K-Way Zermatt 950 Eco Sleeping bag

The K-Way Zermatt 950 Eco Sleeping bag is a lightweight sleeping bag suitable for hiking in good weather. “The French” has the same bag, and complained that she was cold in it in mild weather in the Cederberg. I called her a p***y. I am willing to eat my words after spending a night “chilling” in Montagu…

Since the below review, we have bought a second bag, and now have a matching left and right pair. Zipped together and shared with a partner they work very well, and body heat more than compensates for colder temperatures.

The bag is officially rated as -5°C Extreme / 0°C Comfort. I have just returned from the Asics X-Treme Trail Run in Montagu. The first night I was awoken by the cold, and still in my Zermatt bag, climbed into my old Benedorm bag (which may be old and bulky, but you could roast a leg of lamb in it)! I slept like this the rest of the morning and the next night. When I finally got out of the tent on the second morning, the sun had just risen, and my car registered an air temperature of 6.5°C. Heaven help the person stuck in this bag at anything below 8°C!

The bag weighs in at 950g and has a synthetic filling. It has a cowl with a drawstring, and the full-length zipper has a baffle. The Large is 220cm long, with a width of 82cm at the shoulders that tapers to 56cm at the feet, giving a snug fit. It is a pity that it does not have a zipper that allows for the bottom of the bag to be opened independently of the main zipper as the narrowness at the bottom can make for uncomfortably warm feet in warmer weather. Left and Right models allow for two bags to be zipped together.

My verdict: a great bag for hiking in mild weather, but I will be looking for something warmer for the winter months.

R1499.00 @ Cape Union Mart [27 June 2016]