OWNER REVIEW

Nunatak Back Country Blanket
Richard Lyon
October 15, 2006

Personal Details and Backpacking Background

Male, 60 years old
Height: 6' 4" (1.91 m)
Weight: 200 lb (91 kg)
Email address: rlyon AT gibsondunn DOT com
Home: Dallas, Texas USA

I've been backpacking for 45 years on and off, and regularly in the Rockies since 1986.  I do a weeklong trip every summer, and often take three-day trips.  I'm usually camping in alpine terrain, at altitudes 5000 to 13000 ft (1500 - 4000 m).  I prefer base camp backpacking, a long hike in with day trips from camp, but I do my share of forced marches too.  Though always looking for ways to reduce weight, I'm not yet a lightweight hiker and I usually choose a bit of extra weight over foregoing camp conveniences I've come to expect. 

Additional Tester Information

Two pieces of personal information color this review.  I am cold-prone. I sleep cold even at home and so regularly pack a sleeping bag rated 10 – 15 degrees F (6 – 8 degrees C) below the minimum expected temperature.  Also I'm mildly claustrophobic and have always preferred semi-rectangular bags to mummies.

Product Details

Note: As I explain in more detail in my review of Nunatak's Skaha Plus down sweater, Nunatak makes all its down products to order, with the customer selecting fabric, fill, and other made-to-measure details.  The measurements, features, and prices listed by the manufacturer are more guidelines rather than fixed figures.  A customer may have to wait some time after ordering to receive a bag or other down product, even one without special features, as each is sewn only after ordering.

The Back Country Blanket is a trapezoidal down quilt that can be used as a blanket or cinched up to form a semi-rectangular sleeping bag.

Manufacturer: Nunatak Gear LLC (www.nunatakusa.com). 
Year of manufacture: 2005
Year of purchase: 2006

MSRP: Size Long, $399 US. Down overfill, $10 US per ounce (28 g) when I purchased it, now $15 US.
Materials: 800+-fill goose down insulation.  Spinnaker cloth rip-stop nylon fabric.

Color: Navy blue exterior, black interior. (Note: Fabric inventory dictates color choice.)

Rating: 20 F (-7 C) as a sleeping bag (without overfill).

	Listed - size Long, 0.85 oz rip-stop fabric	Measured – size Long + 6 inches [15 cm], 0.95 oz spinnaker rip-stop fabric and 6 oz [170 g] down overfill
Weight	24 oz/680 g	31 oz/879 g
Length	76 in/193 cm	82 in/208 cm
Baffle height	2.5 in/64 mm	2.5 in/64 mm
*	AS A BLANKET
Width, at shoulder	61 in/155 cm	59 in/150 cm
Width, at hip	53 in/135 cm	51 in/130 cm
Width, at foot	46 in/117 cm	42 in/107 cm
	AS A BAG**
Width, at shoulder	[not provided]	28.5 in/72 cm
Width, at hip	[not provided]	24.5 in/62 cm
Width, at foot	[not provided]	20 in/51 cm

* The listed widths are Nunatak's listing for girth as a sleeping bag.
** Measured across the Blanket when closed as a sleeping bag.

How It Works

As can be seen from the photos, the Back Country Blanket (BCB or the Blanket) may be used as a quilt for one or two people or as a full sleeping bag for one person.  It's easy to convert from the former to the latter.  There are Velcro strips along both sides that mate to form a cylinder, and the cylinder turns into a cocoon by cinching up the toggle-and-loop draw cords at the top (shoulder) and bottom (foot).  I've used several intermediate variations.  At temperatures low enough to require a sleeping bag but not desperately cold (or if I'm wearing a sweater), I can leave the top uncinched and vary the amount of Velcro that I close to regulate ventilation and wiggle room.  By loosening the cord at the foot I can walk around "wearing" the BCB, which is very handy for nighttime bathroom trips or camp chores on a chilly morning. 

Why I Bought It

Because of my preference for base camp backpacking, because I've always bought equipment designed to last,  and perhaps also because I'm a contrarian who tends to resist trends, I've remained a mid-weight backpacker even after learning that today there is available highly functional gear that's much lighter than what I have been using.  Last winter, however, with a birthday with a zero coming up, I decided that less weight just might make me a happier camper.  This jolt of common sense coincided with my purchasing the Skaha Plus.  I liked this sweater so much for ski touring that when the Blanket was posted on Nunatak's "Clearance" page I made an impulse purchase, with the intention of combining the two as my backcountry sleep system.  (The Clearance page includes "seconds, overstock and demos" that are offered "at considerable discounts." The BCB that I purchased was either a prototype or a shell that someone else had ordered but later cancelled.) As I had done with the sweater, I spoke first with Tom Halpin, Nunatak's founder, about the accuracy of the temperature rating and at his suggestion purchased an additional six ounces (170 g) of down fill to accommodate my cold sleeping. 

Field Conditions

Except where otherwise stated, during all testing I wore my normal backcountry sleepwear of merino wool long-sleeve shirt, long underwear bottoms, and wool socks.

Dallas, late February.  A "norther" (a winter cold spell that occasionally sweeps across the North Texas prairie) gave me an opportunity for testing on my back deck.  Wearing my Skaha Plus over my wool top, I slept on a chaise lounge on the back porch, with the Blanket fully cinched up, a full-length sleeping pad under the Blanket, and a tarp laid over me as an extra layer and protection against the occasional snow flurries.  I was comfortable in temperatures that got down to 25 F (-5 C).  In the morning I loosened the foot cord, stepped into my shoes and walked back into the house.  A promising start.

Texas Hill Country, April.  Two of us used the BCB as a quilt, inside a tent, on an overnighter when the temperature dropped to 45 F (8 C).  My friend wore a second merino top layer and a fleece cap, each of us had a full-length pad underneath, and we laid our windbreakers on top of the pads.  We slept warm and cozy, and in the morning, after I'd arisen to brew coffee, my friend used the Blanket as a full-body wrap at breakfast.  She's about two feet shorter than the Blanket and had to double it over at the top.  I thought she looked terrific but for some reason she strictly forbade any photos.  

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, late May.  I attended a Yellowstone Institute seminar, sleeping two nights in an unheated cabin at the old buffalo ranch in the Lamar Valley, and in a tent in the backcountry the following evening.  Nighttime temperatures were about 40 F (5 C) on each night.  I used the Blanket as a sleeping bag, about half open in the cabin with a wool cap but without a sweater, and cinched two-thirds of the way up with the Skaha Plus while camping.  No problem with the cold on any of these nights, and I made use of the Blanket as outerwear on a midnight bio break on the backpacking night.

Bob Marshall Wilderness, Montana, August.  This was a weeklong base camp backpack, during which my sleepwear included the Skaha Plus over my Ibex Qu T short-sleeve shirt and merino bottoms, sleeping inside a tent.  Temperatures dropped to 35 – 40 F (2 – 5 C) at night.  Again no problem with the cold.  Because I wore the sweater I had the side of the bag about half open.

I mention a couple of non-backpacking uses under my likes and dislikes below.

Evaluation

Fit.  The BCB's ability to open along one side suits a side-sleeper like me, as I can extend my arms out that side.  The one time that I slept entirely inside the BCB with top and bottom cinched up I found it to be tight at the shoulders, even though it's listed as Nunatak's widest bag.  From reading Nunatak's explication of its design philosophy, however, I don't consider this a flaw; weight saving is always this fine company's top priority.  It's I who needs to get used to the sacrifices required to lighten my pack.  When used a sleeping bag the BCB is elsewhere quite roomy, with ample space for a water bottle or other gear that I might want to keep from freezing.  Particularly with the extra length, it allows tossing and turning inside the bag, which I do often and which most mummies greatly restrict.  This is my first bag that opens at the foot and I like this feature.  One night in Montana I made use of this to sleep with one foot exposed to help treat a blister.  At any time it's one more means of regulating ventilation. 

As a two-person quilt the Blanket is satisfactory if the users are close friends neither of whom is a blanket hog.

Despite the extra six inches (15 cm) of length the Blanket, when stuffed into a compression sack, fits easily into the bottom of either my expedition or weekend pack.

Fabric.  I didn't choose the spinnaker cloth fabric, but I'm very pleased with it.  While a bit shinier than what I'm used to, this fabric has a pleasant, soft hand with none of the slipperiness I've encountered in many fabrics used in lightweight gear.  I always camp with a floored tent and am therefore less concerned with water resistance than if I used a tarp or bivy, and I appreciate the weight saving.  While it appears quite thin, the fabric has so far proven to be scratch- and sharp object-proof.  But not completely downproof, as I occasionally notice an escaping feather. 

Water.  The Blanket's only encounter with water was a coffee splash while my friend wore it as a wrap.  I immediately sponged the coffee out with water, and washed the spot after I returned home, and the fabric and down showed no ill effects. 

Cold rating.  I was really (and pleasantly) surprised by the BCB's performance on my one below-freezing night, especially as I didn't use a tent.  I'm prepared to test it down to its 20 F (-7 C) rating, and maybe below, on a fall or winter trip, particularly since I'll have a down sweater along to help with the cold and a tent to keep out the wind.

Velcro seal.  This has also exceeded my expectations.  I've often criticized garment makers for using Velcro instead of a zipper, as unexpected movements can force open a Velcro seal at exactly the worst moment.  When I've used the BCB as a bag the Velcro has stayed together at the places I put it together, and it kept the wind out the only night I slept outdoors.  Unlike a zipper, Velcro doesn't snag on the fabric, and of course it weighs less.

Care.  I've cleaned the Blanket once, by hand in the bathtub, using Nikwax Down Wash.  It took a couple of days to dry completely, but when dry the loft looked as good as new.

What I Like

Versatility.  The Blanket just may be the only bag I'll use down to freezing and even below, as by changing the configuration and my sleepwear I have been able to adapt it to every temperature I've encountered.  This versatility extends beyond backpacking.  It's a useful quilt in the car or my guest bedroom, though in either service I must take care to keep one of my dogs from expropriating it as her day bed.

Weight Saving. By itself the BCB has shaved just under a pound (454 g) from the next lightest bag in my gear closet, and more from colder-rated choices.  Who knows, this old fogy may lighten up yet.

Design.  The Blanket lacks a specially designed foot box, draft collar, inside pocket, and similar features that are often available on bags designed for lightweight backpacking.  For me that's a plus -- there's so much less that can go wrong.  Everything Nunatak has included serves a purpose and this product works.  Who needs anything more?

Quality.  It wouldn't be fair to Nunatak not to mention this.  As with my Skaha the materials, sewing, down quality, and everything else are top notch.

What I Might Change

Small openings that I could use as arm holes while wearing the Blanket around camp would add some versatility.  Maybe only one would be necessary if I opened the Velcro on the other side.  I'll certainly ask Tom about how (if?) this could be done and how much weight it would add.

If I ever custom order a sleeping bag from Nunatak, I shall request at least an additional two inches at the shoulders.  The Blanket is a tad too snug for me when it's a cocoon.