How to choose the right Sir Joseph sleeping bag?

Sir Joseph manufactures several lines of down sleeping bags filled with goose down. In 2022, we are also bringing new sleeping bags from the QUILT category.
How to choose correctly from a wide range?
Here we present three steps for choosing a sleeping bag, followed by a few examples from practice.
1) The first step is to select a product line according to the questions “Where are you going and for what use do you primarily need the sleeping bag?” and “How often will you use the sleeping bag?”

  1. For frequent use and regular shorter trips and treks, we recommend the TREKKING series – RIMO (or wider RIMO SCOUT) and ATTACK models.
  2. For longer journeys, where you carry equipment on your back, we recommend the LIGHT and MINIMIS series – PAINE or KOTEKA models, or our lightest MINIMIS 320 sleeping bag or the even lighter summer MINIMIS 290 QUILT. The LIGHT series is not intended for very frequent use (every weekend, etc.), primarily is designed to save weight and volume for multi-day events, expeditions, etc.
  3. We recommend the ALPINE or HIMALAYA series for more extreme use in higher mountains or polar regions and for cases where you want to be sure of protection of the feather insulation from moisture. The outer membrane material of these sleeping bags is also suitable for cases where you want to spend the night or bivouac without using a tent or a tent.

2) The second most important choice is according to the temperature of the environment in which you will spend the night

  • In each of the product lines, we offer several versions of the same sleeping bag with different volumes of used feathers. The more feathers, the stronger the insulating layer around the body and the colder conditions you can handle in the sleeping bag.
  • For example “PAINE 600” means it has 600 grams of goose down and “PAINE 900” has 900 grams of goose down and the recommended standard temperatures correspond to that. (Additional parameters 600 or 650 or 800 CUIN indicate the so-called filling capacity of the feathers. It is simply true that a higher CUIN means feathers with better insulating ability. The resulting combination of the amount of down used in GRAMS and its filling capacity in CUIN are the so-called recommended temperatures certified according to the EN13537 standard. )
  • You can choose according to the “Comfort temperature” for the woman and according to the “Limit temperature” for the man (do not choose a sleeping bag according to the extreme temperature, in such temperatures the sleeping bag will ensure your survival, not a comfortable sleep).

For both of these choices, it is appropriate to compare the parameters in the SJ Sleeping Bag Comparison Table .
In the table you can clearly see the individual models and for each size of sleeping bags you can compare them:

  • Comfort and Limit temperatures
  • Total weight of each sleeping bag .
  • Sleeping bag dimensions in shoulders, hips and legs,
  • Size in compression package

After the recommended temperatures, the total weight of the sleeping bag is the second most important selection criterion.

3) Next comes the choice of the size of the sleeping bag and the side of the zipper

  • We produce sleeping bags in three sizes 170 / 190 /200. These numbers represent the height of the character (not the length of the sleeping bag). In fact, size 170 can fit a person up to 173 cm tall, size 190 can fit a person up to 193 cm tall, and size 200 can fit a person up to 203 cm tall.
  • We only produce the LOOPING, KOTEKA, MINIMIS, ATTACK and children’s KIKI models with a left-hand zipper, for the other models there is a choice between Left or Right zipper. The side of the zipper is given from the point of view of a person lying on his back in a sleeping bag. The left zipper is suitable for right-handed people, because from inside the sleeping bag, the right hand comfortably controls the zipper, which is on the left shoulder (try it yourself:)
  • From the point of view of the possible connection of sleeping bags, it is advisable to have one sleeping bag with the Right and the other with the Left zipper (two “same” zippers can also be connected, but one sleeping bag will not have a hood under the head, but over the head). Sleeping bags of different lengths can also be fastened – they will start the same way in the legs, and the longer sleeping bag will have a piece of zipper left at the head, which will no longer have anything to fasten it with.
  • New in the collection are two lightweight QUILT type sleeping bags. These are sleeping bags of the “blanket” type without a hood, without a zipper and with a reduced lower part to save weight and volume. The result is light and compact “blankets” for comfortable sleeping on a mat or in a hammock in summer or warmer spring and autumn conditions. About insulation from the bottom the mat, to which the QUILT is attached with adjustable straps, and another thin cord stabilizes the lower part so that the cold does not pull from the sides. After simply removing the fastening straps and the cord, you can create a light open blanket from the quilt, which you will appreciate, for example, when waiting at the airport, in the car etc…

4) For the final selection of a sleeping bag, the price of the sleeping bag, how often you plan to use it and whether you have a second (or third:) sleeping bag should also be taken into account. Someone chooses the lightest and most packable model even for a weekend hike in Brdy, and conversely, the RIMO 1000 model can also be used for challenging expeditions in high mountains.
An occasional hiker can get by with one 2-season sleeping bag from spring to fall. For those who use a sleeping bag more often, it is already worthwhile to have one lighter sleeping bag for summer events and another 3-season or winter one, and thus always have the ideal parameters available for every trip in every season.

EXAMPLES OF CHOOSING A SUITABLE SLEEPING BAG FOR A SPECIFIC USE:

A) Frequent use on weekends, plus occasional treks to Europe, Asia, etc. even in early spring/late autumn.

  • RIMO 850 or RIMO 1000 – The main advantage is universality and temperature range.
  • Or have the ATTACK 400 / RIMO 600 for summer weekends and take the lighter PAINE 600 / KOTEKA 500 for treks

B) The main use is for cycling and hiking for several days, the secondary use is early spring/late autumn weekends.

An important consideration is therefore the weight and volume of the sleeping bag.

  • KOTEKA 500 or PAINE 600 for a woman
  • KOTEKA 290 (or KOTEKA 500 depending on the temperature) or PAINE 400 for men

C) I need a sleeping bag mainly from autumn and winter, most events are in winter or there are mountains up to 6000 m above sea level, I sleep in a tent or bivouac outside.

  • ERRATIC 1000 for woman
  • ERRATIC 850 for men
  • And if I’m planning bigger winter events, I’ll consider having a reserve for these events as well and buy LOOPING 900 or LOOPING 1200

D) I go “easy” in the winter, I usually sleep in a tent or in a cabin, sometimes I camp in a tent

  • KOTEKA 850 or PAINE 900

E) Sometimes I go for several days in spring/summer/autumn for a bike ride, a quick trek or climbing, sometimes an emergency bivouac. I need to be fast – that is, light and compact.

  • KOTEKA 290 or MINIMIS 320
  • Or the light TETON 560 QUILT or the even lighter MINIMIS 290 QUILT

F) I’m going on a trip where there will be summer temperatures, but also winter – e.g. May climbing in Italy and on the way back I’ll stay in the ski Alps for a few days, where it will be below zero at night.

  • DOUBLE ATTACK – It is a combination of two sleeping bags in one. In the summer, I have two summer sleeping bags that I can fasten together (they have a left and right zipper) and invite a friend. I have one proper winter sleeping bag for the winter.

G) I sleep in the car and I want a wide sleeping bag or a blanket.
I’m really big and I need a really wide sleeping bag.
I don’t like mummies, I want to have enough space in my sleeping bag and comfortably bend my legs as I need.

  • TONKA blanket washer with a width of 1 meter when the sleeping bag is on (i.e. a 2 meter wide blanket when unzipped)
  • Or the extended RIMO SCOUT model – in three temperature versions
  • Or a light QUILT that can be expanded more than a mummy or used only as a blanket

H) What sleeping bag should I get for my little champions?

  • KIKI DOWN with feathers – for use from spring to autumn
  • KIKI BASIC filled with hollow fiber – for summer. And for easier washing at home.