Exxel Youth Sleeping Bag
Test Series by Suzi Gibson
Initial Report - 2 August 2009
Field Report - 6 October 2009
Long-Term Report

Tester Information:

Name: Suzi Gibson
Age: 31
Gender: Female
Height: 5'6" (1.7 m)
Weight: 150 lb (68 kg)
Email address: suzi_q_jones at yahoo dot com
City, State, Country: Anderson, South Carolina, USA

Actual Test Subject:

Name: Ella
Age: 2
Gender: Female
Height: ~34 in (86 cm)
Weight: ~27 lb (12 kg)

Backpacking Background:

I've gone on many family camping trips to various places along the east coast of the US since I was a child. Over the past several years, I have done several backpacking trips in the Southeastern US. With the arrival of my daughter in 2007, my husband and I have refocused on car camping and day hikes in the Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic US. She loves hiking with me while riding in our child carrier and assists me in getting our base camp set up when camping, or at least the best a 2 year old can do. As she gets older, we plan on introducing her to the joys of backpacking.

Product Information:

Manufacturer: Exxel Outdoors
URL: http://www.exxel.com/
Colors Available: Camo Pink/ Camo Blue
Color Tested: Camo Pink
Listed weight: N/A
Weight as Delivered: 2 lb 10 oz (1.2 kg) for the bag; 5 oz (142 g) for the stuff sack; 2 lb 15 oz (1.6 kg) total
Listed Dimensions: 26 in (66 cm) x 66 in (167 cm) x 18 in (47 cm)
Actual Dimensions: 27 in (69 cm) x 67 in (170 cm) x 16 in (41 cm)
Compressed Dimensions: 12 in (31 cm) x 9.5 in (24 cm)
MSRP: $29.95 (US)

Initial Report

Product Description & Initial Impressions:

I received the Exxel Youth sleeping bag (hereafter called the bag) in June 2009. The initial bag I received had a couple defective seams and I was sent a replacement bag for testing purposes. The bag is a mummy style, youth sized, sleeping bag rated down to 20 F (-6.7 C). The shell and liner are both a soft, silky polyester material. It has 2 lb (0.9 kg) of Polyester Microtekk Z1 fill, which is evenly distributed throughout the bag. The baffles are approximately 10.5 in (27 cm) wide on both the top and bottom of the bag and are stitched with a long backstitch (0.25 in/ 6.4 mm). There is a single zipper with two zipper pulls on the right side of the bag that runs 49 in (124 cm) from the hood terminating 12 in (30 cm) from the end of the bag. There are two hook and loop closures where the zipper ends on the hood. It has both a draft collar near the hood and a draft tube, which runs the length of the zipper. Both the draft collar and the hood have drawstrings. There are three loops on the foot box for drying out the bag.

I received the Camouflage Pink Youth sleeping bag for my daughter to put through its paces over the summer and fall. It arrived in its compression sack (also pink with a black top and handle and four compression straps.). The bag re-lofted just as much as indicated in the picture supplied by the publicists.

The seams are in good shape. The zippers work ok so far but I will keep an eye on them as I've already snagged them a couple of times while inspecting the bag.

The pink color and camouflage pattern is cute, although I'm not much of a pink fan, my daughter loves it. The shell has a bit of a soft and thin feel to it, which makes me wonder how well it'll hold up over the next couple of months. The lining is soft and silky feeling but again is thin enough to see the fill behind it. The bag looks a little long for her; however, she no longer likes how confined her toddler sleeping bag has become.

The instructions indicate that the bag can be laundered in a commercial sized washing machine on a gently, non-agitating cycle. Given this, I will launder it prior to field-testing so that any chemical residues and odors will be eliminated prior to my toddler being in long-term contact with the bag.

Summary:

Overall, I think this is a nice youth sleeping bag. I like that it doesn't weigh much and the color and pattern is cute. The stuff sack is large enough where I don't feel that I'll have any problems getting the bag back into it. The four compression straps should also help with getting the bag down to a very small size.

Likes:

• Color scheme
• Low weight
• Compressibility

Dislikes/Concerns:

• Nothing at this time

Field Report

Field Locations and Conditions:

Over the past 2 months, the Exxel Youth sleeping bag (hereafter, 'the bag') has been used a total of 5 nights, on three separate outings in Sadlers Creek State Park, SC, Gatlinburg, Tennessee and Southern Maryland. All trips have been car camping trips. Elevations traveled ranged from sea level to approximately 2700 ft (823 m). Daytime high temperatures ranged from approximately 73 F (23 C), to 88 F (31 C) with lows ranging from approximately 46 F (7 C) to 72 F (22 C). All outings have seen the gamut of sun, showers and thunderstorms. In addition to its outdoor usage, the bag has been used inside per my daughter's request. She really likes to set it up inside her play tent and pretend sleep on it in addition to pilling her favorite toys inside it.

Field Performance:

To date, the bag has performed well for a children's sleeping bag. All stitching and seams have held up extremely well to my toddler's abuse. I have had a several zipper snags, but it has been easy to back the zipper out. Since testing has been conducted in mostly mild temperatures, I have had my daughter start the night sleeping on top of the bag. As the night progresses, I zip her into the bag. Our last trip was the coldest yet (46 F/7 C nightime low) and I kept her tucked in the bag for the entire evening and later in the night, pulled the drawcord on the hood to close the opening a little bit to help her retain heat. The bag has done a great job keeping her warm at night even down the 46 F (7 C). The bag did feel damp on a few occasions, however a few hours of dry time was all it needed to feel dry again. Stuffing the bag back into its stuff sack has been very easy and I really like how well it compresses. The compression sack itself it holding up very well with no rips, fraying straps or seams.

Summary:

Overall, I've been very pleased with how this bag has performed so far. I know my daughter has also enjoyed the warmth it provides during our excursions. I like how compact and lightweight the bag is. These features have allowed my toddler to be able to assist me with setting up camp since she can grab the top loop of the stuff sack and the low weight and low volume allow her to easily carry it from the car to the tent. I'm looking forward to seeing how well it performs during our upcoming excursions.

Likes:

• Lightweight
• Compressibility
• Warmth
• Durability

Dislikes:

• Nothing at this time