Ripcord Adventure Gear Guide #1

41
Game Changer: OEX
The horseman and his horse bid me farewell, and rode off into the
distance. I was left alone, which was the preferable scenario given I
had only one sleeping bag. The 2.5cm self-inflating mat comes in a
small, reasonably strong case to keep the dirt off it and stop it
becoming snagged on anything sharp, and I rolled it out in the tent.
It was just about long enough (I’m 5’10”), and sufficiently wide that
none of me hung over the side when I lay down. A nice touch is the
non-slip panels on the underside of the mat, which should in theory
at least reduce the likelihood of you sliding in the night if you’ve
pitched the tent on a slope. I was on the flat, so this wasn’t a concern,
but I noted it nonetheless.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
The third of the items I tested was the Roam 300 sleeping bag. To be
honest, I’m picky about sleeping bags and have used the same Big
Agnes bag since 2008, eschewing all others. I often get too hot at
night, even in cooler climates, and hate it when the sleeping bag gets
sweaty.
At night, the temperature in the park dipped well below zero, and I
could see my breath in the air. I therefore retreated into the tent
early, pretty much as soon as it fell dark, and clambered into the
Roam 300, holding my torch in my teeth. My first impressions were
positive. There’s plenty of wriggle room, even if you’re wearing
several extra layers. You can reach the pull cords around the hood
easily enough and the toggles are placed in such a way that they’re
not going to inadvertently dig you in the face if you roll over in the
night. That’s certainly a plus point.
Initially I was warm, but as the night went on and my body
temperature dropped, the sleeping bag wasn’t quite as cosy as I’d
have liked. This isn’t the fault of OEX - it’s not a 4-season bag - and
it would have had ample insulation if the mercury had stayed above
zero, or even a few degrees below freezing. When OEX do a 4-
season comes out, I’d be happy to give that a go.
When I did the field test in Mongolia, I hadn’t been told what the
products cost. Based on what I’ve paid for my personal expedition kit
previously, I’d mentally pegged the Coyote III at around the £300
mark, and estimated the Roam 300 would have set me back £120 or
so. I’d have been happy with £70 for the sleeping mat, though would