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Reviews > Sleep Gear > Sleeping Bags > Chinook ThermoPalm Mummy 32F bag > Owner Review by Andrea Murland

Chinook ThermoPalm Mummy 32F Sleeping Bag
Owner Review by Andrea Murland
November 25, 2012

Tester Information

Name: Andrea Murland
Email: amurland AT shaw DOT ca
Age: 27
Location: Elkford & Kimberley, British Columbia, Canada
Gender: Female
Height: 5 ft 2 in (1.57 m)
Weight: 125 lb (57 kg)

I began hiking frequently in 2006 and have since hiked in Western Canada, Australia, and spent 2 months backpacking in the Alps. I spend most weekends either day-hiking or on 2-3 day backpacking trips, with some longer trips when I can manage them. I also snowshoe and ski in the winter, but don’t have a lot of experience with winter in the backcountry yet. Elevation is typically 500-3,000 m (1,600-10,000 ft), in the Canadian Rockies and the Selkirk, Purcell, and Monashee ranges. I try for a light pack, but I don’t consider myself a lightweight backpacker.

Product Information

Manufacturer: Chinook Technical Outdoor
Manufacturer's URL: www.chinooktec.com
Year of Manufacture: 2008
Model: ThermoPalm Mummy 32F Sleeping Bag
MSRP: Not listed
Colour: Blue
Listed Weight: 1.8 lb (816 g) total
Measured Weight: total: 1.9 lb (862 g), compression sack: 3.3 oz (94 g), sleeping bag: 1.7 lb (790 g)
Listed Size: 83 in x 30 in x 20 in (210 x 75 x 50 cm)
Measured Size: 80 in (203 cm) long x 26 in (66 cm) wide at collar x 15 in (38 cm) wide at feet
Measured Compressed Size: approximately 8 in (20 cm) long with 7 in (18 cm) diameter

Description

The Chinook ThermoPalm Mummy Sleeping Bag is a synthetic-fill sleeping bag rated to 32 F (0 C). It has a mummy shape, so is tapered at the feet, with a hood. The manufacturer specifies that the filling is 12 oz (340 g) of Insufil Thermo, which apparently has fibers that are supposed to not clump and also not separate. The outer shell is nylon taffeta, and the lining is “pongee classic”, which is a soft, woven fabric. The bag has a two-way zipper that ends 3 in (7.6 cm) from the end of the bag at the feet. There is a piece of material that goes across the zipper opening at the collar and fastens to the other side with a hook and loop closure, perhaps to keep the bag closed if the zipper is open partway for venting. The zipper on my bag is on the left side (as I’m lying in it), and on the right side, at the top, is a drawcord with a cord-lock, which tightens up the collar and the hood. When fully released the hood lies flat. There is a Chinook Technical Outdoor logo embroidered into the taffeta exterior in the center of the bag.

The compression sack is black nylon with the information about the sleeping bag embroidered on the bottom. The top closes with a drawstring with a cordlock. The 4 straps have standard buckles on them, and can be quickly released by pulling up on the tab. The strap that crosses the bottom of the sack doubles as a handle when pulling the sleeping bag out of the compression sack.
Chinook Thermopalm Mummy 32F

Field Conditions

I purchased the Chinook ThermoPalm Mummy in 2008 and used it extensively that year while backpacking in Europe – about 35 nights in the backcountry, plus several nights in hostels and on train station benches. Most of the nights in the backcountry I used it with a silk liner, and in all cases I slept on a self-inflating mat. Since 2008, I have used the bag for car-camping and staying in cabins in the summer, and it has a permanent home in my car as my emergency sleeping bag. I have used the bag while hiking in temperatures down to about freezing. I have worn a variety of layers while using the bag – everything from a t-shirt and shorts to long underwear with a fleece, socks, rain gear, and a toque.
Use Collage

Review

Warmth & Comfort
First, the good news: this bag is extremely comfortable. The soft lining is warm and not slippery, so very comfortable against my face or other bare skin – it feels like sleeping in sheets. The bag is also roomy enough for me to comfortably curl up on my side while the bag remains upright.

As far as warmth, I have found the sleeping bag to generally not be warm enough for my backpacking trips. I used it all summer in 2008, because I had no other options, but those were the times that I was sleeping in every piece of clothing in my backpack, including my rain gear (if it wasn’t wet). To be fair, it’s rated to 32 F (0 C), and we were usually at pretty decent elevation in the Alps, but most of the nights it wasn’t cold enough for frost or snow. I am also a cold sleeper. Since 2008, I haven’t taken this bag on a backpacking trip, choosing to carrier a heavier and bulkier bag rated to -12 C (10 F) regardless of the weather.

Other Features
I enjoy having a two-way zipper on this sleeping bag on the rare occasion it was warm enough that I felt it was necessary to vent it from the bottom. I also like that the hood lies flat when the drawcord is released all the way, for when I don’t need the hood wrapped around my head.
The compression sack does a good job of compressing the sleeping bag down to a small size.

Durability
The sleeping bag seems to be holding up pretty well. It looks extremely crinkled from being packed up all the time, but otherwise shows no obvious signs of wear. I have never washed it in a machine, only by hand (or in the rain). The zipper still zips smoothly. The compression sac is also still in good shape, though several places on the inside show evidence of a coating starting to turn white and crack.

Summary

The Chinook ThermoPalm Mummy 32F Sleeping Bag is a synthetic mummy sleeping bag that is good for very warm weather use, but unfortunately I have found to be too cold for me for backpacking.

Thumbs Up:
Good durability
Lining is comfortable against skin
Compresses small

Thumbs Down:
Not warm enough for me



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Reviews > Sleep Gear > Sleeping Bags > Chinook ThermoPalm Mummy 32F bag > Owner Review by Andrea Murland



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