What is the Ignition 3W?
The Ignition is a tough, reliable and super warm sleeping bag which uses Rab’s own Pyrotec synthetic insulation and a ripstop nylon outer fabric. Unlike most down insulated sleeping bags, the Ignition will retain the majority of its warmth even when soaking wet, making it perfect for those out in all conditions. This particular bag is the Women's specific variant; this adapts the fit to offer a warmer, more compressible bag for the female shape.
What is it made of?
Insulation: Rab line the Ignition with their own synthetic insulation, Pyrotec. Made entirely from polyester, the Ignition will retain almost all of its warmth when wet and packs down to a fraction of its original size when you need to stuff it into your backpack. Thanks to its versatile performance, it makes the bag perfect for those out in all conditions.
Outer fabric: Surrounding the insulation is a super tough 30D ripstop nylon. This fabric not only protects the insulation, but adds a little wind and water resistancy to the bag, therefore increasing warmth. A lightweight nylon is also used for the lining to provide a soft surface for your skin to sit against.
What is the construction used?
The Ignition uses two different constructions, a shingled construction over the top of the bag and a blanket construction on the base. The shingled construction essentially overlaps pieces of insulation like a shingled roof, meaning there are no gaps for heat to escape, while a blanket construction places one large piece of insulation underneath you to provide maximum insulation. As the insulation underneath you will be compressed, it makes more sense for this to be one large piece, as multiple pieces have the risk of moving about during the night.
What are the features?
Entry into the bag is achieved by a ¾ length zip, while an anti-snag tape prevents the inner baffle getting caught in the zip. An internal collar seals in warmth around your neck and a hood drawcord does exactly what it says on the tin. Moving down, an angled footbox allows your feet to sit in their natural position when sleeping; this also prevents the insulation becoming compressed during the night (compressed insulation is cold insulation). Finally, a nylon compression sack allows you to pack the bag snugly into a rucksack without taking up too much room.
How does it fit?
The Ignition features Rab’s Mummy Taper shape, meaning pack size and weight are kept to a minimum by reducing the internal space. You’ve still got room to comfortably sleep and move about, however don’t expect to be swimming around in there. This Women's specific variant increases the width slightly in the hips, reduces it in the chest and refines the overall volume to suit a female body shape.
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Lightweight 30d ripstop nylon outer
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Lightweight nylon lining fabric
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Pyrotec polyester microfibre insulation
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Shingled upper construction
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Blanket base construction
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Mummy taper shape
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¾ length YKK 5 coil main zip
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Left and right hand zips available
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Womens specific
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Anti snag zipper webbing tape
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Internal collar and hood drawcord
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Angled footbox
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Nylon compression stuff sack
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.