Owner Review - Kelty Clear Creek 20 Sleeping Bag (Regular)

 

Biography

 

Name: Seth Middleton

Age: 25

Gender: Male

Height: 6’0” (182 cm)

Weight: 180 lb (81 kg)

Email Address: SDMiddleton@yahoo.com

City, State, and Country: Louisville, KY, U.S.A.

Date: 30 December 2003

 

Backpacking Background: My first backpacking trip was probably when I was 12 or 13 years old and I’ve been hooked ever since (for the past 13 years). I generally attempt to keep my backpack fairly lightweight, but I’m not above bringing the extra comfort amenities. I mostly take weekend trips, with occasional longer trips. I’ve backpacked in many of the midwestern states and the Rockies, as well as the Adirondacks and the Appalachians. I normally hike in low altitude, hilly, woodland terrain.

 

Product Information

 

Manufacturer: Kelty

Year of Manufacture: 2000

URL: http://www.kelty.com/

Temperature Rating: 20 F (-7 C)

Fill: Hollofil II

Shell Material: Nylon Double Ripstop Shell

Liner Material: Cotton/Polyester Liner

 

Manufacturer’s Weight: 4 lb 6 oz (2 kg)

Actual Weight (including stuff sack): 4 lb 6 oz (2 kg)

 

Manufacturer’s Stuff Size: 10” x 20” (25 cm x 51 cm)

Actual Stuff Size: 10” x 20” (25 cm x 51 cm)

 

Manufacturer’s Length: 80” (203 cm)

Actual Length (not counting the hood): 80” (203 cm)

 

Manufacturer’s Girth: 64” (163 cm)

Actual Girth: 64” (163 cm)

 

Review

 

The Kelty Clear Creek mummy sleeping bag comes in a plastic bag along with the stuff sack. It has a blue shell and a charcoal colored liner. On the open end of the bag, there is a drawstring to pull the hood closed. It zips from the bottom and the top and has a zipper draft tube. At the top of the zipper, there is a Velcro patch to pull across the zipper, assumedly to keep it from unzipping while I sleep. On the bottom of the bag, there is a hanging loop for drying or storing. The stuff sack is plain black with a drawstring on the open end and a nylon hand strap on the bottom to help pull the bag out of the stuff sack. Although the Kelty website claims that there are sleeping pad security loops on the Clear Creek, mine does not have them. Perhaps the older model of my bag (2000) didn’t have that feature.

 

The Kelty Clear Creek has been one of my primary sleeping bags for the past three years and is still my primary 30 to 40 degree F (-1 to 5 C) sleeping bag. It has accompanied me on over 20 backpacking and camping trips, the longest being about a week. I’ve used it in the summer in the mountains of Colorado, in the fall on the Appalachian Trail in New York, in the winter in the hills of Eastern Kentucky, and in the spring on the plains of Kansas. I’ve used it in temperatures ranging from 20 degrees F (-7 C) to 60 degrees F (16 C).

 

The Clear Creek is rated at 20 degrees F (-7 C) and I just used it last weekend in about 25 degree F (-4 C) temperatures at night. I wore long underwear and slept inside my two-person tent. Although Kelty advertises that it has a differential cut that eliminates cold spots, ground level side seams, and extra insulation over the chest area, I did encountered cold spots at this temperature. It seems like it is an unusually wide mummy bag and I do not quite fill up the bag. That being the case, there are definite cold spots when I move. I remedy this deficiency by tucking in the extra part of the sleeping bag beneath me when I sleep. This is only a partial solution because I inevitably move at night, which creates more cold spots. The zipper draft tube is nice because I don’t have to feel the cold zipper at night, but I’m not sure if the draft tube completely keeps the cold out since the cold does get in somehow.

 

When I bought the bag, the retailer advertised that the regular Clear Creek would fit someone who is up to 6 feet (182 cm) tall (note: that was the retailer’s claim, not the manufacturer’s). I am exactly 6 feet (182 cm) tall and there are probably 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm) from the bottom of my feet to the bottom of the bag. This fact makes it difficult to keep my feet warm. If I throw a foot warmer or a heated water bottle at the bottom of the sleeping bag, my feet are ok. That being said, when I used it at 25 degree F (-4 C) temperature, I stayed reasonably warm throughout the night; I did experience discomfort from the cold spots, but not cold enough to shiver or keep me from sleep. If I had to buy it again, I would try out the short Clear Creek to see if it is a better fit.

 

Ideally, I use it at the 30 to 40 degrees F (-1 C to 5 C) range. At this range, I keep warm all night inside my tent with my long underwear, with the sleeping bag zipper zipped about halfway up. Sometimes I unzip the zipper from the bottom to get some air circulation at my feet. The zipper catches occasionally but it works fine 95% of the time. At this temperature range, it is unnecessary for me to use the hood. Since this is my preferred temperature range for this sleeping bag, I primarily use it in the spring and fall now that I live in Kentucky.

 

Although I usually use a lighter sleeping bag for summer, I have used it on 4 or 5 occasions during the summer. The nighttime temperature on my last summer trip was approximately 60 degrees F (16 C). I was sleeping in my tent with the windows open, but even though I was just sleeping in my shorts, I ended up having to sleep on top of the sleeping bag because it was way too hot. One of my favorite things about the sleeping bag is the lining. The cotton / polyester lining is very comfortable and feels almost like my sheets at home. I have several other sleeping bags with slick-feeling liners and they seem to induce sweat more.

 

As a general rule, I’m not the most weight-conscious person when loading a backpack. If it fits in my backpack, I’m young enough and my trips are short enough that I don’t mind a few extra pounds. So the 4 lb 6 oz  (2 kg) weight does not really bother me.  However, the stuff size has bothered me to some extent. The stuff sack is too big, in my opinion, for the sleeping bag. I have not tried to stuff the sleeping bag into a smaller stuff sack but I am confident that it could be done as I can stuff the sleeping bag into about ¾ of the original stuff sack. Fortunately, I carry a large internal frame backpack (the Jansport Adirondack), and by stuffing the bag into a smaller-than-the-stuff-sack size, I can fit the sleeping bag into the sleeping bag compartment.

 

Summary

 

The Kelty Clear Creek sleeping bag is a very nice sleeping bag with some limitations. A little bit bulky, but overall a warm and comfortable sleeping bag.

 

Things I like:

 

1. The comfortable lining

2. The extra room to move around

3. The price

 

Things I don’t like:

 

1. The stuff size

2. The cold spots on very cold nights

3. The weight