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Reviews > Sleep Gear > Sleeping Bags > Eureka Bero sleeping bag > Test Report by Frances Penn

EUREKA BERO SLEEPING BAG
TEST SERIES BY FRANCES PENN
LONG-TERM REPORT
November 17, 2015

CLICK HERE TO SKIP TO THE FIELD REPORT
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TESTER INFORMATION

NAME: Frances Penn
EMAIL: oldhikergirl AT yahoo DOT com
AGE: 59
LOCATION: Santa Ana, California USA
GENDER: F
HEIGHT: 5' 9" (1.75 m)
WEIGHT: 130 lb (59.00 kg)

I have been backpacking for eight years mostly on long weekends in Southern California with two or more 5-day trips per year in the Sierras. My total daypack weight, including food and water, is usually 15 lb (7 kg) and my total backpack weight, including food and water, is usually 22-26 lb (10-12 kg) depending on the need for a bear canister. I have converted to a tarp and bivy sleep system instead of a tent to keep my pack weight down. I have experienced all night rain, hail, heavy winds, camping in snow once, but mostly fair weather.


INITIAL REPORT

PRODUCT INFORMATION & SPECIFICATIONS

Manufacturer: Johnson Outdoors Gear, Inc.
Year of Manufacture: 2015
Manufacturer's Website: http://store.eurekatent.com
MSRP: US $129.90
Listed Weight: 3 lb 1 oz (1.4 kg)
Measured Weight: 3 lb 3 oz (1.5 kg)
Color Available: Teal Blue
Sizes Available:
Women fits to 5 ft 6 in (167 cm)
Regular fits to 6 ft (183 cm)
Long fits to 6 ft 6 in (198 cm)
Model tested: Long
Circumference sizes:
Women: 31 in (79 cm) at the shoulders and 22 in (56 cm) at the feet
Regular: 33 in (84 cm) at the shoulders 24 in (61 cm) at the feet
Long: 35 in (89 cm) at the shoulders and 26 in (66 cm) at the feet
Stuff Sack size: 8 in (20 cm) x 15.5 in (39 cm)

IMAGE 1
Photo from Eureka website


The Bero is a generously sized 30 degree synthetic sleeping bag designed for comfort. The Synthesis insulation is constructed in an overlapping manner for the best of comfort and performance. The EN Standard Temperature Rating Chart rates this bag as 35 F (19 C) for comfort, 25 F (-3 C) for the lower limit of comfort, and -5 F (-20 C) for the extreme survival temperature rating. Ten horizontal seams on the top and bottom keep the insulation in place.

The bag has a peached polyester lining in light gray. A peached material is designed for softness. The shell fabric is 40D / 290T polyester taffeta and the lining is 50D / 300T polyester. The left zipper is 2-way locking for ventilation. There is a full length, insulated zipper draft tube with an anti-snag zipper guard in a black heavy nylon strip that is 1.5 in (3.8 cm) wide and runs the entire length of the zipper. The bag is mateable with regular length (right side zipper) mummy style sleeping bags.

IMAGE 2
internal pocket and baffles


There are insulated hood and chin baffles and a cord lock on the right side of the hood to tighten the hood around the head. The internal pocket with hook-and-loop closure is about chest high and measures 6 in (15 cm) by 7 in (17 cm).

The bag comes with a black compression stuff sack with a teal color end label.

IMAGE 3
end of compression sack

IMAGE 4
bag in compression sack

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS

The bag arrived stuffed in its compression sack as shown. The zipper is 55 in (140 cm) long and the end is at my knees which I find to be a little shorter than I am accustomed to on bags I have used recently. The underside is navy blue and this same navy polyester fabric is used for the baffles around the hood area.

IMAGE 5
toe box


There is a generous toe box in a rectangle shape that measures 14 in (35 cm) wide and 11 in (28 cm) high. The toe box is constructed of the same navy polyester fabric used for the bottom of the bag and has two small hang loops on both sides. It feels like there is twice as much insulation on the top layer as on the bottom layer. I am not able to find any indication that this is the case on the website or on the tag.

The limited lifetime warranty states the bag is guaranteed against defects in materials and workmanship for the life of the product.

TRYING IT OUT

The first time I crawled in the bag, I really enjoyed having the extra room to move around. I tend to roll around a lot when I sleep because my hips hurt after a full day of backpacking. Being a side sleeper, I can only sleep on one side so long and then I have to roll over to the other side. I selected the long version of this bag because I wanted to enjoy some extra room without getting twisted in the bag from the nightly rolling. With the generous cut of this bag, I have plenty of room which is quite a treat for a change. With the 30 degree rating, I plan to use this bag all summer and may even keep the zipper open on warmer nights.

SUMMARY

This bag appears well made, roomy and comfortable. I will take the bag on my next summer trip starting next week.


FIELD REPORT

FIELD LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS

Trip #1:
Location: Round Valley Campground near San Jacinto, California, USA
Elevation: 9,200 ft (2,800 m)
Trip Duration: 3 days, 2 nights
Trail Conditions: on dirt trail
Temperature: 40 to 70 F (4 to 21 C)
Weather: sunny

Trip #2:
Location: San Gorgonio, California, USA
Elevation: 11,503 ft (3,506 m)
Trip Duration: 3 days, 2 nights
Trail Conditions: on forest dirt trail
Temperature: 40 to 70 F (4 to 21 C)
Weather: sunny with cool nights and windy on the peak

Trip #3:
Location: Big Sur area, California, USA
Elevation: 135 ft (41 m)
Trip Duration: 2 days, 1 night
Trail Conditions: on dirt trail
Temperature: 40 to 70 F (4 to 21 C)
Weather: sunny

Trip #4:
Location: Walnut Creek area, California, USA
Elevation: 131 ft (39 m)
Trip Duration: 2 days, 1 night
Trail Conditions: on dirt trail
Temperature: 40 to 70 F (4 to 21 C)
Weather: sunny

Trip #5:
Location: Montana de Oro Campground area near Los Osos California, USA
Elevation: 92 ft (28 m)
Trip Duration: 3 days, 2 nights
Trail Conditions: on dirt trail
Temperature: 40 to 70 F (4 to 21 C)
Weather: sunny

Trip #6:
Location: Sunset Beach Campground area near Watsonville, California, USA
Elevation: 29 ft (8 m)
Trip Duration: 2 days, 1 night
Trail Conditions: on dirt trail
Temperature: 40 to 70 F (4 to 21 C)
Weather: sunny

Trip #7:
Location: Big Basin Redwoods State Park Campground near Boulder Creek, California, USA
Elevation: 2,000 ft (610 m)
Trip Duration: 2 days, 1 night
Trail Conditions: on dirt trail
Temperature: 40 to 70 F (4 to 21 C)
Weather: sunny

Trip #8:
Location: Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park Campground near Felton, California, USA
Elevation: 285 ft (87 m)
Trip Duration: 3 days, 2 nights
Trail Conditions: on dirt trail
Temperature: 40 to 70 F (4 to 21 C)
Weather: sunny

IMAGE 1
morning in the bag

PERFORMANCE IN THE FIELD

After starting off the summer in my familiar locations of San Jacinto and San Gorgonio with many more trips planned to different parts of those areas, my plans were changed by the Lake Fire in the San Gorgonio area. With all the smoke that lasted for weeks, my summer trips had to be relocated. I explored the California coast using campgrounds as my starting locations and exploring trails around those areas. Those trips turned out to be quite the surprise and delight in discovering new locations and beautiful coastal and forest scenery.

The sleeping bag provided enough warmth for the cool beach nights. I had the zipper most of the way up during the middle of the night. I usually start out with my feet in the toe box and the zipper about halfway up. During the night as I get cold, it is easy to reach down and pull up the zipper if it is already started. The zipper on this bag only runs down to my knees which made it a little difficult for entry and exit.

I used a one person Tarptent on all the trips to avoid any moisture or condensation the beach mist might create. I enjoyed the extra room the bag provided. It was quite the welcome change from getting wound up while rolling around in my sleep in the tighter design bag I have been using recently.

I slept in a long sleeve thermal top, a long sleeve merino wool top, fleece tights and fleece socks with a fleece beanie close-by just in case. I like to be warm when I sleep. I also find that wearing clothes to bed keeps the sleeping bag cleaner.

IMAGE 2
now I'm awake


The downside to so much luxurious room is the bag is obviously bigger, bulkier and heavier. I was not such a fan of the bag while I was carrying it in my pack, but that was offset by the comfort at night. The daily mileage on the beach trips was less than six miles per day so the extra bulk and weight wasn't a problem.

The bag is difficult to fit into the stuff sack that came with it. It takes a lot of pushing to get most of the bag into the sack. There is usually a small part of the bag that overflows out of the stuff sack. Because of the weight and bulk, I will be using this bag for shorter mileage trips.

The soft lining material is durable and just slippery enough not to catch on my clothing. The bag looks like new and does not have any noticeable scent, possibly because I wear clothes for sleeping.

SUMMARY

I have enjoyed using this comfortably sized bag. I look forward to using it on many more trips.


LONG-TERM REPORT

LONG-TERM TEST LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS

Trip 9:
Location: Palomar Mountain area, California USA
Elevation: 6,100 ft (1,860 m)
Trip Duration: 2 days, 1 night
Trail Conditions: on dirt trail
Temperature: 40 to 70 F (4 to 21 C)
Weather: sunny the first day with rain at night and the next morning

PERFORMANCE IN THE FIELD

While it rained on the Palomar trip, the tent did not leak and the bag stayed dry. I was warm all night sleeping in my usual fleece tights, fleece socks, thermal long sleeve top and merino wool long sleeve quarter zip top. I wore my fleece hat and had my down jacket nearby in the tent.

The bag continued to be warm and comfortable with plenty of room for my rolling around style of sleep. The bag looks like new and shows no signs of wear or damage. The seams are not damaged and the zipper works properly.

I did wash it once in the washing machine on the delicate cycle and then hung it to dry. Since there was no cotton storage bag provided, I store it loosely packed in a mesh laundry bag.

The bag remains difficult to get completely into the stuff sack provided. After stuffing, there is usually a small portion of the bag pushing out the top of the stuff sack.

SUMMARY

I have enjoyed using this comfortably sized bag during this test. I plan to continue to enjoy this bag on my future shorter mileage trips.

This test series is now completed. Many thanks to BackpackGearTest.org and Eureka for this testing opportunity.

This report was created with the BackpackGearTest.org Report Writer Version 1. Copyright 2015. All rights reserved.

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