Well, “freely” overstates the benefits. It takes a slight effort when you turn to keep the uninsulated bottom of the bag pressed against the pad when you turn. I love the false back design — especially the part about having a -7C sleeping bag that only weighs 450g (!) — but there is a little bit of learning curve to turning without exposing your back side to the cold. There are no drafts, which is nice, but warmth is still prone to escape until you master that skill.
Zenbivy’s system is designed to fix such problems: you can turn easily draft-free. I don’t like ZB though because of the extra weight and complication of adding a sheet. A wide quilt is simpler, easier to get in and out of, and mostly solves the draft problem. Also, maybe it’s me, but I’m not going into the backcountry to mimic sleeping in a bed at home.
Yeah, they're really good. I have the Waratah -8 and I'm just about to fit zenbivy conversion patches to it. Its much lighter than the equivalent ZB light quilt and not crazy priced like the ZB UL stuff.
I’ve actually used the Zenbivy ultralight for a few nights last summer in the Cascades! Honestly, I was pretty impressed, super comfy and love how I didn’t feel restricted like a mummy bag. The pad and quilt combo kept me warm even when temps dipped.
But I will say, if you toss and turn at night or like spreading out, it’s a game changer compared to usual sleep systems. Only downside for me was it took a minute to get the hang of the setup at first light, but after that, it was smooth sailing. Do you sleep super cold or do you run warm?
Me and my girlfriend have the UL Zenbivy setup and are both very happy. I wish I would have went with the 10 degree because I'm a very cold sleeper even with all my layers. That feels like more of a me problem though since I sleep in thermals even in my home. It's kind of expensive but I got my setup during a sale.
Expensive but I got my setup on sale. Love my Zenbivy setup paired with ear plugs. For me I can just move around more in my Zenbivy and it feels like how it would sleeping at home. I wouldn’t pay full price for everything but their bundle sales are a great value.
I tried to sleep in sleeping bags for 30 years. I love the outdoors and wild camping, hiking. 90% of my trips or weekends are spent camping out, with a bike, moped, motorcycle, or hiking. But I hated every moment sleeping. I had cheap bags up to €700 down bags, and two years ago, I thought I would find a way to sleep or I would have to give this up.
I used a Thermarest sleeping pad, which I would always end up next to. Because I moved a lot, I had a down envelope bag which was too cold for 5°C.
I watched a shitload of YouTube reviews etc. I move and turn a lot in my sleep, so I decided to try one more thing after this video:
https://youtu.be/aPxddfPf5UQ?is=RNmnFbpX5ZIXUxLL
I believed it was a niche item but thought, if it doesn't work out, I could resell it.
I bought a Zenbivy set, a quilt and a sheet combo, got a Big Agnes Rapide XL sleeping pad.
And a Nemo pillow.
I honestly can't explain this, but I have slept so fcking Well, the first night, well into the morning, I hated myself for not doing this 20 years sooner.
All these broken nights, sleep deprivation tearing me down, after a week of torture I often was so spent that I needed a night in a bed to recover sleep.
I bought the cheapest set to test it out and got a down version later on so I could go out in winter as well. I really missed that, but a mummy bag is impossible for me.
I settled for this kit:
https://zenbivy.eu/products/ultralight-bed -12
https://varuste.net/nl/p103627/nemo-fillo?change_country=NL&change_currency=EUR&srsltid=AfmBOopLHsKow6gXNhU5dK06-wXN38QhTrhyCmHBuhZbcgcK2a7wqD8aWos
https://eu.bigagnes.com/products/rapide-sl-insulated?srsltid=AfmBOoqrSqWvUQ5BSEMFGcvbeFsjN3o3ix5ar0F7Hrf-EgYKaI_rqayU
Just some tips when tight on cash. Just get secondhand stuff.
Look for secondhand camping stuff with a lifetime warranty or easy, cheap maintenance on stuff that's been around for decades.
Check out secondhand Thermarest pads. They have (do check) a lifetime warranty. I bought a secondhand one 10 years ago, which was 20+ years old and had a bubble in it, for €2., sent a picture of the bubble and the code on it, told them it was my dad's old one, and got a brand new one! I love lifetime warranties.
For cookingstove, look at a cheap secondhand MSR Dragonfly or Whisperlite. I bought a secondhand 15-year-old MSR Whisperlite. It did not work anymore. I paid €5 for it. Maintenance set was €20. I still use it to this day; it's unbreakable. These run on almost any fuel, I use octane 102, which can be used in a pinch as motorcycle fuel or visa versa.
Over the 30 years I bought most things secondhand for camping and most of it is allready 2 if not 3 decades old, Msr tent, petzl lamp, sea to summit cookingset, leatherman wave pocket knife, fiskar hatchet and foldable saw, a lot of folks have no idea what they are selling and thriftstores can be great places.
Top Outdoor Sleeping Bags on Reddit
1
NEMO
Disco 15 Series
79% positive of 114 users
Spacious for side sleepers; bulky, temp rating optimistic.
Belangia65
