Recently I wrote about Mont’s new Zero Superlight sleeping bag with 1000 loft fill. The bag certainly impressed me with its minimal weight, bulk and loft and it also seemed remarkably warm.
I chose to take it with me on my latest walk into the Tasmanian Central Highlands last week.
At this time of year the Tasmanian endemic plant, Richea Scoparia comes into flower and in a good year there can be whole swathes of flowers carpeting the landscape in a multitude of colours. This was one of those years.
I had 3 days to explore the area and I set my tent up in an isolated and peaceful location.
I always find conditions in the bush fascinating and I have recently purchased an extremely accurate temperature data logger to measure temperatures outside the tent. I have another instrument by the same company that can measure inside temps.
I mentioned last time that the Superlight Zero was a good candidate for adding to a sleep system I.e.add extra clothing in a Superlight sleeping bag when it gets cool. The walk in was pleasant in mild conditions but as evening approached a chill crept into the air.
This was a good opportunity to test the sleep system idea as eventually the temperature dropped to -2.8°C. I wore my Mont Guide Primaloft Hoodie and thermals in the Zero Superlight and I was totally comfortable, in fact almost too warm. This was probably because the temperature inside the tent (the Mont Krypton) was almost 5°C warmer than outside at 2.5°C. So potentially, using a tent, this sleeping bag could suffice down to below -5°C ambient temperature for a warm sleeper.
I had set my alarm for 4 am as I needed time to walk across to a particular tarn for the sunrise. The outside of the tent was coated in ice when I exited and the ground sparkled with thousands of icy specular highlights in the beam of my headlamp. Walking offtrack at night provided a pleasant exercise in following animal pads through the scrub and forest and 45 minutes later i arrived at my destination. Sunrise as such wasn’t spectacular but the still morning air created perfect conditions for photographing the landscape and its vegetation.
By 9am I was back at the tent and I slipped back into the bag for a nap.
The afternoon was spent exploring the mountains around me and as darkness fell the mosquitoes let me know that the second night wasn’t going to be as cold as the first. In fact, it only dropped to 6.9°C, a warm night in the mountains.
The next morning it was a leisurely pack then walk out.
Something that stood out on this trip was the lack of snakes. This area has large numbers of snakes and every visit in summer has yielded several sightings. On a 3 day trip like this in summer I would have expected to have seen 4 to 6 Tiger snakes, but I saw none. Talking to a Parks track ranger on the way out, she mentioned that she had noticed the same thing. It’s always a privilege to see these beautiful animals in their native surroundings and to see a complete absence is very worrying. Hopefully it is only temporary.
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Hassles aka Glenn
February 14, 2023
Hi Guys
I spent last weekend in my Mont Telemark sleeping bag. I bought this bag back in the days when sleeping bags was all Mont was making. It still functions flawlessly. If memoery serves my second Mont investment was a rain shell called Rappel – still in perfect condition but in great need of a treatment (advice please). Over the years I have seen Mont’s offerings become more diverse and while I have long had all I need I often recommend Mont to the generation that is now following me. I have purchased many of your clothing item for loved ones and all are impressed. I bought my Outgear back-pack before you were making yours but some of my friends now have Mont packs and we’re all happy campers. Thanks ever so much for your dedication to outdoor recreation and for your excellent products :-)
Glenn