Waterproof shell

The outer shell of our Torpedo sleeping bags is made of waterproof and breathable eVent fabric. Since the eVent fabric roll is not wide enough to allow a whole bag to be cut as a single piece, the shell is made up of two pieces of fabric which are sewn together. This seam is then taped to ensure that the shell is completely waterproof.

The bag is opened and closed by means of a highly water-resistant Riri Aquazip, whose plastic teeth mesh to form a watertight seal.

In other words, there are only two parts of our Torpedo sleeping bags that are not completely impervious to water. One is the inner face of the hood, and the other is a small area at the bottom of the zip, whose end is left free so that two bags can be zipped together. Other than that, the Torpedo will give complete protection.

Down baffles

The inner of every Torpedo sleeping bag comprises a system of vertical and horizontal baffles. These compartments are designed to hold the down in place around the body of the sleeper and maximise the performance of the bag as a whole.

The baffles are made of a very lightweight mesh and are welded to the inside of the shell. We owe thanks to Exped for allowing us to use their patented method (www.exped.com). Torpedo sleeping bags are typically made up of 46–54 baffles, placing them amongst the most sophisticated designs currently available.

Looking at the pattern of baffles on the inside of the bag, you will see that the torso area (i.e. the top half of the front of the bag) is covered by vertical V-tubes. V-tube baffles hold down in place more effectively than any other method. The rest of the bag – i.e. the lower half of the front and the whole of the back – uses slant box-wall baffles, an overlapping system which prevents any cold spots.

The Torpedo 500 employs a standard side baffle to prevent the movement of down between the front and back of the bag. The 700 and 900 models have a V-tube side baffle running the full length of the bag to reduce heat leakage from this area.

All Torpedo sleeping bags have double baffles to cover the zip, and these are connected directly to the full neck baffl/e. The neck baffle itself has a conventional one-handed shock-cord adjustment. There is also an adjustment cord around the perimeter of the hood.

For more information about the various types of baffle and the internal construction of sleeping bags in general, click here.

Riri Aquazip

Torpedo sleeping bags use the highly water-resistant Riri Aquazip. The zip has a generous length of 158 cm, which equates to full-length on the Small bags (closer to ¾ length on the Medium and Large). The size Medium Torpedo is available in a choice of right-hand or left-hand zip and can be doubled up with another bag with the opposite zip. The sizes Small and Large come with a left-hand zip.