What is the Womens Andes 800?
The Andes is designed solely for high altitude and winter mountaineering. Hand-filled in Derbyshire by Rab's own elite fillers, the Andes bag is made with the highest levels of care and attention.
What is it made of?
Insulation: Let's start with the beating heart of the sleeping bag, the insulation. Rab fill the Andes with 800g (hence Andes 800) of 800 fill-power, R.D.S certified, fluorocarbon-free, hydrophobic, european Goose down; that's quite a mouthful, so let's break it down. Fill-power refers to how much space the down can occupy when left to fully loft; the higher the fill-power, the 'fluffier' the down and the better it will insulate. 800 fill-power is some of the highest quality down available, so you're getting a super warm bag which will also weigh less and pack down smaller than a similar bag with an inferior quality down. R.D.S standards for responsible down standard — this ensures the down is sourced from geese which have lived a happy, free-range existence and haven't been live-plucked. The down has been coated with a fluorocarbon-free Nikwax hydrophobic treatment to allow the down to maintain its loft far more effectively than untreated down if it happens to get wet.
Fabrics: Surrounding this clever insulation is a Pertex Quantum Pro fabric. This fabric is super light, durable and water resistant, making it ideal for a wide range of high altitude conditions. Inside you get a more breathable Pertex Quantum fabric (not pro), however this features a Polygiene coating to resist odours building over time; an essential feature if you're spending a few days or weeks in the bag without the ability to give it a wash. Cleverly, Rab use the more water resistant Quantum Pro in the inner of the hood and footbox as these areas typically build up more moisture.
What is the construction?
Now, this is where Rab's years of experience really come into play. Over the torso, Rab use longitudinal foot baffles with FlowGate technology. FlowGate technology uses heat-permeable mesh gates to virtually lock the insulation into place. Insulation on one side of the mesh gate pushes on the other side, keeping the insulation static without having to separate it into different baffles. This eliminates cold spots, reduces fabric waste and lowers the weight of the bag. These baffles are also used in the footbox, while the legs feature standard horizonal baffles. An angled footbox allows your feet to sit in their natural upright position without the down being compressed and your feet becoming cold.
What are the features?
A close fitting neck baffle seals in the warmth around your neck, while a drawcord on the hem can be tightened to create a tight seal around your face in extreme cold. A ¾ length main zip saves weight over a full length alternative and features an ant-snag webbing tape behind to avoid it biting the fabric. An internal zipped pocket keeps your electronics warm to prevent the battery depleating. Lastly, an included stuffsack and cotton storage sack store the sleeping bag when in use/when not in use.
How does it fit?
The Andes features Rab's mummy shape, meaning it's wide enough to allow you to sleep with your arms by your side, yet narrow enough that it doesn't take hours to warm up the inside of the bag. It tapers down towards the feet and feels snug yet unrestrictive. In terms of volume, there is enough room inside the bag to wear additional layers if required.
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Pertex Quantum Pro outer fabric
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Pertex Quantum inner fabric with Polygiene® Stays Fresh Technology
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Pertex Quantum Pro inner fabric in hood and foot
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800FP R.D.S Certified European Goose Down
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Rab Fluorocarbon free Hydrophobic Down developed in conjunction with Nikwax®
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Close fitting neck baffle design
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Longitudinal chest baffles with internal Flowgate® technology to control down
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Face baffle for improved hood fit
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Mummy shape
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Longitudinal foot baffles to minimise down migration
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Proportionally assigned differential cut
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Internal YKK 3 coil zipped stash pocket
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¾ length YKK 5 coil main zip
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Left hand zip only
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Anti snag zipper webbing tape
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Internal collar and hood drawcord
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Trapezoidal baffle chamber design
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Angled foot box
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Dry bag compression stuff sack
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Cotton storage sack
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Filled in Derbyshire UK
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.