Pipedream realised

After reading Chris Townsend's article in TGO Magazine a couple of weeks ago, I thought I'd found my ideal winter sleeping bag. Unfortunately my enthusiasm for the very reasonably priced Pipedream 800 was dashed, when I discovered it was only produced in black (see here). 

I've continued searching for a winter sleeping bag, but nothing has so far managed to satisfy my requirements for, a temperature rating of, -12C, with a full length zip, weighing 1100g maximum, all for a cost of no more than £250, and after the Pipedream 800 disappointment, it must not be black!
I may be expecting a lot for my cash, but I'm sure there's a bag out there somewhere just waiting for me. The easiest solution would be to buy a Xero 750, the warmer version of my Xero 550,  but the RRP is in the region of £360, which is far too expensive for an item I'll probably use only use a few times a year!


I woke early Saturday morning. Unable to sleep, I got up, made a brew and spent some time surfing the net. The blogs I follow hadn't been very active, so with time to spare before breakfast I decided to check for any sleeping bag bargains.

Nothing new at my usual kit suppliers, so I Googled "Winter down sleeping bags" nothing, then I Googled "Xero 750", and bingo I hit the jackpot! The LD Mountain Centre in Newcastle upon Tyne were offering Mountain Equipment Xero 750's, at £263.99 in their Winter sale, that's over £100 below list price.

This was just too good to miss. Ok, ok, I know it's over £250, and it does weigh 90g more than my 1100g weight limit, but it's good for -13c, has a full length zip and comes in a lovely bright red. Realistically I don't think I'm going to find a better deal than this, so I've placed my order, and I'm just hoping they still have some stock left.