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I’ve got a lot of hiking and backcountry adventures planned in my head for the upcoming summer season. Up until recently, I didn’t have all the gear (besides a tent) with me in Canada and renting, as useful as it can be, doesn’t allow for spontaneity when you have to book in advance and have things back by a certain time! So receiving some Vango gear was a very exciting package to come home to. They’ve kitted me out with some great gear for backcountry adventures that’ll keep me warm even on late autumn hikes near Vancouver. If you’re looking for a new sleeping bag then be sure to check out this review of the Vango Latitude 400 sleeping bag.
Vango Latitude 400 review
On a recent long weekend in Canada, we decided to head up to the mountains for the evening and review the Latitude 400 sleeping bag. Despite being the middle of April, Vancouver’s local mountains are still pretty snowy and our overnight trip to the backcountry on Mt Seymour meant we’d be sleeping on snow. And, with temperatures dipping in the minus overnight, this was a pretty good test for this Vango sleeping bag!
Read more about camping at Mt Seymour near Vancouver
The Latitude 400 is lightweight but it’s still quite a big bag even when packed up. It didn’t fit snuggly in the bottom of the Vango Cascade rucksack which is where I’m used to putting a sleeping bag, but it did fit upright with plenty of room left for the sleeping mat, clothes, and other camping gear.
Once we’d snowshoed our way up Mt Seymour and past the ski area we scouted out a spot, trampled down the snow and went about setting up camp. As the sun dropped behind the mountain things got cold pretty quickly and the snow that had been slushy began to ice over again.
It was time to retreat into the tent and put the Latitude 400 sleeping bag and Vango F10 Aero 3 sleeping mat, to the test!
Comfort
On getting the sleeping bag out of its stuff sack I was pleasantly surprised with how ‘puffy’ it was. You could tell it was going to be comfortable to get in!
This Latitude sleeping bag is mummy-style’ with a hood and then wider at the shoulders and narrow at the hips and feet. However, the bag has ‘arrow foot’ which gives your feet more space to fall however they normally would.
I’d say that the sleeping bag did seem a bit tight around my hips but this also helped to keep warmth in and it was easy enough to move around in.
The hood of the sleeping bag was slightly smaller than I thought it’d be but actually, this was great. Sometimes big hoods leave me feeling a little claustrophobic. With this sleeping bag, I didn’t wake up with the hood closed in over my face wondering what had happened as I have done previously in other similar style sleeping bags.
How warm is the Vango Latitude 400 sleeping bag?
The Latitude 400 is filled with Insulite® Helix which combines a mixture of hollow and multi-channel fibres. This material channels moisture away through tiny fibres, which works to keep the heat in and moisture out.
The Vango Latitude 400 is the warmest in the available range of Latitude bags from Vango. The Vango latitude 400, is a 4 season sleeping bag with the lowest recommended temperature at -11 Celcius and warmest at +15 Celcius.
The Vango Latitude sleeping bag has plenty of features which combine to make it warm.
First, the seams are offset to prevent cold spots at the stitching lines and slow down the heat from escaping, there’s ‘thermal rever’ which is an aluminimised layer to reflect the heat back into the bag and an insulated, adjustable shoulder baffle which I also found super comfortable for tucking myself in before bed.
Up on our snowy mountain top temperatures dipped below zero and as we were sleeping on metres of snow the ground felt very cold. The sleeping bag was having to work extra hard to keep me warm.
Whilst I wasn’t shivering, I wouldn’t say I was as warm as I’d expected (apart from my feet which was surprising since they’re usually always cold!). BUT, I think the issue was more that my body was trying to warm the snow up beneath me than anything else. Thom used the better sleeping mat, Vango F10 Aero 3 sleeping mat, while I had our small foam mat.
UPDATE: I’ve since tried the sleeping bag with the sleeping mat on snow again and I was very, very toasty!
How big is the Latitude 400 bag?
This Duke of Edinburgh recommended sleeping bag comes with a stuff sack. The stuff sack is big enough to fit the sleeping bag in without too much effort, yet also has four straps to squish the bag down to make it smaller for packing in your rucksack.
Despite the fact it looks pretty big, (4 season sleeping bags tend to be), the sleeping bag is still quite light weighing in at 2.1kg.
The sleeping bag was the bulkiest item in my backpacking gear but didn’t feel heavy once added to my pack.
How much is a Vango Latitude 400 sleeping bag?
If you’ve looked at sleeping bags before then you’ve probably noticed that some of them come with a huge price tag.
The Vango Latitude 400 is a very reasonably priced sleeping bag and retails at £79.99.
For that price, you’re getting a good all-round sleeping bag, one that’ll see you through the year without having to have a separate winter and summer bag.
Vango Latitude tech specs
| Weight | 2.1kg |
| Max User Height | 190cm |
| Extreme | -30° |
| Fill Type | Insulite Helix |
| Performance | 4 Season |
| Suggested Usage Max | 15° |
| Comfort | -4° |
| Limit | -11° |
My verdict
Vango sleeping bags are great for shorter expeditions and the Latitude 400 is lightweight and warm.
Sure I may not have been quite as warm as I’d had expected given the warmth rating, but I’m confident I’d be toasty were I not sleeping or snow (or had I not lent Thom the better Vango sleeping mat and slept on the foam one myself!).
For the price, it’d be pretty hard to find an equally comfortable, lightweight sleeping bag!
For the price, it’s honestly a bit of a steal and I’d highly recommend it if you’re looking for a sleeping bag for cooler temperatures.
