In reply to Post #223
Wearing a breathable baselayer and a mid layer on my top half and thin fleece lined trousers (or just normal trousers) - I never had a problem getting the bag warm enough after getting in.

It was in the early hours I was waking up too cold and had to layer up - and no I was not sweating.

As I said, with the addition of a 2kg Trakker delux bedhcair cover I am now warm enough in all conditions.

I thought the sherpas do most/all the carrying so the weight of the bag doesn't matter!

In reply to Post #205
I have used this bag since it first came out and have commented several times on this forum. It is a very good bag BUT..

ON ITS OWN IT IS NOT A 5 SEASON BAG.

I first used mine with a Thermarest inflatable mattress underneath and a thin Trakker fleece lined bedchair cover. In freezing conditions it did not keep me warm - by the early hours I had to put extra clothing on.

Now I have a much thicker Trakker delux bedchair cover on it and it is warm enough in all conditions. But the mattress is another 750g and the bedchair cover another 2kg. All of which makes it just about as heavy as other bags out there.

It is not waterproof. You will need to add a bedchair cover to make it waterproof and if you fish in sub zero conditions you will need to add a bedchair cover anyway.

The zips are a bit ****. They catch on the material and are not crash zips. Most of the time I don't do the zips up unless it is really cold.

I use mine all the time. It is a good bag and I really like it. For most conditions it is warm and versatile and does not weigh much. For the money it should be better.

In reply to Post #130
Hi Boycie. I have tried all sorts. When I woke up cold that particular night I was wearing a thin polo shirt, light/medium weight fleece and normal cotton trousers.

My mate got in touch with Fortis to complain it wasn't a 5 season bag. They came back with the reply that you need to be wearing minimal layers for the bag to warm up. I've seen that suggested on here too. IMO there are flaws in this suggestion.

It is cold when you get in the bag and yes takes a while to warm up but I haven't noticed any difference whether I am wearing more layers or not. As an angler in the depths of winter I don't want to be taking layers off to get into a cold bag and I don't want to be wearing B***er all at 3 in the morning if I have to rush out to a take. The idea that you take layers off to warm a bag up is sound if it is a mummy style bag but in an envelope type bag this doesn't work because there are so many air pockets and so many parts of the bag that you are not warming up when you first get in.

Look it is a good bag but IMO if you are fishing all year round you will need an extra layer.

The best crash zips I've ever had are on my Trakker Big Z Pertex bag - big, chunky and with nothing to catch on and with proper baffles they do not let any drafts in. But that bag is stupidly heavy.

Lots of people have suggested Military mummy style 3 layer bags and I got one but I move around too much when I'm getting to sleep and when I am asleep and so found they didn't suit me. I want my bag fixed to the bedchair and with space inside so I can stretch and move about.

In reply to Post #128
Sorry to be a dissenting voice here. I think these are generally very good bags, comfortable and warm. I have the original green version.

But. I used mine Summer, Autumn and then in temps down to freezing over the winter, with a thermarest inflatable mattress and a Trakker fleece bedchair cover over the top. I woke up in the early hours cold and needed to put on an extra fleece to get back to sleep. In temps warmer than freezing I have been warm enough but IMO this is not a "5 season" bag as marketed, whatever that actually means. I appreciate others have not had an issue but that is my experience and no, I don't feel the cold particularly. I have two mates who have the same bags and also have not been warm enough in the coldest months.

I also think the zips are cheap and too thin and occasionally they have caught on the flap material and got stuck.

For the weight it is a very good bag compared to what else there is out there. For the price, I'm not sure. I am happy enough with mine but I need extra layers in the coldest of weather.

In reply to Post #74
18-20mm boilies and size 4 hooks will do you fine. Also mesh or plastic shrink wrap your hardened hook baits as the crays can be a nightmare on there. I used the plastic shrink wrap and found it to be excellent, better than meshing with tights IMO. Fish for a bite at a time.

In reply to Post #41
Ha ha ha, not a lecture just a statement of fact. As a consumer I am as hypocritical as the next person and also like a bargain and a cheap deal. I never said I only buy ethically. The post was about why a UK designed, developed, manufactured and sold product - which this Fortis x Snugpack is meant to be - costs quite as much as it does compared to getting it all done in China where labour is dirt cheap.

We could exchange views on the merits of an international minimum wage if you like...

In reply to Post #39
Quote: "Whilst appreciating the quality of the bag i kept saying to myself "i wish they made these in a square shape instead of a mummy style along with crash zips". This fortis snugpak bag has answered all my prayers".

I feel the same way. I have been using the Snugpack Elite 4 and can't believe how warm it is compared to everything else I have used and yet it packs down to very little and weighs less than 2kg. I also wished they did one with crash zips and rectangular - and now they have. Whether it will be quite as warm in a rectangular shape remains to be seen - and that may be why they have not used the temperature ratings they normally classify their sleeping bags in.

Like I said before it is overpriced - my Elite 4 cost me £86.50 from new. But if you factor in the ethics of paying someone a decent wage in a UK based product then that makes a difference. Seriously people, you get almost all your tackle as cheap as you do coz some poor Chinaman with a family to support gets 3 grains of rice a month as salary...

In reply to Post #22
I've been told these will not now be available until January.

In reply to Post #14
I have been using the Snugpack Elite 4 for over a year now and it is much warmer than anything I have ever used from within the tackle trade. It is comfort rated to -10 C and weighs less than 2kg. My original Trakker pertex bag weighed 3 times as much and is not as warm. My Fox Ventec Lite weights in at 3kg and is not warm enough for me even with a bedchair cover. OK the Elite 4 is a mummy style bag, doesn't attach to the chair and the zips are not crash zips - none of this bothers me but it might be a deal breaker for other people. It cost me just £86 new.

So if the new Techlite is as warm and has been specifically designed for anglers and bedchairs then in my view they are on to a winner here, albeit overpriced.

In reply to Post #2
Excellent guide thank you, some really useful tips there