack any old way and drying it off at home.

I am a novice to this and probably don't see the obvious flaws in my thinking here mind you. :lol: I'm more than happy to have them pointed out to me though.

It makes sense that the tent will fit better if I just jam it in to the spaces around everything else. That's something I've learned, thanks. :D
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Re: Rab Ascent 300.....

Postby mrssanta » Sun Oct 20, 2019 9:44 pm

Driftwood wrote:Just playing devil's advocate for a moment, is bagging a wet tent worthwhile to at least reduce it soaking other things? (In one case, fixing it to my pack compression straps, rather than inside, but that was just the retreat after a wet and blowy night)..

No, I'd say not. All the stuff that should not get wet needs to be in drybags. Even if there is no rain, there is likely to be dampness on your tent, and a good Scottish wind and rain can penetrate right through the most expensive rucksack.
We all learn our own best way through experience, that's just some of mine.
Also, if you put wet stuff in a drybag, then you have a wet drybag, which is not lovely. Let the dry stuff stay dry and the wet stuff get wet.
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Re: Rab Ascent 300.....

Postby Marty_JG » Mon Oct 21, 2019 12:30 am

The "big cheap" sleeping bag alternative is Aegismax; there are several models, for example this larger warmer one:

https://smile.amazon.co.uk/AEGISMAX-Urltra-Light-Sleeping-Urltra-compactable-Regular/dp/B01CD21YA2/

Same temp ratings, sightly less weight, slightly higher fill power (Goose vs Duck). The Aegis will NOT be ethical and the Rab WILL be made better. The Aegismax is a clean £115 cheaper.

When it's cold I use a 100% silk sleeping bag liner, I'm a great fan of JAG BAG from an Edinburgh company who use Kiwi workers.

https://www.terrevistatrails.com/

Another tip when it's cold is to wear a baselayer, e.g. Merino Wool long-johns & long-sleeve t-shirt.

A warm sleeping pad doesn't hurt either, my matress of choice is Klymit Insulated Static V Lite. R-Value 4.4, half a kilo, and under £100. Thermarest XTherm is even warmer, R5.7 for £150.

https://smile.amazon.co.uk/Klymit-Insulated-Camping-Sleeping-Flip-Valve/dp/B07TKD1MKB/

I use a (good) drybag for my sleeping bag, it's always the last thing to get unpacked. I keep a "wet" drybag full of wet socks & grots etc., but my tent came in a waterproof stuff bag so I use that. Otherwise it would get it's own drybag.

A huge bin-bag to keep your bobbins dry inside your pack is fine (having one big pack, be it drybag or rubble bag, is more space-efficient than lots of little dry bags). I use one. But I also use a SnugPak cover. My pack is "shower proof" but I found having the cover on actually worked really well, it keeps 90% of the storm out (the bag itself, finally the liner, does the rest) and it helps protect the lightweight, easily-ruined material. Otherwise I'd be ******* bricks at every walkers fence. I've also found the cover to be useful when kneeling in the wet, putting stuff on otherwise wet ground, etc., so it can have utility. Even so, it's only A line of defence not a be-all-end-all.
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Re: Rab Ascent 300.....

Postby whiteburn » Mon Oct 21, 2019 9:39 am

For me the Rab 300 wouldn’t fit the bill for 3 season (May to Oct) bag as only 300g of 650 FP down. I’d recommend looking for something with 400g of 750+FP down; e.g. the Alpkit Pipedream is warmer for the same weight (865g) but ~£220. There’s ‘better’ SB’s available, lower weight, higher fill power down, etc but they’ll come at higher cost. Take care on buying direct from China (Aliexpress, eBay, Amazon) a lot of the bags are stitched through construction which doesn’t make the best use of the down fill (will not be as warm for same fill as box baffles); it’s just cheaper manufacturing.
You need to pair the SB with a good mat; I like the X-lite for 3 seasons (R=3.2 & 350g), comfortable & warm enough but there’s others to choose from, just don’t go un-insulated.
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Re: Rab Ascent 300.....

Postby rgf101 » Mon Oct 21, 2019 10:25 am

Tents end up wet. If it's not rain, it's dew, if it's not dew it's condensation. I carry a J-cloth to wipe it down with as best as possible (actually, wonder if some kind of scraper to throw the rain off, rather than soak it up, would be better. Credit card?) and if I get a chance, leave it up in a stiff breeze for 30 minutes - either while I have breakfast, or during a rest stop.
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Re: Rab Ascent 300.....

Postby Marty_JG » Mon Oct 21, 2019 10:36 am

rgf101 wrote:Tents end up wet. If it's not rain, it's dew, if it's not dew it's condensation. I carry a J-cloth to wipe it down with as best as possible (actually, wonder if some kind of scraper to throw the rain off, rather than soak it up, would be better. Credit card?) and if I get a chance, leave it up in a stiff breeze for 30 minutes - either while I have breakfast, or during a rest stop.


Most cloth, from nylon to canvas, absorbs water. One of the advantages of dyneema composite (aka cuben fiber) is it's slightly plasticky and water sheds off it. For me that's a really attractive material. The downside of dyneema is the post-£500 prices.
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