Reviews > Sleep Gear > Sleeping Bags > Exped Wall Creeper > Brian Tannehill > Long Term Report

Exped WallCreeper
TEST SERIES BY BRIAN TANNEHILL
LONG-TERM REPORT
October 26, 2006

CLICK HERE TO SKIP TO THE INITIAL REPORT
CLICK HERE TO SKIP TO THE FIELD REPORT

TESTER INFORMATION

I am fairly new to backpacking, but I have hunted/fished/camped all my life in East Texas, Colorado, and California. My young kids (4, 10, 12) limit me to weekend overnight camping trips, or day hikes Geocaching. I am also an avid mountain biker. Currently I live in Colorado Springs, Co at the base of the Rocky Mountains. Pike National Forest surrounds me at 9000 - 14,110 feet (2743 m - 4301 m). Snow can happen 10 months out of the year and summer is the hottest reaching 65 deg F + (18 C), the other months average 45 deg F (7 C).

LONG-TERM REPORT

Product Information

LONG-TERM TEST LOCATIONS

The locations of my tests were in the Rocky Mountains of Pike National Forest just west of Colorado Springs. Elevations ranged from 7000 feet (2134 m) at my house up to around 10,000 feet (3048 m) in the local mountains. Weather at this time of the year is fairly warm. Temperatures ranged from an avg high of mid 80's F (26 C) and a low of mid 50's F (10 C) through the month of July to an avg of mid 60's F(15 C) for a high to mid 30's F( -1 C) for the low in the month of October. The terrain is typical rocky mountain terrain for the Rockies with numerous trees to hang from. I was also able to try the bag out in Northern Colorado on a hunting trip. Low temperatures at night ranged from 10 F (-12 C ) to around 30 F (-1 C).

PERFORMANCE IN THE FIELD

Please see my initial and field reports for all my previous reports. Overall I have been very pleased with this sleeping bag. I was able to take it on my hunting trip to Northern Colorado 20-25 Oct 2006 and used it along with another sleeping bag for 5 days 4 nights.

Here is a picture of me wearing it outside our hunting camp in the driving snow.

At my hunting camp

Of the bags I have used, none have been able to go below the temp rating except this one. I have used this bag in my hammock with a baselayer consisting of an Ex-Officio Give-N-Go skivvy top, blue jeans, cold weather socks, and knit hat and have been very comfortable down to 35 F (2 C). On two different occasions I took a small thermometer out with me to measure temps. I measured temps outside my hammock, outside the top of the bag (thermometer touching the bag) and inside the bag between my stomach and the top of the bag. The first time I did this temps measured 44 F (7 C) at both 9:30 and 10:30 pm outside my hammock. On top of the bag, it measured 55 F (13 C) and inside the bag measured 71 F (22 C).

The next time was about a week later and temps were a bit colder. At 10:30 pm the outside air temp was 38 F (3 C). I woke up at 03:30 and took another measurement and it was down to 35 F (2 C) outside. I then measured the top of the bag and inside the bag and they both measured the same as before, 55 F (13 C) on top and 70 (21 C) inside the bag. I was not using the tarp this night and I also woke up with a small amount of morning dew on me and the bag.

I have used the bag as a vest everyday around the hunting camp. After arriving back in camp and being very cold and sometimes wet and sweaty I would doff my hunting gear and don the bag to do camp chores in and lounge around and relax. Temperatures in the tent were 38 F(3 C) until the wood stove got going and I was very warm and cozy. I would wear it while cooking supper over my DragonFly Stove and the heat from the stove while not much did not affect the bag at all. I would also sit next to the wood stove we had in the tent and the heat again did not affect the bag.

I've also used this bag as an over quilt. While sleeping in my sleeping bag with a Gore-Tex cover, I would unzip the Exped all the way, open the foot box and lay it over the top of me and my other sleeping bag. I found that during the night while I tossed and turned , the slickness of the bag would cause it to slide off my main sleeping bag.

One thing I still do not like about this bag is when I use it like a vest, I am supposed to snap together the bottom drawstrings to the top drawstrings. This is done in an x across my chest and connects to the drawstrings on the hood. When set up like this it pulls the hood draw strings closed and allows limited use of the hood. I've also noticed that when using the hood it is very hard for me to hear someone especially if I am moving around doing chores.

Questions that were answered:

Some questions I had left over from my initial and field reports are below.

How well will the bag work in my experiments with wrapping it around the hammock?
I can wrap the bag around me and my homemade hammock but I cannot put my Therm-A-Rest basecamp model sleeping pad in with me. I tried wrapping the sleeping bag around just the pad and and it did not fit very well. I could not have gotten me and the pad inside the sleeping bag.

How well does the foot box draw string hold up? Will it wear out over time? Will it allow air into the bag? I really like the footbox draw string. I have not noticed that sometimes it will open on its own if I kick it just right by tossing and turning. I have not noticed any drafts though, and I keep it cinched up pretty tight.

How accurate is the temperature range rated on the bag?
The temp rating is measured with the EN13597-Norm and that the ratings for men are 38 F (3 C) to 66 F (19 C). I have been comfortable down to 35 F (2 C).

How will it work as a vest? Is it to warm to hike in? Work around camp in?
I love using this bag as a vest. I have used it around camp for numerous chores and have been very comfortable in it at all times. I do not think it would be good to hike in as it feels like it would be very hot and would tear easily on tree limbs and such.

Summary

Overall I really like this sleeping bag. It's lightweight, warm and comfortable. It was a little constricting on me at first but I have gotten use to it over time. I have enjoyed testing this type of bag and have really enjoyed it as a vest around camp. I love to be able to wear it around camp and then just go lay down and close it up. No more cold sleeping bag to climb into.

Things I like about it:
It can open all the way to become a quilt.
The temperature rating is very accurate.
I can use it wrapped around me and my homemade hammock when temperatures allow.

Things I don't like about it:
For my size it's a bit constrictng around the chest/shoulders
When set up like a vest the drawstrings pull the hood tight.

Thanks to BGT and Exped for allowing me to participate in this test.

Reviews > Sleep Gear > Sleeping Bags > Exped Wall Creeper > Brian Tannehill > Long Term Report