Lafuma Warm'n Light [1 kilo down] Mummy Style Sleeping Bag

 

Review Information

 

Name:  Joe Tavares

Age:  46

Gender:  Male

Height: 5' 8" (1.7 m)

Weight:  158 lb (72 kg)

Email address:  j.tavares@comcast.net

City:  Dallas (Richardson)

State:  Texas

Country:  USA

Date:  February 07, 2004

 

Backpacking Background:  As a Boy Scout, I had some limited backpacking experiences, mostly short hikes over a limited number of days.   When my son came of age to be a Boy Scout I signed up as a Scout Leader, now Wood Badge Trained, and camp and hike with the Troop.  Typically, we hike into primitive campsites or trailer into Boy Scout Camps on a monthly basis.  Winter Camp (jamboree style) is my primary long-term camp every year, lasting about a week.  Overall, I have averaged more than 50 camping nights per year for the last 4 years.  We are preparing for a High Adventure Experience in August 2004 at Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico, USA and, as part of the preparation, have added hikes of increasing difficulty to our other Scouting schedule.  Typically, the temperature ranges more to the hot and humid side of the thermometer, but I have also experienced many days and nights of below-freezing temperatures.  In August, we will have 2 Crews hiking Philmont Expeditions.  The Treks will be roughly 70 mi (113 km), plus side hikes, over 11 days with the base altitude at 7,000 ft (2,134 m). 

 

Product Information

 

Manufacturer:  Lafuma

Year of Manufacture: 2003

URL: http://www.lafuma.com/

Listed weight: 35.3 oz (1001 g)

Weight as measured on my home postal scale: 36.9 oz (1046 g)

Weight of included stuff sack as measured on my home postal scale:  2.0 oz (57 g)

Listed dimensions:  88.6 in (2.3 m) by 31.5 in (0.8 m)

Measured dimensions: 89.2 in (2.3 m) by 32.2 in (0.8 m)

Listed packed dimensions: 15 in (38.1 cm) by 8 in (20.3 cm)

Measured packed dimensions (my packing):  12 in (30.5 cm) by 7 in (17.8 cm)

Temperature rating: Comfort:  35.6 F (2 C), Limited Comfort:  21.2 F (-6 C), Extreme:  5 F (-15 C)

External Shell Material:  40D Nylon micro Ripstop 320 Tactel DIA Micro Ripstop

Lining:  40D Nylon micro Ripstop 260 Tactel

Filling:  goose down filling 90/10 - 400g per layer 90% goose down, 10% goose feather

MSRP:  Not posted

 

Manufacturer's Stated Product Features

 

Technical wraparound collar for great comfort - cold proof flap - double YKK slider self-adjusting zip opening - may be paired up- standard stuff sac 13 in x 6 in (33 cm x 15.2 cm)

 

Product Description:

 

The Lafuma Warm'n Light (1 kilo down) is a basic, goose down bag.  In terms of features, it is pretty much limited to the mummy style, the wraparound collar, and an adequate cold proof flap.  Not mentioned by Lafuma, there is a small, zippered pocket intended, I believe, to hold the stuff sack when the bag is in use.  This pocket is located on the outside of the bag on the front breast of the bag.  The double zipper allows for the bag to be "zipped up" and, at the same time, have a variably-sized opening near the foot.  The zipper extends to within 1 ft (30.5 cm) of the end of the bag.  The top of the zipper can be secured by a hook and loop flap.  In addition, the top zipper slider has a nylon string securely fastened to the slider handle on the outside of the bag.  The top zipper is also "two-sided" so it can be operated from inside, as well as, outside the bag.  There is no string attached to the inside handle.  The cold proof flap runs the entire length of the zipper and covers the zipper adequately to prevent outside air from invading the bag.  There is a sewn-in drawstring around the hood of the mummy bag, allowing it to be gathered to make a snug fit around the face.  An interesting part of that drawstring is the cord lock.  This is a normal-looking cord lock with one exception.  It is attached to the bag by a strap sewn into the seam and cannot be moved from its relative position on the bag for some reason which I cannot determine.  The foot box measures 10 in (25.4 cm) tall by 9 in (22.9 cm) wide as measured from the outside of the bag.  There are 2 straps sewn into the seams around the perimeter of the foot box for hanging the bag for storage.  The temperature rating for this bag merits mention as the manufacturer has provided three temperature ratings.  Lafuma assumes different people have different tolerance for the cold, and so has indicated their thoughts regarding the insulating capabilities of this bag.  The average human will feel as the descriptions are given.  Extreme implies, perhaps, an uncomfortable sleeping experience, but sleep nonetheless with little risk of exposure or frostbite.

 

Field Report:

 

I have had an opportunity to use this sleeping bag on three campouts, for a total of nine camp-nights from December 2003 through January 2004.  During these nights, we experienced temperature ranges from the coldest of 22 F (-5.6 C) to the warmest of 51 F (10.6 C).  The coldest weather experienced touched on the middle temperature rating.  On all occasions, the bag was used in conjunction with a full-length Discovery Series Therm-a-rest self-inflating pad.  My previous experience with sleeping bags has been exclusively with synthetic fill bags, so I was very curious and in some ways apprehensive, about using a down-filled bag.  The most obvious difference, upon first glance, is the size of the bag in its packed form as compared to my synthetic bag of a similar temperature range.  I knew I was going to get some relief there, but wow!  I am able to put the bag inside my backpack in the sleeping bag compartment with room to spare.  The weight differential was also significant and equally as impressive.  I have lightened my load in a single act by almost 3 lb (1.4 kg).  In addition, my synthetic bag would not fit in the sleeping bag compartment and interfered with my carrying of things that could not be stored inside the bag, like cooking equipment and food.

 
The weather for the times I have used the bag have varied significantly.  Focusing on Winter Camp, we experienced several very comfortable days with cold nights and one day that rained from sunrise to sunset.  While the rain did not affect me during sleeping periods, the inside of my tent got a little wet.  To clarify, it felt wet on the outside of the bag, not dripping wet or saturated, and felt dry to the touch inside.  This set me into a little bit of a panic as I have heard about problems with wet down bags and I was afraid the moisture would migrate inside as I slept.  As soon as I discovered the bag was wet, I removed it from the tent, and hung it inside the large dining tent near a warm area.  By nightfall, the bag was dry and the loftiness of the down was unchanged from the previous night.

 
From a comfort factor related to the temperature, I was very comfortable in the bag on the nights when the temperature was between 25 F (-3.9 C) and 40 F (4.5 C).  On the night that the temperature was warmer than that, I slept with the zipper partially unzipped and my arms outside the bag for most of the night.  As before, I was pretty comfortable except that I had some condensation inside the bag.  On the one night when we reached 22 F (-5.6 C), I was just a bit cool, and took advantage if the cotton throw blanket I brought along just for that purpose.  This made it very comfortable and I am satisfied with this as a fix.  While it may constitute too much information, my typical sleeping attire for a campout, even in the winter, is a short-sleeved t-shirt and boxers.  So in a pinch, I could put on socks, a long-sleeved t-shirt, etc. in order to tolerate colder temperatures. 

 
The bag was, as I previously mentioned, used on top of my Therm-a-rest.  I was interested in how much the bag might slide around, but it seems, over the 9 nights of camping, so far, it does not have a propensity for that.  My Therm-a-rest is an older version that does not include any special non-slip coatings or fabrics.  I did not try the bag directly on the floor of my tent at any point, so I cannot say as to the degree of insulation or padding comfort, although I would hazard a guess and suggest that the comfort part would be significantly impacted if I were to eliminate the pad. 

 
The loft of the filling seems quite consistent with what I know about goose down bags, but my knowledge level is fairly limited, so I might suggest a grain of salt to go with that comment.  The draft tube along the length of the zipper effectively prevents cold air drafting into the bag.

 
As far as roominess is concerned, I thought this bag was very comfortable and could be considered roomy.  I would not mind, a bit, sleeping late (like that will ever happen) on a campout using this bag.  I was able to move around and roll over very easily in the bag, except when I had the hood cinched up tight.  There was no place on my body where I felt the bag constraining me.  I did notice a little extra room in the foot box that I could do without, but a spare t-shirt seems to have done the trick.  The hood of the mummy bag cinches around the perimeter of my face pretty easily as long as the cord lock mechanism is understood.  The cord lock itself is attached to the bag as well as having the cord run through it.  I haven't seen that before, and hadn't noticed it before the first night I used the bag, so it was a bit of an adventure cinching the hood the first night. 

 
As far as workmanship is concerned, I looked the sleeping bag over, pretty well, before purchasing it.  I am pretty happy with the ripstop nylon, the quality of the stitching on the seams, etc.  It appears this bag is constructed with quality in mind (I had a similar conclusion with a daypack by the same manufacturer).

 

Summary:

 

The Lafuma Warm'n Light [1 kilo down] mummy-style sleeping bag is a very nice, lightweight bag, suitable for extended backpacking expeditions in sleeping temperature ranges reflected by their Limited Comfort and Comfort ratings.  I would not use this bag in temperatures approaching the Extreme rating.  The bag may not be a very technical bag, but it covers the basics quite well.  I tolerate the cold fairly well, but appreciate a warm sleeping environment and for my purposes, this bag supports my needs quite well.  Given the weight, material and size, typically priced at a premium, I was happily surprised to be able to get the bag at a price significantly lower.  For anyone in a temperate area, this could be a 4 season sleeping bag.  For those who live where golf cannot be played year-round, I suppose this would simply be a 3 season bag.

 

Things I Like

 

• Light weight
• Packs small
• High quality construction
• The goose down "feel"
• Roominess

Things I Don't Care For

 

• The foot box may be a bit too large
• The cord lock that secures the hood has a high "goofiness" factor