Following the success of our Pilgrim Development programme that created the now legendary AKU Pilgrim boots we turned our attention to the military sleeping bag. Working with specialist end users and the UK's best sleeping bag manufacturer we have created the Snugpak Pilgrim Arctic Sleeping bag. The design process involved us listening carefully to specialist end users to ascertain exactly what they wanted and needed from their winter sleeping system and then finding an experienced manufacturer that we could work with to produce a truly bespoke and exclusive product. Not only did this process produce a brilliant and high performance bag but it also produced a brand new stuff system that is designed to work with your Bergen to optimise space and practicality.
The Snugpak Pilgrim Arctic sleeping bag is based on their already successful Snugpak Antartica RE bag, it delivered a good starting point on which to customise the bag to our needs. We have completely redesigned the shape of the bag so it fits much better around the hood and shoulders, this is especially noticeable when sitting up in the bag. Further improvements were made by adding a waterproof base material and upgrading the internal baffles and adjustment systems.
The bag is filled with Softie Premier synthetic insulation with Reflectatherm technology. These highly water repellent synthetic fibres resist compression and loft naturally to optimise the insulation and features a metallised Reflectatherm (Space-Age Reflective Fabric) barrier. The Reflectatherm barrier is designed to reflect back your body heat and retain warmth, this highly breathable material adds little to the weight or pack size and provides at least 15% additional warmth whilst being undetectable by touch in the sleeping bag.
The base of the bag is made from Paratex Dry which is a 100% waterproof, closely constructed fabric with a durable rip-stop construction. It is made waterproof by coating with a breathable hydrophilic Polyurethane (PU), this transfers water vapour chemically from the inside to the outside (due to the temperature differential between the inside of the product and out) and will transmit up to 7.5 litres of moisture per m², per 24hrs and has a hydrostatic head in excess of 5000mm. (The British standard for waterproof is 1500mm). This waterproof fabric also extends over the hood and feet to protect these areas when they may be exposed to wet. The upper features the extremely strong yet lightweight Paratex Steelplate fabric, a 100% Polyamide (Nylon) with DWR, durable water repellent to shed moisture. Paratex Steelplate is windproof and highly breathable and will transmit 12 litres of moisture per m², per 24 hours.
The Pilgrim Arctic is lined with Paratex Light fabric which is 100% Nylon with high wicking properties to allow perspiration to be drawn from the skin and evaporate through the sleeping system. This durable yet light and soft fabric is highly breathable and will transmit 12 litres of moisture per m², per 24 hours. The foot area of the bag is lined with a heavy duty nylon to protect the lining when wearing boots and the whole foot has been re-shaped to accommodate a wider size range of footwear. Two internal mesh pockets stash essential kit or water bottles to prevent them from freezing.
Access to the bag is via a long central free flowing burst zip that allows a quick exit from the bag by simply pulling the two sides of the bag apart. To ensure all the heat stays in the bag we completely re-developed the internal baffle system so that it forms a tight seal around your shoulders and seals effectively behind the zip to reduce cold spots. Upgraded bungee cords and captivated toggles make adjustment easy and reliable.
A brand new compression bag was developed to ensure that the Pilgrim Arctic sleeping bag would take up as little room as possible inside your Bergen, remain dry and also act as a carry/storage system. Traditional stuff sacks are tubular and rely on webbing straps to compress the contents. This barrel shape does not fit well in the base of a Bergen, it doesn't fill up all the space and when compressed the shape distorts into a sphere which is highly inefficient for packing. No wonder they earned the nickname of bouncing bombs.
The new Pilgrim Bergen Stuffsack has been designed to fit perfectly into the base of a Bergen and will retain that shape even when fully compressed so that there is no wasted space. The stuffsack is made of a PU coated nylon with taped seams and a canoe bag roll-top closure to make it completely waterproof. This oversized stuff sack makes packing your sleeping bag quick and easy thanks to the wide opening and ample internal space. Once loosely stuffed you can roll the top closed and use the stuffsack as a water and dust proof storage bag without damaging the filling through compression. To compress the sleeping bag ready for packing follow the simple steps below:
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Leave the top unrolled
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Open the purge valve
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Hold the opening together in the middle and push down to expel most of the air through the top opening
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Once most of the air has been expelled roll the top closed to form a watertight seal.
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Kneel on the half compressed bag and expel the remainder of the air through the purge valve - you will need to stick your finger into the purge valve to stop the sleeping bag from blocking it.
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Once fully compressed make sure the purge valve is fully closed.
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Once the bag has been fully compressed it can be moulded to fill the base of your Bergen completely with no wasted space. The roll closure features a strong buckle and reinforcing strip that form a grab handle for quick extraction.
The new and exclusive Pilgrim Arctic sleeping system will deliver extreme weather performance and optimised storage for all military and specialist users.
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Combination of fabrics on outer to enhance waterproofness of base and maximise breathability of upper.
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Quick release (Free Flowing Burst Zip) full-length central zip to enable a speedy exit.
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Neck and zip baffle to keep out any drafts
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Mummy style shape for efficient insulation
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Spacious reinforced Foot Section to allow use with boots on
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Softie® synthetic fill for easy care and superior performance in damp conditions, protection from precipitation and residual moisture on clothing or footwear
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Low maintenance
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Easily compressible
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Machine washable
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Made in the UK
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Includes the new Pilgrim Bergen Stuffsack
How warm a sleeping bag do you really need? We’ve tried to help you by grouping our sleeping bags by their recognised comfort ratings. These are the ratings supplied by the brands that indicate the temperature at which you will remain comfortable whilst sleeping on an insulated sleep mat. After all, comfort is what you want when it’s cold and wet outside, and you’re all tucked up in your nice warm sleeping bag.
We always recommend that you choose your bag according to the coldest conditions you will experience; you can always unzip a bag if it is too warm, but trying to sleep when you’re too cold is just miserable. Bear in mind that we are all individuals, so we all feel the cold differently and that our own resistance will fluctuate depending on a whole load of factors, including how much we have eaten, whether we have consumed alcohol, whether we need a wee or what kind of mood we are in!
Sleeping bags do not generate heat; they only trap the heat we produce, so it is vital that you get into your bag when you are giving off warmth, don’t go to bed when you are cold, have a hot meal or a hot drink or do some brisk exercise to get you nicely warmed up.
Traditionally sleeping bag manufacturers provided their own temperature ratings based on their experience, the product's intended end-use and the perceived environment. However, each brand tested their bags in different ways, and it was hard to find a fair comparison between models. So, in 2005 a European standard for sleeping bag temperature ratings, EN 13537, was introduced to give consumers a comparable guide to sleeping bag performance across a range of brands and models. The ratings have four different temperature ratings to give you an indication of the bag's performance.
Comfort Rating: This is the temperature at which an average female should experience a comfortable night’s sleep. On average, women sleep colder than men, so this rating is some degrees above the "comfort lower limit" for a man.
Comfort Limit Rating: This is the lowest temperature at which an average male should experience a comfortable night’s sleep whilst laid down in a curled up position.
Extreme: This is a survival rating where the user is likely to suffer health damage such as Hypothermia. It should be treated with the utmost caution and not be relied on for general use.
However, the EN 13537 European Standard does not apply to down-filled sleeping bags with a fill weight of more than 800g; for those bags, you will have to rely on the manufacturer's experience and technical expertise, which is often more accurate!
Most reputable brands still use their own rating system alongside EN 13537, for instance, Mountain Equipment's “Good Night’s Sleep” and Rab’s “Sleep Limit”. These ratings are often the most accurate guide to the overall performance of a sleeping bag being used by an average outdoor enthusiast because they are based on years of expedition heritage, field trials, technological experience, and constant feedback.
But please bear in mind that all ratings are only a guide and, as mentioned earlier, there are a huge range of factors that can affect your comfort; if you are just not sure, it is always wise to go for a warmer model.
The biggest difference you can make to your overall comfort is to use an efficiently insulated sleeping mat. Once you get inside your sleeping bag, you instantly compress all the filling beneath you, greatly reducing its efficiency. Therefore using a quality sleep mat will ensure you are properly insulated from the cold ground, and you will be a lot more comfortable... Basically, there is no point in buying a top-quality sleeping bag if you are just going to lie down on the floor.