Personal Information:
Name: Christine Korhonen
Age: 30
Gender: female
Height: 5'4" (1.6 m)
Weight: 165 lb (75 kg)
Hat size: 7¾ (24" [61 cm])
E-mail: chris@wormguy.com
Location: Western Montana
Date: May 19, 2004

Backpacking Background:
I'm a lightweight backpacker mentally, if not always in practice. I've gotten my summer multi-day pack weight down to 13 lb (6 kg), but winter backpacking is still new to me, and my winter pack weight hovers around 25 lb (11 kg).

Product Information:
Manufacturer: Innovations by Finbar
URL: http://www.finnovations.org/
Model: Sleeper II
MSRP: $40 US
Measured weight, total: 6.8 oz (190 g)
Measured weight, removable fiberfill layer: 1.0 oz (28 g)

Field Test Information:
So far, I've used the Finbar Hood in Montana and Wyoming at elevations between 4500 ft (1400 m) to 7500 ft (2300 m). Temperatures ranged between 13 F (-11 C) and 45 F (7 C). Testing was conducted in a one-person tent on snow-covered or frozen ground and outside while hanging around camp.

Hood Description:
The Finbar Hood is a large balaclava worn in conjunction with a sleeping bag. The Finbar Hood Sleeper II is made of a bright red polyester shell with three layers of insulation. The thickest layer of insulation is removable.

Use:
I wore the hood while setting up camp and in my tent while trying to sleep. I usually put the hood on when the sun went down and I started to get chilled. As soon as I got the hood on my head, I always felt much warmer and happier. Since the hood extends past my face, I pulled it back when I was outside so the opening didn't block my vision. Pulled back, the opening was snug to my face and usually stayed put, but it would be useful to have a tie or something on the back of the hood to keep it in this position.

Comfort:
The hood is very warm and comfortable. I didn't have any more problems with claustrophobia. In fact, it is quite cozy in there. In my initial report, I was concerned about noise from my hair rustling inside the hood. Maybe I got used to this noise, because it doesn't bother me anymore. When I wore the hood I couldn't hear much going on around me, but that wasn't an issue, either. I didn't have any trouble sleeping with the hood on when it was cool enough and didn't notice any condensation forming in the hood from my breath when I slept.

Removable Insulation:
I tested the hood with and without the removable inner layer of insulation. The instructions that come with the hood indicate that this insulation is useful to 20 F (-7 C), and I used it comfortably in temperatures under 25 F (-4 C). Above that, I used the hood without the additional insulation.

The back edge of the hood's bib is not sewn together but is left open to get the insulation in and out. Because of this, I managed to accidentally flip the hood inside-out several times when I was trying to take it off. I would grab the back of the hood and try to pull it over the top of my head, but sometimes I only grabbed the top layer of the shell and the hood would turn inside out. Now that I'm aware of this tendency, I take more care when removing the hood.

Arm Straps:
The arm straps are two thin ribbons sewn in large loops to the front and back edges of the hood. I don't see the need for these straps. I tended to put the hood on and take it off a lot during the course of an evening, and the straps just got in the way. I didn't use the straps when wearing the hood with a jacket. I liked to be able to take the hood off without removing the jacket. I usually wore the hood when I got into my sleeping bag then took it off as I warmed up. The arm straps got tangled around my head a couple of times when I tried to take the hood off while half-asleep. When I didn't use the arm straps, the hood stayed in place on my head, even when I tossed and turned.

Packing/Wear:
The hood packs down very well. I keep it in its own stuff-sack in the sleeve of my jacket so I could find it quickly when I got in camp. I haven't washed the hood yet, and it doesn't look dirty. I didn't use a liner, although I sometimes wore an earband with it to keep hair out of my eyes. There are no grease spots on the inside of the hood yet from my hair.

With a Sleeping Bag:
I used the Finbar Hood with my mummy sleeping bag. I didn't use the sleeping bag hood and the Finbar Hood at the same time. Instead, I used the Finbar Hood by itself. Normally when I use my sleeping bag hood, I'm concerned about turning over since it's easy to turn away from the breathing hole. I have to make sure I hold onto the sleeping bag so it turns with me. This disrupts my sleep, and I can't relax. Using the Finbar Hood I didn't have that problem. I could toss and turn as much as I liked, and the hood (and its breathing hole) stayed put. Since I wasn't forced to hold onto the sleeping bag, I ended up with the sleeping bag's zipper in odd places in the morning (usually under me), but I was more relaxed throughout the night.

The downside to using the Finbar Hood is that fact that I'm in two bags. My head in one bag while my hands and body in the other. This made it difficult to adjust the hood during the night. I cinched the sleeping bag around my neck (an uncomfortable sensation) to keep out drafts, but left enough space to inch my fingers out if I needed to adjust the hood drawstring or push back my hair. Because my arms were in the sleeping bag it was more difficult to pillow my head with my arm and adjust the clothes under my head. These inconveniences were minor because I slept better using the Finbar Hood than without it. I think I slept so well because I was finally warm at night, and I could move as much as I wanted without worry. I felt free.

Overall: I have a hard time sleeping while winter camping, but I slept better than ever using this hood. I fell asleep more quickly and didn't get up as often during the night. The hood seemed to work best at temperatures below 25 F (-7 C) using the optional insulation layer, and up to 45 F (7 C) without that layer. So far I really like this hood. It's a light piece of equipment that packs small and provides big benefits when it's cold.

Plusses:
Warm
Comfortable
Packs well

Minuses:
Arm straps annoying
Sometimes separates when taking off
Could use a tie to hold back front

Read more reviews of Innovations by Fin gear
Read more gear reviews by Christine Korhonen

Field Report

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