I began backpacking at the age of 13 when I first went to summer camp (1993). In 1999, I started working with a college tripping organization in outdoor trip logistics (in gear preparation), and then as a leader. My most frequented hiking locations are in the Carolina Appalachians and the Smoky Mountains during the cold early spring and the summer. I stopped being a trip leader in 2004, and now I average about 4 backpacking trips and 4 day hikes per year. I carry between 25 and 35 lbs (11.3-15.8 kg) on multi-day trips.

INITIAL REPORT

PRODUCT INFORMATION & SPECIFICATIONS

Manufacturer: Big Agnes
Year of Manufacture: 2008
Manufacturer's Website: www.bigagnes.com
MSRP: US$ 179.95
Listed Weight: 2.5 lbs (1.14 kg)
Measured Weight: 2.5 lbs (1.14 kg)
Listed Shoulder Girth: 67.5" (170.8 cm)
Listed Hip Girth: 64" (161.92 cm)
Measured Shoulder Width: 27" (68.31 cm)
Measured Waist Width: 24.5" (62.0 cm)
Measured Feet Width: 17" (43.0 cm)
Listed Compressed Bag Size: 7" x 9" (17.7 x 22.7 cm)
Measured Stuff Sack Size: 7.5" diam x 15" (19.0 x 38.0 cm)
Fill: PrimaLoft SB (18 oz/ 0.51 kg)
Color: Wine/ Ash/ Black
Temperature Rating: 35 F (~4 C)

Manufacturer's Picture

INITIAL OBSERVATIONS

The Elbert SL comes with a large mesh bag for storage and a smaller stuff sack for packing. The small stuff sack compresses the sleeping bag, but not to its full compression.

Bag Description:
This mummy bag is narrow at the head with a drawstring pull closure. The zipper terminates at a Velcro strap, to provide support for the drawstring to pull against.
Drawstring (Left) Velcro (Right)

From the head, it expands at the shoulders, and then gradually becomes smaller all the way down to the feet. It has a zipper on the right side that unzips to 18" (45.5 cm) above the foot of the bag.

Full Bag

The head of the bag also contains some shoulder flaps that cover the shoulders, to prevent drafts.

Shoulder Flaps

The outer part of the sleeping bag, the liner, and the pad sleeve are all made of a material called WRM, created by Big Agnes. This material is a tightly woven nylon that is claimed to keep out minor amounts of water and prevent fabric saturation.

The bag is filled with PrimaLoft SB Insulation. The info tag claims that PrimaLoft is more compressible than continuous filament. It also claims to be the warmest, wet or dry.

The back of the sleeping bag has a thin sleeve for a sleeping pad to be inserted. It has an opening at the bottom, to assist pulling a pad into place. The insertion point is 12" from the top of the sleeve, so a pad has to be stuffed in and then tucked under. A Velcro piece secures the opening once the pad is placed inside.

This sleeping bag also comes with a pillow compartment at the top. It is a triangle shape, 15.5" (39.2 cm) tall and 21" (53.3 cm) wide at its widest.

Pillow Sleeve

Pillow Sleeve (in bag)

Features:
- integrated sleeve for sleeping pad
- integrated sleeve for pillow
- fabric loops for securing liners
- shoulder flaps to prevent draft
- mummy shape

READING THE INSTRUCTIONS

The only instructions for use were for the sleeping pad installation. The instructions are clear and simple. It says to sit at the head of the pad and slide bag over it like a pillow case. This method works very well for slipping the sleeping pad into the sleeping bag's sleeve.

TRYING IT OUT

This sleeping bag is very light and much smaller than my current bag. It also feels very comfortable inside. It does not have a bottom zipper to let air in for my feet. I foresee that this might be a problem for warmer temperatures. The zipper seems small to me, but has not presented too much trouble starting or zipping. It was relatively easy to find and zip up in the dark. I have not used the bag yet in an outdoor, backpacking situation.

The shoulder flaps have me excited. I have to sleep with a shirt on in the winter because when my shoulders get any kind of air contact on them, I wake up. These flaps look like they will solve that problem.

The fit of the bag makes it possible to lie on my stomach. I am not sure if it will be comfortable in that position yet, but I plan to test it on my stomach and on my side, as well as my back.

TESTING STRATEGY

I plan to sleep outside in inclement weather under a tarp and in clear skies with just the bag/pad. I am going to try and get at least one trip to a higher elevation locale (such as Mt. Mitchell) where the temperatures will be cooler. I also want to try this bag out on grass, hard packed dirt, and rocky terrains.

Although the bag is intended for back sleeping (since it is a mummy), I want to also try it out sleeping on my side and on my stomach.

SUMMARY

The bag appears to be everything it claims to be. It is comfortable, light, and warm.

It also integrates well with the pad, so far.

Likes:
- Very light

Dislikes:
- No bottom zipper for foot ventilation

FIELD REPORT

Notes on Testing

Since this bag was received in Late June, it unfortunately missed my long trip on the Appalachian Trail. Also, the test period is coinciding pretty much with the peak of the summer here in the southeastern U.S, resulting in limited ability to test this bag in cold.

CONDITIONS and PERFORMANCE

I.
Date: July 25th-27th
Location: Montreal, Canada
Weather: 63 F- 85 F (17-27 C), rained 2nd night, high humidity (70-80 %), breezy during 2nd night
Elevation: 118 ft (36 m)
Terrain: flat
Sleeping Surface and Condition: Grassy area, sleeping inside large, 10 person dome tent

Pre-Test Note:
Before I could use the sleeping bag in Canada, I had to get there. I packed the sleeping bag and pad with my clothes and toiletries for a plane flight to New York. The bag compacted nicely and took up no more space than a couple pairs of pants.

Performance:
I used the pillow sleeve to hold my pillow, and as a result I did not lose my pillow in the nights. I did notice that when using the sleeve, there is a limited amount of options for how to arrange the pillow in reference to your body. Also, the pillow sleeve has a peculiar shape (see picture in IR). I have not figured out what purpose that serves yet.

The bag was very warm for me and I slept with it all the way unzipped until it got slightly cool in the pre-dawn hour. It was not hard to locate the zipper in the dark and zip it halfway closed to keep me warmer. When I was inside the bag, my feet got too hot. So, I had to keep one of my feet outside of the bag. As I got too hot inside the bag, I noticed that the material of the bag sticks to the skin a little, making it have a feeling of even more warmth. However, on the 2nd night, when rain and humidity caused everything made of cotton to be damp, my sleeping back felt dry and was not even at all moist.

The sleeve for the sleeping pad kept me on the pad throughout the nights. It was easy to place the pad inside the sleeve, and equally easy to remove it.

The overall quality of my sleep with the bag was not very good due to constant shifting and opening of the bag to vent air to my limbs.

Unexpected Benefit:
As I mentioned, the bag did not get moist, even with the high humidity.

II.
Date: August 30th-31st
Location: Pilot Mountain, NC, USA
Weather: 65- 95 F (18- 35 C)
Elevation: 2000 ft (600 m)
Terrain: flat with a single knob

Sleeping Surface and Condition: slightly rocky, slightly sloped ground, sleeping with no shelter

Performance:
On this occasion I had gone on an overnight rock climbing trip. Having forgotten my tarp, I slept directly on the ground with only the pad and sleeping bag. Even without a shelter, it was still too warm to really get in the bag and zip it up. I slept on my back, side, and stomach throughout the night.

While laying on top of the bag, I was able to jam my feet into the bottom part and sort of create a bunching of material. This kept me from otherwise sliding off the bag and pad when I was outside of it. In this instance I really fully appreciated the pad sleeve and how well the pad works with the bag to keep everything in place with respect to each other.

I started out using the pillow sleeve, but ended up removing the pillow. The sleeve was keeping me from doubling my pillow (for side sleeping) and rotating my pillow to keep the cool side up.

I slept very well this night and was well rested the next day.

Unexpected Benefit:
I did not slide out of the bag or off the pad, even though I was on a hill and I moved a lot while sleeping.

Test Points from Application

Test Points A

This bag is physically comfortable to the touch. The comfort issues I am encountering so far are problems with it being too warm to be used in 60 F (15 C) weather. When it is warm like this, I open the bag to vent it and allow cooler air to enter. However, the zipper does not go all the way to the bottom, and there is no way to vent the very end of the bag, so my feet get too hot.

Under wet conditions, the bag has done well so far. It did not hold any moisture from humidity during the heavy rains I experienced in Canada. There was no rain penetration into our tent, so I cannot answer my intended questions about the performance of the bag once it gets wet.

This sleeping bag is easy to get in and out of whether zipped up or unzipped. Also, the zipper is easy to find and operate in the dark.

The bag packs away to a very small package in its stuff sack.

Test Points B- Features From Description (Bag and Pad)

Integrated Pad Sleeve
I have not had the need to try getting dressed inside the sleeping bag yet. The integrated system has so far kept the majority of my body on the pad (excluding arms), even as I move around in my sleep. Also, I am still capable of sleeping on my back, side, or stomach, comfortably in all positions.

Mummy Shape decreases size
This is true, and indeed this sleeping bag packs very small and weighs very little.

Built in Pillow Pocket
The pillow pocket is nice and works well in two ways. 1) It keeps my pillow secure so I can easily find it whenever and 2) it makes the pillow a little cooler with the pillow covering. However, the pillow pocket does make it harder to turn the pillow over to the warm side and prevents me from folding the pillow in half for when I sleep on my side.

Loops for sleeping bag liners
I do not know what this is referring to. It does not appear to have any system that works with my homemade liner.

SUMMARY

The bag has been comfortable when I was not overheating. I have not been able to test it in cold weather yet.

Likes
- pillow pocket can keep pillow close if worried about losing it in night
- pad sleeve keeps bag and pad together
- does not absorb humidity or feel damp in wet environment

Dislikes
- feels sticky on skin when body sweats
- no feet ventilation for cooling feet

TESTING STRATEGY

I will use the sleeping bag for at least two more overnight trips, hopefully one of them being to a colder spot. I also would like to test this bag again in the rain.

Test Report by Will Dalen Rice

All material on this site is the exclusive property of BackpackGearTest.org.
BackpackGearTest software copyright David Anderson