Test Locations and Conditions.

During the Field Test period, I used the Arrow Rock a total of ten nights.

On June 20-21, 2008 I camped overnight near Mt. Bell (elevation 11,612 ft/3,539 m) in the Lemhi Mountain Range near Howe, Idaho.  The temperature overnight was 32 F/0 C.  I slept in a Lighthouse tent.  I used a Therm-a-Rest ProLite 4 pad which I attached to the bag with the Pad Locks.  I ate a good meal fairly early and we retired to bed before it was dark outside.  I wore only light cotton underwear to bed.  Unless I am really tired, even when sleeping in a bed at home, I tend to turn over frequently.  Although I recall having a fairly comfortable and restful night's sleep, my climbing partner claimed that during the night I was thrashing around and he asked me if I was "ok."  He claims that I said, "No, I'm cold."  However, I do not recall such a conversation and I believe he was delusional.  He forgot his sleeping bag and was sleeping in his clothes, my coat and a bivy bag.  I tend to think he was really the one who was cold.  I remember being comfortably warm all night despite the fact that the temperature dropped to near the lowest rating for the Arrow Rock.  The only difficulty I encountered was zipping the Arrow Rock up past my shoulders.  The zipper seemed to stick at that location and it was hard to zip the bag past my shoulders.  Once I got the zipper past my shoulders, it was easy to zip the bag up the rest of the way.

On June 23-24, 2008, I stayed at Treasure Mountain near Driggs, Idaho (elevation 6,300 ft/1,920 m).  The Temperature overnight was 41 F/5 C.  I again slept in a Lighthouse tent.  On this outing, I used a Therm-a-Rest CampLite pad which is a bit wider and longer than the ProLite 4.  It is also rectangular in shape rather than tapered like the ProLite 4.  I used the Pad Locks to secure the pad to the bag.  I ate my evening meal at around 6:00 p.m.   I wore only light cotton underwear to bed.  The temperature was warm enough that I slept with the bag partially unzipped most of the night.  Once again, I found it difficult to get the zipper on the bag past my shoulders.  It almost felt like my shoulders were producing too much tension on the bag at this point in the zipper.  Once I got the zipper "over the hill" created by my shoulders, it zipped easily.  During the night I also discovered that rolling from one side to the other was a bit constricted.  The bag clung tightly to the pad and provided very little give when I was attempting to roll from side to side.  I later discovered that loosening the Pad Locks a little created less tension between the bag and the pad and I was able to roll over much easier.

I next spent three nights, from July 2 to July 5, 2008, at Stanley Lake near Stanley, Idaho (elevation 6,537 ft/1,992 m).  The overnight temperatures ranged from 42 F/6 C to 51 F/11 C.  On this outing, I used a Big Agnes pad and the Sleeping Giant Pad Upgrade kit.  This kit is also rectangularly shaped and a bit thicker than the other two pads I had previously used.  I used the Pad Locks to secure the pad to the bag.  I ate very well every night.  I slept in light cotton underwear and cotton pj bottoms.  One night just at bed time, we experienced a thunderstorm with rain and severe wind.  The wind was so severe that it blew down trees in neighboring campsites.  Fortunately none fell in our campsite.  Each night, I slept very well and awoke rested and ready to face a new day.  The temperatures on this outing never really challenged the Arrow Rock's temperature rating.  I usually started the evening with the zipper only partially done up to allow for cooler air to circulate inside the bag.  By early morning, I always zipped up the bag and always had at least a little difficulty getting the zipper past my shoulders.

I spent one night (July 18, 2008) near Henry's Lake near Island Park, Idaho (elevation 6,470 ft/1,972 m).  This was a youth activity that I was helping to supervise and so I ended up sleeping in a cabin on top of a bed.  I opened the window next to the bed which allowed a very cool breeze to circulate over my bed.  The outside temperature overnight  was 46 F/8 C.  I ate a very good meal that night.  I wore only light cotton underwear and cotton pj bottoms to bed.  Surprisingly, given the outside temperature, I was very comfortable all night and slept very well.  The cool breeze blew throughout the night which helped keep me from overheating.

On July 23-25, 2008, I spent two nights at Earley Park near Tremonton, Utah (elevation 5,766 ft/1,757 m).  The overnight temperatures were in the low 50s F/10-11 C.  I slept in a Kelty 6-man tent.  I used a Big Agnes pad and Sleeping Giant Pad Upgrade kit.  As an experiment, I did not use the Pad Locks one night.  Again, I ate very well every night.  I wore cotton underwear and cotton pj bottoms to bed.  As has been my practice for most of the summer, I started the night with the bag only partially zipped but by early morning zipped the bag the rest of the way.  I still had the same difficulty with the zipper as previously mentioned.  I was comfortable both nights but the bag slipped off the pad frequently during the night that I failed to use the Pad Locks.  The shell material is silky to the touch and seemed to slip off the pad with ease.  I will attach the Arrow Rock to the sleeping pad by way of the Pad Locks from now on.

Finally, on August 4-6, 2008, I used the Arrow Rock for two nights during a backpacking trip into Copper Basin near MacKay, Idaho.  We spent one night at Moose Lake (elevation 9,345 ft/2,848 m) and one night in Surprise Canyon near the base of Standhope Peak (elevation 10,148 ft/3,093 m).  I used my Lighthouse tent.  I used a Therm-a-Rest ProLite 4 sleeping pad and attached the pad to the bag with the Pad Locks. Overnight temperatures were in the low 40s F/4-6 C both nights.  I ate relatively light meals both nights.  I slept in light cotton underwear and cotton pj bottoms both nights.  We only hiked about 6 miles each day but we had some significant elevation gains both days and I was ready for bed when the sun went down.  I slept very well both nights.  The Arrow Rock was in the stuff sack inside my backpack for at least six hours each day.  After I set up my tent, I laid out my pad and placed the Arrow Rock on top of the pad to air out and regain its loft.  When I checked an hour or so later, the bag had regained its full loft and was ready for use.  It may have helped that I hung the Arrow Rock over a nylon cord each morning to help it air out before squashing it back into the stuff sack for the day.

Performance in the Field.

While I have found one or two loose feathers inside the tent or on the bag itself after a night's use, feather loss has not been significant.  I found no shifting of the insulation in the Arrow Rock.  To this point in time, there are no signs of wear or tear on the bag.  The zipper worked smoothly with very little snagging but it does hang up in the area of my shoulders.  I think the tension on the zipper at that location is a bit much and therefore it becomes a bit difficult to zip the bag at that location.  Once I have gotten the zipper past that point, it zips easily.  As long as I did not overly tighten the bag to the pad with the Pad Locks, the Arrow Rock was roomy enough to allow me to flop around, switching from side to back to side to front, etc. without difficulty.  With the exception of it being a little tight in the shoulder area when fully zipped, the Arrow Rock is comfortable.  The Pad Locks kept various pads in place.  This is a very nice design feature.  In the past, with other sleeping bag/pad combinations, I have frequently awakened to find my bag and pad had separated.

So far, the temperature rating has been pretty accurate for me.  I used the bag once in temperatures close to the lower limits of the Arrow Rock and did not feel cold.  However, I have not yet really tested the temperature rating but hope to do so in the future.  The Arrow Rock also has the ability to regain loft after being compressed.  Although it has not yet really been a problem due to the summer temperatures, I can feel body heat escaping out the top of the Arrow Rock.  There is no draft collar to prevent heat loss and, at this point, I am wondering how this will affect my use of the Arrow Rock in temperatures closer to 30 F/-1 C or a bit lower.  I have not really used the zippered pocket near the hood of the Arrow Rock.  It will hold small items but I usually don't have anything I need to stow near my face overnight.  If I still wore contact lenses, I would store my contact case in this pocket.

Summary:  Likes and Dislikes.

Likes so far:

• The weight.
• Fairly compact size.
• The Flex technology seems to work well if I don't cinch the bag down to the pad with the Pad Locks.
• Without question, the Pad Locks keep the bag in place on the pad.
• The temperature rating seems to be accurate for me but I haven't yet had the opportunity to test the lower limits of the bag.

Dislikes so far:

• The bag is a bit snug through the shoulders on me but not too uncomfortable.
• The zipper is always more difficult to zip past my shoulders.
• While it has not really been a problem yet, the lack of a draft collar or draft tube across my chest allows quite a bit of my body heat to escape.
  

Long Term Testing Plans.

I will continue to monitor the durability of the Arrow Rock 30 and its temperature rating especially as the temperatures start to drop now that fall is approaching.

This concludes my Field Report on the Arrow Rock 30.  A report about my continuing experiences with the Arrow Rock 30 in the field will be appended to this report in late October 2008.  Please check back then for more information.  I wish to thank Sierra Designs and BackpackGearTest for giving me the opportunity to test the Arrow Rock 30 sleeping bag.