To wonder if the DofE recommended sleeping bags are overpriced?

[habloingles]

I need to buy a good quality 3 season, compact sleeping bag for DS's upcoming DofE trips. The DofE recommend a particular brand, but they're almost twice the price of others with a very similar sounding specification on Amazon. Are their prices inflated because they're recommended or are the cheaper ones all inferior?

I got mine a silk liner to help keep them warm one of mine really feels the cold!

another popular trick for stopping loss of heat thru the ground is a length of radiator backing foil. I used to either roll it up or fold it flat down the back of my rucksack to carry. Also those foil winscreen shields. weigh little, cost little, work well.

if her water bottle is leakproof such as nalgene or an aluminium one, use as a hot water bottle wrapped up with her socks.

fb pages such as wildcamping uk or outdoor gear advice are good for asking gear/ advise questions. all budgets catered for!

Try a caravan/tenting store if you have one nearby.

I`d be careful of caravan places. their stuff is heavy and not made with carrying it 5 miles+ in mind!

other places to try: backpacking light, camping world, cotswolds do price matching d of e offers, alpkit. you want stuff for hikers.

Have a look at the Microlite bags from mountain Warehouse.

A tip not mentioned is wearing a woolly hat overnight to prevent heat loss from the head this also really helps.

I had mountain warehouse sleeping bag at first. It was the first thing I upgraded!! its not a brand renowned in the hikers world! you can tell when you look at how they sell their top end down sleeping bags: stored on the shop shelf compressed!! thats the biggest no no of down bag storage!......and I had to pint this out to staff lol! theyre shit. good for clothes/ bottles and bits though. not shoes either. waterproof my arse! now have scarpas and they are so comfy. yes to woolly hat at night.

Cotswolds do DofE discount regardless of price matching. Don't get down,nightmare if it gets wet which is highly likely for DofE.

Nothing wrong with Mountain Warehouse- kids doing DofE don't need expensive kit. It's hardly Everest.

Most important piece of kit are well fitted boots.Id say rucksack too but my dc share a borrowed cheap Vango one. One has just done an arduous 35 mile hike with it.As long as it's a 3 season sleeping bag it'll be fine. Waterproof breathable coat,ours isn't expensive,good base layer and socks are helpful but not crucial.

My dc have the NT leather boots I think,lower end but very well fitted. Well under £100.Never had a single blister. Cotswold are good for fitting and you get that discount 15%,same discount if you have NT cards. No need to get sleeping bags from there.Got our Vango for DofE at GoOutdoors. Have expensive down bags for camping as a family.

If it helps OP, I still have and use the Vango sleeping bag I got for my DofE over 20 years ago. It was about £70 at the time and I have looked after it.

A cheaper bag and liner/ clothing layers will be fine. Agree about going to Decathlon/ Go Outdoors. Also Millets have a sale online at the moment.

Have you considered a shout out on Facebook for kit from friends? I have a lot of old kit that I have replaced unnecessarily and will happily lend out a rucksack, stove, waterproofs, nav tools etc to friends and their DofE kids. A lot of people have this stuff gathering dust and would be glad to see it used.

Pro tip - the latest issue British Army sleeping bag is a basically identical to a sleeping bag made by a very reputable brand that costs about £150. It can be yours for under £70, sometimes much less. It is the modular sleeping bag and there are two available - a medium weight and a light weight. The lightweight is a one season summer bag that fits inside the medium but I just use the medium all year round. I recommend it.

Can I advise against Mountain Warehouse Rucksacks two people on DD's practice had them both fell apart on the first day. The DofE assessors said they were seeing this a lot with mountain warehouse Rucksacks.
Rucksack was the thing I spent a goodly amount of money on for DD as I still use my DofE Rucksacks 30 years later. I have pointed out it is a one of investment, but a good Rucksack can never be a bad thing for a teenager.

I love the osprey backpacks.I have one that's 40 something litres so small enough for a young teen. But big enough to backpack camp with.
They're sometimes reduced online or in blacks.

My younger 2 used it for their residential aged 11 and my oldest used it for D of E.

100% get a 3-season bag otherwise you are really limiting the use of the bag. It can easily be cold enough in the UK summer for a 3 season bag. There have been very few camping trips when I have been to hot.

FYI all bags are rated on the basis you are wearing a thermal layer.

You shouldn't put a fleece on if you are cold, as the air gap around your body in the bag is important for warmth, but instead put things over the top of you on top of the bag.

I am mid thirties. I literally, a few weeks go, replaced the vango 3-season synthetic bag my mum bought for me for my bronze D of E... That was a good investment! So much use.

I just spend £230 (in the sale!) on a super duper down bag and figure if it lasts 18 years like my last bag thats pretty good going!

Oh, I am also still using my D of E bronze purchased rucksack... sure its a bit heavier than the modern ones but it is sturdy, durable and comfortable. That rucksack has seen a lot of miles and been to a lot of countries!

It looks pretty retro though!

Have you considered a shout out on Facebook for kit from friends? I have a lot of old kit that I have replaced unnecessarily and will happily lend out a rucksack, stove, waterproofs, nav tools etc to friends and their DofE kids. A lot of people have this stuff gathering dust and would be glad to see it used.

^This

So many people have pretty decent kit as their 'seconds' and would be happy to lend it out to friends.

jeeves exactly, the army stuff is excellent value and lasts well. Particularly the boots. Virtually indestructible and much cheaper than hiking boots.

Alpkit make great stuff for the price.

How big is your child? A small person in a big bag will be colder than a larger person in the same bag as their body heat needs to warm more space. I'd prioritise size of bag over anything else if there little

I’ve always bought D of E stuff from Mountain Warehouse (there’s one in our town) - they give discount on all D of E purchases.

I've taken kids on quite a few DoE expeditions. If you're not going to use the kit again it's not worth spending loads (apart from really comfy boots). I've got one of those carry mats that inflates a little bit and have found the extra insulation is the trick to keeping warm. I also have fleecy pyjamas and wear socks and a jumper in bed (I don't bring extra clothes just wear them again - it's only two days). Try and borrow what you can, if your child has a friend who did it last year they may be able to help. If you are buying stuff ask for DoE discount as I've found shops that aren't on the DoE list will still give you a bit off.

All mine have used whatever random sleeping bags we have. Some we bought new, some were given to us by the scout leaders as they were no longer needed. We never bought recommended ones.

Their rucksacks are Tesco ones that were on sale, lasted quite a few years so far.

And we've never had problems with Mountain Warehouse boots. Buy them or Decathlon ones and they both last well.

You really don't have to spend loads.