10 Degree Sleeping Bag
Review
by Matt Alley - 1/7/2014 |
Where have you been hiding this thing? Seriously, I have never used
a bag that was as revolutionary as this!
I�ve been backpacking since 1988, and as with most people, it has
been a constant struggle between lightweight vs. able-to-do-the-job.
Whether tent or pack or boots or coats or raingear, flashlights,
pans, mattress, water-purification. You name it. But perhaps most of
all for me has been the bag. I�m a super cold sleeper, to the point
that I take it for granted that a manufacturer�s ratings � and I�m
talking big-time serious bag builders like Western Mountaineering,
Marmot, TNF � are in fact 12-15 degrees optimistic for me. So my
Marmot Helium, rated at 15, is really comfortable only to 30 degrees
for me. At 25 I wake up cold and, while I can deal with it, I have
to shift and realign and tighten and generally be frustrated and
awake much of the night.
So when I first used your bag in the Wind River range in June, with
temps down to the low-twenties, I went to bed with my down jacket on
just to make sure I was warm enough. Surprise! Within 10 minutes I
was rabid to get that thing off! I slept the rest of the night with
the jacket as a supplement to my pillow, and the bag hardly even
cinched tight at the shoulders. It was a revelation. The best
night�s sleep I�ve ever had outside in below-freezing temps.
But 25 degrees is not a great test of a 10 degree rated bag. And on
subsequent trips I�ve never endured lower temps than that. So while
I�ve greatly enjoyed carrying a 10 degree bag that weighs the same
as my 32 degree Western Mountaineering Summerlite, I haven�t had to
put it to the test.
But with this frigid winter storm sweeping as far down as Atlanta, I
got a chance to test it last night in my own backyard! Just six
degrees when I went to bed, three when I got up! And I slept
barefoot (I never do that) with only my leggings and a thin pajama
top! I don�t wear a hat, but instead use a silk bag liner that I
fashion into a head-and-neck wrap, and that worked perfectly. I
almost couldn�t get to sleep for lying there in wonder at how
magnificent I felt! At a temperature that was 7 degrees BELOW your
bag�s rating!
I don�t know why every backpacker who has a budget for a serious bag
hasn�t found you yet � I�m certainly spreading the word in my small
community. This bag is a miracle, and your outside-the-box design is
just the sort of thinking the industry desperately needs. Removing
the hood and the draft tube so you could cram lots more insulation
in for the same weight as the other guys� bags � that was just
brilliant.
If you can use any of this in a testimonials page feel free. I would
also be happy to hear from anyone via email who wants to ask a
non-interested 3rd party about your stuff. I could go on for days!
:)
--Matt Alley
([email protected])
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