Vango Cobra 600 Sleeping bag review

The Vango Cobra 600 Down Sleeping Bag is great value, 4-season, and packs away small & light

Vango Cobra 600 Sleeping bag review

Wild camping is a big hobby of mine and a lightweight down-filled sleeping bag that packs away small is a key bit of kit for me - infact it's essential! I was therefore keen to test this new technical sleeping bag out when it was gifted to me by Vango, which is the warmest sleeping bag in their range. As ever I try and keep my reviews straightforward and to the point and they are always unbiased.

The Vango Cobra 600 sleeping bag only weighs 1.1kg and packs away small so easy to fit in your rucksack, perfect for wild camping in colder conditions.

Pro's of the Cobra 600

It's a great value down sleeping bag for the budget conscious (you should be able to pick one up for around £220 online - RRP £320!)
The Cobra 600 is lightweight at 1.1kg - ideal for those who like to carry minimum weight, such as a wild camper like me!
It has a 20D 380T Nylon Outer Shell fabric which is durable and water-resistant
It's suitable for 4 seasons, with a stated comfort temperature of -5c (comfort limit of -12c) I always think it's confusing with sleeping bag ratings as some of us are warm sleepers and some are cold. Personally I’m a warm sleeper and tested this bag out at 1c - and it was fine with the hood up (wearing just boxer shorts if you must know ha). In general with sleeping bags I wouldn’t usually go much colder than the comfort temp - which in this case is -5c - unless you are wearing thermals too and have a sleeping matt with a very high R (insulation) rating.
The down insulation used is Vango's own Hydro Barrier Down (ethically sourced), a 700 fill-power goose down which is ultra lightweight and apparently treated to stay drier 4x longer than untreated down - a big plus point with this bag
I’m 6ft and weigh 14 stone - I found the sleeping bag a good fit for me
The welded box wall construction maintains even distribution of the down insulation form head to toe (and avoid cold spots) - a very useful feature
It has a neat footbox construction to make it more comfortable for the feet to be in their natural position
The Zip Guard feature prevents zip catching on outer fabric - which I love
The 3D Hood has multiple points of adjustment to seal in warmth and feels a snug and cosy fit
It has a very high feature list - which you can see on Vango's website here
Comes with a large storage mesh stuff suck

The Zip guard is a good little feature and means the zip doesn't get stuck when using it - I hate it when that happens on your gear!

The welded box wall construction maintains even distribution of the down insulation from head to toe (and avoids cold spots) - a must-have feature when dealing with cold temps

Its comes with a large mesh stuff sack for storage to help prolong the life of the down fill

Negative's of the Cobra 600

To be honest this a great sleeping bag for the money and doesn't have many downsides - but here are a few niggles:
I remain to be convinced about the temperature ratings (a confusing thing about all sleeping bag ratings to be honest) In general with sleeping bags I wouldn’t usually go much colder than the comfort temp - which in this case is -5c and I'll stand by that - I wouldn't want to push this down to -12c. In saying that I wild camp in the UK and only extreme winter high-altitude temperatures in the Lakes/Scotland would push this bag beyond it's limits I think.
Note for winter camping (which should go without saying) you will also need a winter suitable sleeping mat - sleeping on the floor in one of these won’t protect you from the cold conditions
I'm 6ft and this sleeping bag is a perfect size for me - anyone bigger than 6ft 2 would need something longer though

The Vango Cobra 600 Sleeping bag is a great for UK wild campers across all seasons

Summary of the Vango Cobra 600 sleeping bag

All things considered the Vango Cobra 600 Sleeping bag is a great addition to the budget conscious, camper's kit, who wants a light-weight, 4 season, down-filled sleeping bag. I'll continue to use it and look forward to many more spring, autumn & winter wild camps in the UK using this sleeping bag.

Vango also have the Cobra 400 Sleeping bag which is a 3 season down-filled sleeping bag that looks similar but has a comfort temp down to -1c as opposed to -5c for the Cobra 600 - if you just do spring, summer & autumn camping this will be worth checking out also and you can pick one up for about £180 online.

Post by Stuart Hodgson
'The Hiking Photographer'

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