Arctic 1400: -28 °C, Crystal Down® Dry, L and XL only
Plan with comfort
The comfort temperature sits 5 to 10 °C above the limit on these bags and is the safer figure to plan with: -4 °C on the Walløe -10° and Iver -10°, -5 °C on the Knuth -10° and Bjarni -10°, -8 °C on the Nansen -15°. If you sleep cold and expect around -10 °C, choose the Knuth -20° or Arctic 1100 (comfort -10 °C) or the Arctic 1400 (comfort -20 °C). For milder nights, see 3-season sleeping bags.
Down or synthetic
At the same -10 °C limit, down saves 470 to 790 g in size M, while synthetic fill copes better with moisture and dries faster. If a winter bag gets a cut or hole, Care & Repair can repair it. It can also refill down bags and offers a wash and dry service for down products. Our down care FAQ recommends professional washing for heavily filled winter sleeping bags.
Arctic for expeditions
The Arctic models are the widest here: 85 cm at the shoulders for the Arctic 1100 in size M, against 71 to 80 cm for the other models in M, and 88 cm for the Arctic 1400. Their Crystal Down® Dry fill has a DWR coating that makes the down fibres moisture repellent and faster drying, and the rip-stop nylon shell has a hydrostatic head of 1200 mm.
A mat for winter
Sleeping bag ratings are tested on a well-insulated mat, so a mat with a low R-value makes your bag feel colder. The sleeping bag and mat FAQ suggests an R-value of 4 to 5.4 for winter and nights below freezing, and 5.5 and above for extreme cold. Among our sleeping mats, the self-inflating Alden 10.0 XL Mat has an R-value of 6 at 10 cm, while the Alden 5.0 M Mat has 3.7 at 5 cm, which the FAQ places in the three-season range.