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Owner Review
Big Agnes Horse Thief Sleeping Bag
November 1, 2005
Personal Biographical Information
Name – Anthony (TJ) Smith
Age – 30
Gender – Male
Height – 5’ 10” (1.78 m)
Weight – 155 lb (70 kg)
Email Address – tjsmith1946@gmail.com
City, State, Country – Pensacola, FL USA
Background – I have been camping for a little over 5 years now, mostly
car camping. I have recently begun backpacking, and I am constantly adding new
gear to my “collection” in an effort to get my gear list tailored
more towards backpacking, specifically lightweight backpacking. Most of my backpacking
trips are short duration, not more than one or two nights. I am planning some
longer trips in the near future.
Product Information
Manufacturer
– Big Agnes
Year of Manufacture – 2004
Manufacturer URL – www.bigagnes.com
Size – Regular
Stated Weight – 1 lb 8 oz (680 g)
Stated Size – 64 in hip girth to 67.5 in shoulder girth (163 cm to 171
cm)
Stated Compressed Size – 7.75 in x 4.5 in (19.7 cm x 11.4 cm)
Weight as Delivered – 2 lb 2 oz (964 g) in nylon stuff sack
Girth as delivered – 44 in Neck, 63 in Chest, 36 in Foot (112 cm, 160
cm and 91 cm respectively)
Length as delivered – 78 in (198 cm)
Compressed size as delivered, using the included nylon sack – 7.5 in x
5.5 in (19 cm x 14 cm)
MSRP – US $179
Field Information
Locations and Conditions Used
The Horse Thief has been used in locations throughout north Florida, for a total
of approximately 20 trail nights. Weather conditions during my use have ranged
from lows of 30 F (-1 C) to a high of 90 F (32 C), with humidity levels from
20% to 100% and precipitation from none to a torrential downpour. I have used
the Horse Thief exclusively in a Hennessy Hammock, both with no pad under the
bag and using a simple closed-cell foam pad trimmed to fit the pad sleeve of
the bag.
Product Summary
The Horse Thief is a 35 F (2 C) rated 725 fill goose down mummy sleeping bag.
Big Agnes uses a unique system for their bags in that there is no insulation
on the bottom of the bag. Instead, there is a sleeve designed to be used with
a mummy-shaped sleeping pad. While Big Agnes does recommend their own pads for
use in the bag (and what manufacturer wouldn't) they do say that any mummy pad
can be used. The pad sleeve measures 21.25 in (54 cm) at its widest point and
tapers to 12 in (30.5 cm) at the foot of the bag, and is the full length of
the bag. The sleeve itself is stitched around the perimeter of the sleeve to
the edges of the top section of the bag or the zipper, depending on the section
of the bag the sleeve adjoins. According to Big Agnes, the Horse Thief is constructed
of "WRM-breathable, water resistant and wind proof microfiber ripstop"
for both the inner and outer.
This bag is a series of 13 sections, each of which contains a separate quantity
of down. These sections cover the top of the bag, and a small distance around
the sides to the bottom of the bag, ending at the sides of the pad sleeve. The
sections are divided by sections of fabric stitched to both the inner and outer
fabric, forming a series of "tubes". There is a small Big Agnes logo
on the top of the bag, centered on the second baffle from the neck.
The Horse Thief does not have a hood, but does have a pocket attached to the
head end. This is for using either the Big Agnes Air Core pillow, or for stuffing
clothing into for use as a pillow. There is a draft collar around the neck area
of the bag, which is also down-filled. A drawstring cord runs through the edge
of the neck section, with a cordlock to hold the cord when it has been cinched
down.
The Horse Thief is available in two sizes, regular and long, and in either right
or left zip. The zipper is 54 in (137 cm) long and follows the curve of the
bag. There is a pull at both the top and bottom of the zipper. The bottom zipper
pull allows for ventilation while keeping the bag zipped up. At the top of the
zipper is a small flap attached with a hook and loop fastener that covers the
zipper. I use this to help keep the zipper in position while tossing and turning
at night. The zipper is attached to the filled section of the bag on one side,
and to the pad sleeve on the other side. There is no anti-snag mechanism along
the zipper, and I have experienced some snagging of the zipper but no ripping
of the fabric as a result of these snags.
The pad sleeve is simply an extra layer of the same fabric the bag is constructed
of and attached to the bottom of the bag, covering the full length of the bag.
There is an opening 13 in (33 cm) from the head end of the bag with a flap sealed
by a hook and loop patch for inserting a sleeping pad into the sleeve, and an
opening near the foot end to allow me access to pull the bottom of the pad down.
There is also a small opening in the sleeve on both sides at the head end to
allow the inflation valve of a Big Agnes sleeping pad to be accessed while I
am laying in the bag. Big Agnes also advertises with their sleeping pads that
the pad can be left in the pad sleeve and the entire unit placed into the stuff
sack for ease of carrying. I do not yet have a Big Agnes pad, so I cannot verify
that claim at this time.
The Horse Thief comes with two bags, a cotton storage bag and a nylon stuff
sack. The cotton bag is used to store the Horse Thief in a uncompressed state
between trips, and the nylon stuff sack is for compressing the bag during travels.
In addition there are two small loops of webbing on the foot of the bag, used
for storing the bag in a hanging position instead of in the cotton storage bag.
Hanging has been my method of storage when not on the trail throughout my usage
of the Horse Thief. The included stuff bag is a simple cylinder of nylon fabric
with a drawstring closure and a cordlock similar to the one on the neck closure
of the sleeping bag. There is a flap of fabric inside the opening that is used
to cover the open end of the stuff bag after placing the sleeping bag inside.
On the bottom of the stuff bag is a strap that I use to help hold the stuff
bag when removing the sleeping bag from within.
Conclusions
The Horse Thief is my first foray into the world of down camping equipment.
This required some adjustment in my methods due to the care needed to ensure
a long life for the down, such as not leaving the bag compressed and being careful
to not let the bag get too wet.
So far, the bag has held up well under use. I have accumulated approximately
20 trail nights in the time I have owned my Horse Thief, and it has just recently
had any noticeable loss of feathers through the fabric (and very few at that).
The Horse Thief appears to handle humidity well, with no noticeable difference
in loft regardless of the humidity level. I have experienced minimal snagging
of the fabric with the zipper, but I have not noticed any damage to the fabric
from the zipper snags.
The Horse Thief has done a good job of handling surface dirt, with most of the
dirt easy to brush off. The bag had recently begun to develop a body-type odor,
which is most likely due to not using a separate liner with the bag. Following
the directions from Big Agnes, I washed the Horse Thief in a front-loading washing
machine, and dried the bag in a dryer set on air dry. I used a detergent designed
for delicate fabrics, and also took a hint from several other users of down
products and placed a tennis ball in the dryer with the bag to "beat" the down
clumps apart. This appears to have worked, as I had minimal issues after washing
with any clumping of the down in the bag. As best as I can tell, I have not
lost any of the wind and water resistance as a result of washing the bag. I
do make an extra effort to ensure the bag remains dry throughout my usage, so
water resistance would be difficult at best for me to judge.
In my experiences, I tend to actually sleep within the rated ranges for most
of the sleeping bags I have used, neither finding them warmer or cooler than
the rated temperatures but usually right on for me. I find the Horse Thief to
be a very comfortable bag within its rated temperature range. I do find it a
bit too warm for the higher end of temperatures I camp in. However, at the higher
temperatures (above about 85 F [29 C]) I tend to not use any sleeping bag at
all. In early October of 2005, I used my Horse Thief on an overnight trip with
a low of 82 F (28 C). I placed the Horse Thief in my hammock prior to retiring
for the night, and climbed in to lay on top of the bag as it was not cold enough
to get in the bag. Within 10 minutes of climbing into my hammock, I had to remove
the bag due to becoming too warm. I feel this has shown me the upper comfort
range for my use.
I have had the Horse Thief down to 30 F (-1 C) during April of 2005 in Suwanee,
Florida. This again was in my Hennessy Hammock, and using a closed-cell foam
pad beneath the bag but not in the pad sleeve. I wore mid-weight pants and shirt
as a base layer, an Ex-Officio
Give-N-Go Skivvy top, a synthetic t-shirt, wool hiking socks and a knit
watch cap. I was quite comfortable with this setup, and actually had to remove
my synthetic t-shirt during the night because I had gotten almost too warm for
comfort. This is the coldest trip I have taken so far with the Horse Thief,
and feel that I could continue using the bag in similar conditions. My only
issue with this use is the lack of a hood system to help keep my head warm,
which the watch cap does help with.
I feel given my build, the Horse Thief allows me room to roll from side to side.
I tend to not spend the night in any one position and require room to roll back
and forth. The girth of the Horse Thief is adequate for me to have this range
of movement.
The Horse Thief has lofted well after removing it from the nylon stuff sack
throughout my usage. Upon setting up camp, I take the bag out and place it into
my hammock to let it loft before going to bed. This gives the bag a minimum
of one hour to loft, and on most occasions two to three hours. This appears
to be more than adequate time for the bag to loft up.
One issue with the functionality of the bag that I have encountered, and is
totally my own fault, is having a right side zipper on the bag I have. This
poses a problem for using the bag with my Hennessy Hammock, as I find a left
zip bag makes for much easier entry into the bag with it placed in the hammock.
I have found that I can still enter and exit the bag while having the bag in
the hammock, it just requires a bit more maneuvering on my part to make this
work. I would definitely pay more attention to the zip side if I had the opportunity
to make this purchase again.
Overall, the Horse Thief appears well constructed. I have not noticed any "wandering"
seams, and no loose threads. During my use, I have not experienced any threads
coming loose. I have only had a small loss of feathers from the bag, less than
six feathers total that I have noticed. The bag has retained its loft well,
and has remained comfortable.
Pros and Cons
Pros
1. Personal temperature comfort range (low 80s F [27 C] to 30 F [-1 C])
2. Small compressed size
3. Light weight
Cons
1. The extra care down requires
2. Lack of insulation on the bottom (remedied with the use of a pad)
Read more reviews of Big Agnes gear
Read more gear reviews by Anthony Smith
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