I’ve been using the Mountain Equipment Titan 550 for a number of years now, but never down to the extremes of temperature that it is recommended for. I’ve used it recently over a few winter camps and think it’s perhaps time I gave this a long overdue revue, especially as it appears to have been discontinued by the manufacturer.
With an advertised weight of 1225g (mine shows a weight of 1289g), this is a good choice for part of a winter camping system when used with a well rated mat (or mats). On recent trips I’ve been using it with my hammock and tarp setup, which probably stretches its capabilities a little more, as hammocks are renowned for losing heat without the addition of an underquilt.
The bag is only available in blue and is constructed using a more heavyweight outer material than is used on my Mountain Equipment Helium 400, and also appears to be slightly water-repellant. It’s a box-wall construction with a water-resistant down, making it more suitable for spring/winter/autumn use where colder and damper conditions will be encountered, and it comes with a full length zip on the left hand side of the bag.
The hood can be cinched down using an elasticated drawcord, as can a rather generous neck baffle which is designed to retain more heat in the bag, and the left-hand side zip is covered with a velcro flap. In very cold conditions it is worth wearing a face covering such as a buff or even the ubiquitous face-mask to ensure that any heat loss around the face area is kept to a minimum.
When getting down to around zero I usually double up on layers and I’ve taken to wearing a pair of down bothy slippers, and I certainly found that these were necessary on my most recent camp, however given that it was in an open hammock this may have had some effect, and would perhaps not be as necessary in a tent where some heat is retained and where a good insulation system is employed.
The bag is advertised as having a comfort rating of 2°C (yet confusingly it then also shows a comfort limit of -5°C with an extreme rating of –21°C. Even more confusingly the limits on the stuff sack are different again, showing as 0°C with a comfort limit of -7°C and an extreme rating of –24°C. At around 0°C I had a fairly comfortable nights sleep, and I am sure that the bag could be pushed further, although I would think that minus 21/24 is on the optimistic side, and I’ll not be attempting to test it at those temperatures…
All in all the bag is comfortable, durable and made to a high standard. It will give years of use if looked after and stored properly, and is more than suitable for camping anytime outside the summer season where a lighter bag would be more than sufficient. The bag appears to have been discontinued by Mountain Equipment although it can occasionally be found at some online retailers for a fraction of the RRP. If you can get one then you’ll be grabbing an absolute bargain. If not, the Mountain Equipment Classic 500 seems to be it’s successor, with similar advertised performance and design, albeit without the water-resistant down and weighing in at around 200g less.
The Airdrie Rambler 