IR- Suisse Sport Adventurer Sleeping Bag
Test Series by Suzi Gibson
Initial Report - 27 July 2009
Field Report - 27 September 2009
Long Term Report - 1 December 2009

Tester Information:

Name: Suzi Gibson
Age: 31
Gender: Female
Height: 5'6" (1.7 m)
Weight: 150 lb (68 kg)
Email address: suzi_q_jones at yahoo dot com
City, State, Country: Anderson, South Carolina, USA

Backpacking Background:

I've gone on many family camping trips to various places in the eastern US since I was a child. Over the past several years, I've done several backpacking trips in the Southeastern US. With the arrival of my daughter in 2007, my husband and I have refocused on car camping and day hikes in the Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic US. She loves riding in our child carrier and assists in getting our base camp set up, or at least the best a 2 year old can do. As she gets older, we plan on introducing her to the joys of backpacking.

Product Information:

Initial Report

Product Description & Initial Impressions:

The Suisse Sport Adventurer sleeping bag (hereafter called the bag) is a mummy style, adult sized, sleeping bag designed for use as an affordable, family camping bag to be sold at major mass retailers. It has a listed "comfort rating" of 30 - 40 F (-1.1 - 4.4 C). The bag I received for testing is a prototype model for the 2010 production line and therefore, has no product identification tags, nor care instructions sewn into it. The bag arrived within its stuff sack.

The stuff sack is made of black textured, ripstop polyester. It has one handhold loop, four nylon buckle compression straps, and one drawcord and cordlock. The shell is composed of blue, ripstop polyester with black accents and is comfortable to touch. The black polyester liner has a soft feel to it as well. The bag has a double layer offset quilt design. The stitching is tight and of good quality/ craftsmanship. It has 1.5 lb (680 g) of Microtekk fill, which is evenly distributed throughout the bag.

There is a single zipper with two zipper pulls on the left side of the bag that runs 60 in (152 cm) from the hood terminating approximately 19 in (48 cm) from the end of the bag. There are two hook and loop closures where the zipper ends on the hood. The bag has a 3.5 in (9 cm) wide, insulated draft tube sewn into the bag, behind the zipper, which runs the length of the zipper. The partially insulated draft collar is 5 in (13 cm) wide with the outer 1 in of material sewn as a sheath for the drawcord and respective cordlock, which are found on the right side of the bag. The hood is fairly roomy and also has a drawcord and respective cordlock again, on the right side of the bag. There is also a small (8.5 x 5 in; 22 x 13 cm) utility pocket over the chest, inside the bag. There are two loops on the footbox for drying out the bag.

Since this is a prototype, no care instructions were included, however the publicists indicates the following care instructions:

• Use a front loading, non-agitating commercial washing machine only. Wash on gentle, cold water cycle with a mild detergent.
• Air dry bag completely. Lay the bag, unzipped, on a clean flat surface in a well-ventilated area. It may be necessary to flip the bag to ensure both sides are dried completely.
• Never use a damp sleeping bag.
• Dry cleaning is not recommended as solvents may be harmful to the material and the residual fumes may be harmful to the user.

Summary:

I like that the bag is so lightweight and not very bulky. I also like the color combination. The bag is a bit longer and narrower than my other bag, however I actually like that there's not so much excess chest material. The downside is that there is a lot of excess bag in the footbed, at least for my 5 ft 6 in (1.7 m) body. The interior utility pocket is nice, however the opening is a tight fit even for my small hands. The stuff sack is large enough and I didn't have any problems getting the bag back into it. The four compression straps also helped getting the bag down to a very small size. Overall, I like this bag so far and can't wait to start field-testing!

Likes:

• Color scheme
• Low weight
• Compressibility
• Utility pocket
• Warmth

Dislikes/Concerns:

• Nothing at this time

Field Report

Field Locations and Conditions:

Over the past 2 months, the Suisse Sport Adventurer Sleeping Bag (hereafter, 'the bag') has been used a total of 4 nights, on two separate car camping trips both in Gatlinburg, Tennessee and Southern Maryland. Elevations traveled ranged from sea level to approximately 2700 ft (823 m). Daytime high temperatures ranged from approximately 79 F (26 C), to 88 F (31 C) with lows ranging from approximately 64 F (18 C) to 72 F (22 C). Temperatures in both locations were milder than expected. Nighttime showers and thunderstorms were encountered on both trips.

Field Performance:

To date, the bag has performed well for an entry level, budget sleeping bag. All stitching and seams have held up extremely well. I have had multiple zipper snags, but it has been easy to back the zipper out and I've yet to see any tears from these incidents. Since I have only been able to test it in milder (>64 F/ 18 C) conditions, I typically have started out the night with just my feet in the bag and later in the night I've pulled the bag over the rest of my body. Even though I normally tend to get cold when I sleep, the bag has done a fine job keeping me warm. The bag's 29" (74 cm) width has been a perfect fit for me since it's not too constricting and I don't feel like I'm swimming in my bag, which was how I felt in my other sleeping bag. The utility pocket has been a nice feature that I've used it to stow my wallet and phone. Stuffing the bag back into its stuff sack has been interesting at times as there have a couple instances where it just barely fit back into the stuff sack. I've also noticed that I tend to get a lopsided stuff job, however that may be related more to my technique than anything else.

The compression sack is holding up well overall, with one exception. I have noticed that two of the nylon straps are fraying and I'm hopeful that they'll still be usable by the test's end. I have not been able to compress it down as far as my first attempt, however, I'm optimistic that I'll be able to compress it down very small over the next several outings.

Summary:

Overall, I've been pleased with how this bag has performed so far. It packs up nice and compact, which is nice since I have a toddler and already have a half truckload of her stuff to take along as well. With the coldest nights ahead of me, I'm really looking forward to seeing just how warm the bag will keep me.

Likes:

• Lightweight
• Compressibility
• Utility pocket

Dislikes:

• Fraying compression straps

Long Term Report

Field Locations and Conditions:

I tested the Suisse Sport Adventurer mummy sleeping bag an additional 5 nights at the same Maryland location as well as a local South Carolina state park. Elevations were 100 ft (30.5 m) and 680 ft (207 m), respectively. Weather conditions ranged from partly sunny to light rain, and calm winds to >10 mph (>16 kph) sustained winds with gusts to ~20 mph (32 km/h). Daytime highs ranged from 48 F (9 C), to 77 F (25 C) while overnights lows ranged from 41 F (5 C) to 68 F (20 C). In addition to field-testing, I have also used to bag while crashing on my family's couch during visits.

Performance and Durability:

Over the past several weeks, I have used the bag car camping with an air mattress. Initially, this worked well however, as nighttime temperatures continued to decline to 50-55 F (10-12 C), I noticed that the bag was not able to keep me warm and allowed for significant heat loss through the air mattress. As a result, I opted to lay a blanket between the bag and mattress as well as don an additional layer of clothing. This approach worked satisfactorily until nighttime lows dipped below 50 F (10 C) and I became chilled again. Ultimately, when the temperatures dropped below 50 F (10 C), I used the Suisse Sport Adventurer bag inside my other bag (20 F/-6 C synthetic bag) and was able to stay warm all night with nothing more than my base layer of clothing. I also noticed that while the narrow shoulder girth didn't bother me during the warmer testing, it did start to bother me when I had to add extra layers.

I did have several more zippers snags but was able to easily undo them without ripping the bag or draft tube. All the seams have retained their integrity throughout testing and have withstood several launderings. The bag's loft has remained the same throughout testing with no shifting or clumping.

The stuff sack has been a disappointment for me. In my last report, I noticed fraying on one of the compression straps. I was not able to repair this during testing and it has grown from a very small fray to 5.5 in (14 cm). The fray length had remained the same length until a recent outing when unbeknownst to me, my toddler decided to play with the 'never ending string' and the fray grew to its current length. Perhaps doubling over the terminal ends of the straps would aid in eliminating this issue in the future.

Summary:

The bag itself has held up very well during testing. It did a great job keeping me warm when temperatures were above 50 F (10 C) and I liked how cozy and snug it felt in the shoulders. I also like how compact it is when stowed. For me, this really helps since both garage storage as well as trunk space is limited. Overall, I think this bag is a great value for the price.