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Carp Fishing Forum
A look at one of the lower priced bags on offer from Trakker
Carp Fishing provides it's own set of challenges for sleeping bag manufacturers and a whole range of bags have evolved to fill this niche. Whilst mountaineering for instance requires a tiny pack size, and a slim mummy style fit, both these things are not so necessary for the carp angler. Personally think comfort is far higher on the priority list of the average carper whose bag is used more duvet style then snugged up in a snow hole.
At the cheaper end of the spectrum of carp angling designed bags is the big snooze offering from trakker. Having used one of these beasties over the course of a few hundred nights over the last few years the pros and cons of this are clear.
The trakker bag features a black fleecy lining and this is something of an personaly preference issue. On the one hand it is beautifully soft to the touch and nice against the skin. Fleece also has the advantage of helping draw moisture away from the skin and remaining warm when wet so preventing things getting too cold on a wet session where a bit of dampness is inevitable. On the other hand have tended to find given the high friction of fleece against other fabrics the bag tends to move with you a bit if not strapped down. This shouldn't however be a problem with the newest big snoozes which feature sleeves to attach to the bedchair. Another slight disadvantage of the fleecy lining is that it tends to trap dust, mud, insects anything really so doesn't shake out so easily.
Of course the most critical factor with sleeping bags is really warmth range. The Big Snooze fits nicely in that middle range temperature bracket. Perfect for Autumn and Spring it can get a little toasty for hot summer nights and is also not quite enough for the real depths of winter, although a cover and/or hot water bottle can remedy that, depending on how cold you sleep.
Build quality wise it seems ok, i.e. it's still in one piece so no complaints really
Conclusion: All in all not a bad piece of kit and suitable as a general purpose carping bag for most conditions. Allied to a cover, that can be used alone in the summer, you can cover pretty much all but the coldest sessions on a pretty tight budget. The Big Snooze is typically around ?40. 8/10
