GEAR | Perfect For Autumn Camping, We Snuggle Up In The Vango Radiate Single Sleeping Bag – Review

September 25, 2020 Shell Robshaw-Bryan

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If you’re always cold when camping, listen up. The Vango Radiate is a heated sleeping bag and it promises to change everything! Find out what we thought when we tested it out…

What is it?

Vango Radiate Single Sleeping Bag RRP: £85

Overall Rating (4.5 / 5)

Stockists

Features

3 Season / 10 Tog sleeping bag
Touch Button Controller – 4 heat settings at the touch of a button
Connects up to any USB power pack, and includes USB cable and storage pocket
Built-in heat via the integrated Graphene heat element
ThermoLock pro insulation
Can be machine washed up to 30 degrees
Compression carry bag

Vango Radiate Single Heated Sleeping Bag

What we thought

I first wrote about the Vango Radiate sleeping bag back in February after I saw it in action at the camping and caravan show a the NEC. One pandemic and several months later, I finally got my hands on my very own Radiate sleeping bag, and I couldn’t wait to try it.

Fortunately, I didn’t have to wait long, and just a few days after it arrived, I took off on a 5 day camping trip to the coast.

The sleeping bag uses Graphene technology to create a heated zone inside the sleeping bag. To power the heated sleeping bag, you plug the integrated USB cable into any power bank which is then easily stored in the sleeping bag pocket.

Maplin Power Banks Charge Tech Electronics On The Go

There are 4 different heat settings and depending on which one you choose, and the size of the power bank you’re using, that will determine how long it will run for – generally a good few hours though even on the top heat setting.

Pros

Thick and warm 10 Tog sleeping bag even without the heating turned on
Great Vango quality
Perfect for family campers with that one perpetually cold family member
Fits easily back into the generously sized bag
Ideal for colder weather camping in late autumn and early spring
Even with the integrated USB cable, the sleeping bag is washable

Cons

Doesn’t come with a USB power pack
The heated area is relatively small
The pocket that holds your power bank is relatively small, and mine just about fitted inside

Of course, the downside is that if you leave it on all night, your power bank is likely to die before the night is through, meaning you’ll also need to make sure you have a solar charger or another way of recharging your power bank for use night after night.

We have a HUBi so charging devices isn’t a problem for us, which meant I happily used the Radiate every night and kept it on until I was just about to drop off and feeling warm and toasty. I also found that when I got up in the night to go to the loo, it was lovely being able to press a button and feel almost instantly cosy as I dropped off again.

The verdict

Our Rating

Quality 5/5

Practicality 4.5/5

Warmth 4.5/5

Value 4.5/5

Overall Rating (4.5 / 5)

When I first saw this sleeping bag earlier this year, I thought it would be a game-changer, and having camped with it, I can safely say, it does indeed making camping in colder weather much more pleasant.

I usually use a hot water bottle in cold weather, and whilst the heat generated from the Radiate is in no way as hot or long-lasting as a hot water bottle, the gentle warmth it provides really does make a difference.

The heated area is down towards the bottom of the sleeping bag which makes for toasty warm feet, and generally, if your extremities are warm, then you’re more likely to stay warm, so locating it here makes sense.

I do think it’s a shame though that there isn’t a second heated area higher up to heat the torso – for me, if there was also a heated area around the lower back, the Radiate would get a full 5 stars.

If you struggle with cold when camping, or you’d like to camp later in the year or earlier in the season when it’s a bit colder, the Vango Radiate will make a great addition to your camping kit, helping to keep you cosy.

I’ve seen the Vango Radiate sleeping bag available to buy for under £60 on Amazon, so even if you weren’t factoring in the heating element, it’s still a great value 3-season sleeping bag and definitely well worth considering for perpetually cold campers!

Win a Vango Radiate sleeping bag

We’ve teamed up with Outdoor World Direct to bring you the chance to win a Vango Radiate sleeping bag. Find out more about the competition here.

DISCLOSURE | Thank you to Vango who supplied the featured product to us to test. We were not paid to write this review.

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Shell Robshaw-Bryan

Editor & Owner at Camping with Style

Shell loves all things travel and outdoors and is a nature-loving, comfy-camping kinda girl. Shell started the Camping with Style blog after a serious snowboarding accident which left her with a broken back. Despite this she used the outdoors and healing power of nature to aid her recovery and she continues to spend time outdoors whenever she can.

From open water swimming, snowboarding and kayaking to hill walks and meditation, Shell shares her travels and microadventures here on the blog and in various publications she's written for, Shell has a particular interest in promoting wellbeing and the many benefits of nature therapy.

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