Ryan Christensen
2009-09-23 06:55:56 UTC
Ray, et al:
Here is my Field Report on the Suisse Sport Adventurer sleeping bag. The HTML file is available via the following link for your review: http://snipurl.com/s267j
The text version is also included below for your review. Thanks in advance for your comments and suggestions.
FIELD REPORT
September 23, 2009
Summary:
During the Field Test Phase, I used the bag four nights. For me, the advertised comfort zone is a bit optimistic at the lower end and about right at the upper end. I consider this to be a good, lightweight, bargain bag.
Likes Thus Far:
* lightweight
* smooth fabric
* compressibility
* color combination
Dislikes Thus Far:
* chest/shoulder girth
* zipper frequently catches on material
Field Locations and Test Conditions:
[PHOTO HERE]
During the last weekend in July, I slept in the bag one night near my home in southeastern Idaho. The skies were clear, winds calm, and the overnight low was about 40 F (4 C).
The second week of August, I accompanied my three sons on their Boy Scouts of America (BSA) Venturing High Adventure. This outing included whitewater rafting down the Hoback River near Jackson, Wyoming; canoeing on String and Leigh Lakes in Grand Teton National Park; and a long day hike up the Middle Teton in Grand Teton National Park. Because of the low temperatures, I only used the bag two nights in base camp along the Hoback River just outside of Jackson, Wyoming. Temperatures ranged from an overnight freezing 30 F (-1 C) to highs in the mid-80s F (30 C).
During the third week in August, I used the bag on another overnighter near Inkom, which is located about 13 mi (21 km) southeast of Pocatello, Idaho. The elevation was approximately 4,544 ft (1,385 m) above sea level. The skies were clear, winds calm, and the overnight low was 48 F (9 C).
Observations:
As a lightweight, bargain bag, the Adventurer performed fairly well overall. However, at 29 in (74 cm) wide, the shoulder girth of the Adventurer is too small for my 58 in (147 cm) shoulder/chest girth. I am unable to fully zip the bag and still be able to move a little. This was an issue on my mid-August outing when the low temperature was at, or slightly below, freezing. The lower part of the bag has way more room than I personally need. That said, having slept in the bag now four nights, I believe the cut of the bag would be better for me if two or thee inches (5 - 8 cm) in girth were removed from the lower three feet (0.9 m) of the bag and were inserted in the two or three feet (0.6 - 0.9 m) extending down from the opening in the hood (shoulder/chest area).
The bag easily fit into the sleeping bag compartment of my 65L backpack. Not wanting to tear the compression sack, I did not exert much effort in "really" compressing the bag. However, during the next phase of this test series, I will see just how small I can compress the bag.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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Here is my Field Report on the Suisse Sport Adventurer sleeping bag. The HTML file is available via the following link for your review: http://snipurl.com/s267j
The text version is also included below for your review. Thanks in advance for your comments and suggestions.
FIELD REPORT
September 23, 2009
Summary:
During the Field Test Phase, I used the bag four nights. For me, the advertised comfort zone is a bit optimistic at the lower end and about right at the upper end. I consider this to be a good, lightweight, bargain bag.
Likes Thus Far:
* lightweight
* smooth fabric
* compressibility
* color combination
Dislikes Thus Far:
* chest/shoulder girth
* zipper frequently catches on material
Field Locations and Test Conditions:
[PHOTO HERE]
During the last weekend in July, I slept in the bag one night near my home in southeastern Idaho. The skies were clear, winds calm, and the overnight low was about 40 F (4 C).
The second week of August, I accompanied my three sons on their Boy Scouts of America (BSA) Venturing High Adventure. This outing included whitewater rafting down the Hoback River near Jackson, Wyoming; canoeing on String and Leigh Lakes in Grand Teton National Park; and a long day hike up the Middle Teton in Grand Teton National Park. Because of the low temperatures, I only used the bag two nights in base camp along the Hoback River just outside of Jackson, Wyoming. Temperatures ranged from an overnight freezing 30 F (-1 C) to highs in the mid-80s F (30 C).
During the third week in August, I used the bag on another overnighter near Inkom, which is located about 13 mi (21 km) southeast of Pocatello, Idaho. The elevation was approximately 4,544 ft (1,385 m) above sea level. The skies were clear, winds calm, and the overnight low was 48 F (9 C).
Observations:
As a lightweight, bargain bag, the Adventurer performed fairly well overall. However, at 29 in (74 cm) wide, the shoulder girth of the Adventurer is too small for my 58 in (147 cm) shoulder/chest girth. I am unable to fully zip the bag and still be able to move a little. This was an issue on my mid-August outing when the low temperature was at, or slightly below, freezing. The lower part of the bag has way more room than I personally need. That said, having slept in the bag now four nights, I believe the cut of the bag would be better for me if two or thee inches (5 - 8 cm) in girth were removed from the lower three feet (0.9 m) of the bag and were inserted in the two or three feet (0.6 - 0.9 m) extending down from the opening in the hood (shoulder/chest area).
From my experience to date, the temperature rating appears to be a bit optimistic at the lower end of the advertised comfort zone. Two of the nights on my week-long outing near Jackson Wyoming, I was forced out of the Adventurer and into a 15 F (-9 C) down bag. Even wearing wool socks and mid-weight base layer top and bottoms, I was cold in the Adventurer with overnight temperatures just below freezing. However, I believe the upper end of the comfort zone to be more accurate. On my overnighter in late August, the overnight low was 48 F (9 C). I found myself sleeping on top of the bag until the early hours of the morning because I was too hot inside the bag.
Over the course of my four outings, I caught the zipper numerous times on both the exterior fabric and the fabric of the draft tube. To prevent this, I found that I needed to pay particular attention to what I was doing. This included slowing down my zipping and dragging me fingers just in front of the zipper to prevent snagging. This was a bit of an inconvenience, but was not really a big deal to me.The bag easily fit into the sleeping bag compartment of my 65L backpack. Not wanting to tear the compression sack, I did not exert much effort in "really" compressing the bag. However, during the next phase of this test series, I will see just how small I can compress the bag.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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