Rab now use Hydrophobic Down in all their sleeping bags, this flurocarbon free treatment was developed in conjunction with Nikwax and although Hydrophobic Down is not waterproof it dries much faster, absorbs less water and retains loft far better than untreated down. The Ascent 500 is a 3 season season bag designed in a semi-rectangular shape that is user friendly for general camping or for those wanting a bit more room than a tapered mummy shaped bag. The Ascent 500 offers fantastic value for money, quality construction and low weight for its performance. All Rab sleeping bags with left and right zips can be zipped together to form a cozy double bag.
Filled with 500g of 650 fill power 80/20 Grey Duck Down in a Semi-Rectangular shape which is optimised for the specific fill weight. The generous internal shape is cut to allow a more relaxed sleeping position without sacrificing the performance needed for general mountain and outdoor activities. The shape of the trapezoidal internal baffle chamber delivers a very stable structure that delivers a consistent distribution of down throughout the bag. Differential cut ensures that the space between the lining and the outer fabric is optimised for the specific filling and fill power. These two technologies combine to maximise the potential of the down to loft naturally and reduce migration resulting in greater performance.
The outer and inner fabrics are Pertex Quantum which is durable and lightweight and dries exceptionally quickly. Access is via a 3/4 YKK zip with an anti-snag baffle. An internal shoulder baffle helps to keep all the warmth in the bag and provides the ultimate in snuggly comfort. Both the hood and the shoulder baffle have drawcords.
Temperature ratings are used to indicate a bags performance but are subjective and can be hugely affected by many factors such as your health and metabolism, how much you have had to eat or drink, how active you have been, humidity and altitude, the type of shelter used and whether you are using a suitable insulating mat. Your sleeping bag is only as good as the mat that’s beneath it, we recommend EXPED mats for comfort and insulation.
The "Comfort" rating indicates the range at which a woman gets a full night’s sleep; the "Limit of Comfort" rating indicates the range at which a man gets a full night’s sleep and the "Extreme" rating indicates a range at which a woman is protected from hypothermia. The Extreme rating is basically a survival rating and it is not advisable to rely on this for general use. The ratings we have published are Rab's "Sleep Limit" ratings which are calculated from EN13537-2002 and BS TOG ratings.
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Pertex Quantum inner and outer fabric
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650FP European Duck Down
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Rab fluorocarbon free Hydrophobic Down developed in conjunction with Nikwax
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Wide mummy shape
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Proportionally assigned differential cut
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Internal YKK 3 coil zipped stash pocket
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Wide foot area for extended comfort
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Left hand side ¾ length YKK 5 coil main zip
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Anti snag zipper webbing tape
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Internal collar and hood drawcord
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Improved close fitting neck baffle design
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Trapezoidal baffle chamber design
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Angled foot box
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Compression stuff sack
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Cotton storage sack
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Temperature tested to new European standard EN13537: 2012 (excluding 900 fill)
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Hand filled in Derbyshire UK
How warm a sleeping bag do you really need? We’ve tried to help you by grouping our sleeping bags by their recognised comfort ratings. These are the ratings supplied by the brands that indicate the temperature at which you will remain comfortable whilst sleeping on an insulated sleep mat. After all, comfort is what you want when it’s cold and wet outside, and you’re all tucked up in your nice warm sleeping bag.
We always recommend that you choose your bag according to the coldest conditions you will experience; you can always unzip a bag if it is too warm, but trying to sleep when you’re too cold is just miserable. Bear in mind that we are all individuals, so we all feel the cold differently and that our own resistance will fluctuate depending on a whole load of factors, including how much we have eaten, whether we have consumed alcohol, whether we need a wee or what kind of mood we are in!
Sleeping bags do not generate heat; they only trap the heat we produce, so it is vital that you get into your bag when you are giving off warmth, don’t go to bed when you are cold, have a hot meal or a hot drink or do some brisk exercise to get you nicely warmed up.
Traditionally sleeping bag manufacturers provided their own temperature ratings based on their experience, the product's intended end-use and the perceived environment. However, each brand tested their bags in different ways, and it was hard to find a fair comparison between models. So, in 2005 a European standard for sleeping bag temperature ratings, EN 13537, was introduced to give consumers a comparable guide to sleeping bag performance across a range of brands and models. The ratings have four different temperature ratings to give you an indication of the bag's performance.
Comfort Rating: This is the temperature at which an average female should experience a comfortable night’s sleep. On average, women sleep colder than men, so this rating is some degrees above the "comfort lower limit" for a man.
Comfort Limit Rating: This is the lowest temperature at which an average male should experience a comfortable night’s sleep whilst laid down in a curled up position.
Extreme: This is a survival rating where the user is likely to suffer health damage such as Hypothermia. It should be treated with the utmost caution and not be relied on for general use.
However, the EN 13537 European Standard does not apply to down-filled sleeping bags with a fill weight of more than 800g; for those bags, you will have to rely on the manufacturer's experience and technical expertise, which is often more accurate!
Most reputable brands still use their own rating system alongside EN 13537, for instance, Mountain Equipment's “Good Night’s Sleep” and Rab’s “Sleep Limit”. These ratings are often the most accurate guide to the overall performance of a sleeping bag being used by an average outdoor enthusiast because they are based on years of expedition heritage, field trials, technological experience, and constant feedback.
But please bear in mind that all ratings are only a guide and, as mentioned earlier, there are a huge range of factors that can affect your comfort; if you are just not sure, it is always wise to go for a warmer model.
The biggest difference you can make to your overall comfort is to use an efficiently insulated sleeping mat. Once you get inside your sleeping bag, you instantly compress all the filling beneath you, greatly reducing its efficiency. Therefore using a quality sleep mat will ensure you are properly insulated from the cold ground, and you will be a lot more comfortable... Basically, there is no point in buying a top-quality sleeping bag if you are just going to lie down on the floor.