Reviews > Sleep Gear > Sleeping Bags > Coleman Cloudcroft > Anthony Smith > Long Term Report

Coleman Cloudcroft 40° Down Sleeping Bag
Long Term Report
5 December 2006

Tester Bio

Backpacking 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. 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.
My current pack weight is around 15-20 lb (7-9 kg) without food and water, depending on if I'm solo camping or taking my son along, as I have to carry some of his gear. I am a dedicated hammock camper and have tailored my personal gear to that aspect of camping.

Product Information

Year of Manufacture – 2006
Manufacturer URL – www.coleman.com
Stated Weight (per hang tag) – 2 lb 1 oz (940 g)
Stated Pack Size (per hang tag) – 6 x 14 in (15-1/4 x 35-1/2 cm)
Stated Bag Size – 31 x 80 in (79 x 203 cm)
Weights as Delivered
   Sleeping Bag – 2 lb 2 oz (960 g)
   Stuff Sack – 1-3/4 oz (50 g)
   Storage Bag – 3-7/8 oz (114 g)
Pack Size as Delivered –6 x 12 in (15-1/4 x 30-1/2 cm)
Bag Size as Delivered – 30 x 80 in (76 x 203 cm)
Size Tested – Regular
MSRP – $120 USD
Other Versions Available – 20° and 0°

According to the hang tag included on the sleeping bag, the Cloudcroft has the following features:

• Goose down insulation offers a high warmth to weight ratio
• 600 fill power
• 310T Tactel® nylon offers wind and water resistance
• Baffle box construction allows down to fully loft and keeps it from shifting
• Side-block baffle keeps the down from shifting from the top of the bag to the bottom
• Fully sculpted hood naturally covers more of the head for better heat retention
• Which-One™ draw cords allow for easy hood adjustment in the dark
• Trapezoidal foot box is angled to allow for the foot's natural sleeping position
• Insulated zipper gusset minimizes heat loss at the zipper base

Initial Information/Observations

The Cloudcroft met my initial expectations upon receipt. For a much more detailed description of my initial information and observations, see my Initial Report and Field Report.

Field Information

Date: November 10-12, 2006
Location: Hurricane Lake Campground, Munson, Florida
Weather: Temperatures reached a high of 70 F (21 C) during the day and dropped to 40 F (4 C) the first night and 30 F (-1 C) the second night. During the day on the second of the three days, we experienced pretty significant rainfall (about 2 in [5 cm] in less than 2 hours).

This trip was an overnight in a local state forest campground. While this is an organized campground, the camping area I was in is a primitive camping area.

While I drove into the site, all my equipment was carried in my Granite Gear Vapor Trail backpack, and the Cloudcroft still fit quite comfortably into this pack.

I used the Cloudcroft in my Hennessy Hammock, with a Big Agnes Insulated Air Core sleeping pad underneath the bag. On the first night, I was quite comfortable in this setup wearing a lightweight base layer and lightweight socks, even though I was at the bottom temperature range for the bag.

The second night stretched the limit of the bag, and I only attempted this because I had a vehicle conveniently located for a quick escape from the temperatures if needed. I again used the Cloudcroft in my hammock with the same sleeping pad setup, and also used a silk "Cocoon Liner" inside the bag. However, I dressed a bit warmer; in my lightweight base layer, lightweight and merino wool socks, synthetic hiking pants, a long-sleeved cotton shirt, and a silk balaclava. With this setup, I actually remained comfortable and personally would use the Cloudcroft to this level. I have, recently, begun sleeping much warmer than I used to and would not have attempted this extreme prior to this trip.

The following items have been addressed from my test plan:

Durability

1. How well does the zipper hold up? Does it snag on the fabric requiring constant attention? Does it develop “sticky” spots that require some finesse to get the zipper past? The zipper has held up well throughout my testing, and I have not had problems with it snagging the fabric. I also have not experienced any "sticky" spots in the operation of the zipper.
2. How well does the down retain its loft in the bottom of the bag (underneath me), after being compressed under my weight for several nights? The bag has retained its loft for the duration of the testing, through 5 nights in the field and several nights of use at home.

Comfort

1. How comfortable is the Tactel lining? Is it comfortable against bare skin, or do I require clothing or a liner to be comfortable? The Tactel lining has remained comfortable to me throughout the testing period, both against my bare skin and while wearing clothing. However, I have not had to wear clothes due to the feeling of the liner against my skin, the clothing was for warmth at lower temperatures.
2. How comfortable is the “semi-sculpted” hood? Does it make me feel confined? Does it cause too much heat retention during warmer nights? I have found the hood quite comfortable when used. At warmer temperatures experienced earlier in the reporting, it did cause some heat retention. However, at colder temperatures I found this feature to be quite nice. I do not feel confined when using the hood, and find that the opening is quite adequate to alleviate any perceived confining on my part.
3. I tend to toss and turn quite a bit at night. Does the bag have enough room to allow for this? Or are some areas a bit confining in regards to constant movement? In addition, does the bag stay in place during movement, or do I end up with the zipper underneath me, or worse yet, on the opposite side from where it is supposed to be? Throughout all 5 nights of testing, both with the bag partially zipped and fully zipped, I have found ample room for my tossing and turning at night. I have not found any areas confining to me, even when wearing several layers of clothing adding bulk to my body. I have experienced some rotation of the bag, most notably when using the bag with a sleeping pad while in my hammock. However, this is not an isolated occurrence and happens with my other sleeping bags as well.
4. As this is a 40 F (4 C) bag, is it appropriate for the warmer temperatures I intend to encounter during the testing period or is the bag too warm? (For reference, my current bag is a 35 F (2 C) and I don’t normally use it if night temperatures are over 75 F (24 C).) I have not had any problems during testing to this point with the bag being too warm for experienced conditions. The flexibility of being able to lay the bag open has been a benefit, in my opinion, for comfort in warmer conditions. As an added caveat to this, I also found the bag quite functional at lower temperatures, even reaching below the rated temperature range.

Function

1. How well does the bag loft after being compressed in its stuff sack inside my pack while hiking? The Cloudcroft lofted up in what I feel was an adequate time period, not taking too long after removal from the stuff sack and being placed into my hammock. This has been tested on three different trips, and I placed the Cloudcroft back in the stuff sack for the duration of the second day on three day trips to simulate a packed load for hiking.
2. How useful is the interior storage pocket? Do I actually use this, or is it an unnecessary extra for me? I have not utilized the interior storage pocket for any purposes on any of the trips. I in fact usually forget it is even in the bag.
3. This bag is listed as having “Which-one” cinch cords for cinching the hood. Is this system actually user-friendly or more of a gimmick? Can I truly feel a difference in the cords? I initially had difficulty in discerning a difference between the different cords for the hood. However, with use I have begun to be more comfortable basing decisions on the tactile differences between the cords.

Construction

1. Do the baffles in the bag actually keep the down where it is supposed to be and prevent shifting? Are the baffles constructed in such a way as to cause me to feel “cold spots” on cooler nights? After 5 nights of field use, and several nights of use at home, I inspected the bag for obvious shifting of the down. I could not tell any areas that the down has shifted. I have noticed a few feathers beginning to "poke" out through the fabric of the bag. I was able to push the quill end of the down and get it back into the bag, with no apparent loss of down from my testing.

The Good and The Bad

Pros

1. Comfortable down to the rated temperature (and just below)
2. Small size when compressed in the stuff sack
3. Ample room for tossing and turning

Cons

1. A few feathers "poking" out of the bag
2. Interior pocket didn't serve a functional purpose

My thanks to Coleman and BackpackGearTest for allowing me to test this item.

Reviews > Sleep Gear > Sleeping Bags > Coleman Cloudcroft > Anthony Smith > Long Term Report