Sierra Designs "Big Dog" Sleeping Bag
Long Term Report by André Corterier
Date: March 2006
Personal Biographical Information:
Name: André Corterier
Gender: M
Age: 34
Height: 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight: 80 kg (175 lb)
Email: andreDOTcorterierATfreenetDOTde
Home: Bonn, Germany
Name: Renée Corterier
Gender: F
Age: 4
Height: 1.10 m (43 in)
Weight: 19 kg (42 lb)
Email: -
Home: Bonn, Germany
Backpacking Background:
I started out with backpacking slowly – single-day 24 km (15 mi) jaunts
by myself or even shorter hikes in the company of my little daughter. I am getting started on longer (overnight)
hikes, as a lightweight packer and hammock-camper. I’ve begun upgrading my old gear and am now shooting for a
dry FSO weight (everything carried From the Skin Out except food, fuel and water)
of about 10 kg (22 lb) for three-season camping. Getting there.
Renée began "hiking" at the age of 1 1/2 years. This consisted of walking short distances between “stroller stops” to play
in the snow or explore the banks of a creek with her dad pushing her in the stroller for most of the hike. Lately, she’s
begun walking the entire stretch of shorter hikes (a few km/mi at most), though she insists on a break with a strung hammock
and a hot meal on a camping stove (those, and the ability to drink from the water bladder’s drinking tube whenever her dad
picks her up for a moment are what make hiking so cool). Her longest expedition so far was a 30 km (19 mi) overnighter on
which she carried her own rain gear and insulation layer. She has spent nights in a tent and a hammock as well as
underneath a tarp and the open sky.
Year of manufacture: 2005
Manufacturer: Sierra Designs
URL: http://www.sierradesigns.com
MSRP: 89.95 USD
Comparisons:
listed weight: 1162 g (2 lb 9 oz) ("Trail Weight")
measured weights: - scale accurate to 1 g (0.04 oz)
bag alone: 1110 g (2 lb 7.2 oz)
stuff sack: 46 g (1.6 oz)
bag in stuff sack: 1156 g (2 lb 8.8 oz)
pillow: 150 g (5.3 oz)(in the pillow stuff sack)
- Apparently the "Trail Weight" does not include the pillow -
listed dimensions:
inside length: 157 cm (62 in)
shoulder girth: 127 cm (50 in)
hip girth: 119 cm (47 in)
foot box girth: 84 cm (33 in)
stuff size: 18 by 43 cm (7 by 17 in)
measured dimensions:
inside length: 150 cm (59 in)
widest girth: 112 cm (44 in) (at the widest point of the bag when spread out on the ground)
stuff size: 16-17 by 41-42 cm (6.5-7 by 16.5-17 in) (a bit lumpy)
Introduction:
This is a blue, mummy-type sleeping bag of what I would call a "relaxed fit". Not a sarcophagus for disciplined sleepers (like mummies), which I
immediately liked (my daughter uses up a lot of room in her sleep). It has a hood and a zipper which goes down almost the entire side of it. My daughter
was quite happy to see it and immediately tried it out (on our living room floor). She liked the feel and did not mind being zipped up all the way, but
quickly complained about getting too warm in it. You can find a more detailed description of it in my
Initial Report.
Field Experience:
We have camped with this bag a few additional times, none of which were particularly remarkable, except for our deliberate cold weather testing. Due to a
viral infection to which I succumbed and the intervening holidays (and a very mild winter for a place not known for harsh ones), good camping weekends did
not coincide with temperatures below freezing. Thus, in addition to more standard camping, we conducted two cold weather experiments on the balcony.
Warmth:
During the two cold weather experiments we conducted, we slept on the balcony, under the open sky, in a comparatively sheltered corner of our house with
low wind speeds. The sky was clear both nights (with a full moon on the first one - it was difficult to fall asleep, like sleeping under a spotlight). The
temperatures were hovering around freezing when we went to bag. My daughter was sleeping in a wicking base layer with socks, a
buff plus pants and her
fleece jacket. Her bag
rested atop a 3/4 length self-inflating pad about 3 cm (just over an inch) thick. For her shorter frame it was a full-length pad. I pulled
her face opening as far closed as she would let me without complaining, and reduced the opening a little more after she had fallen asleep. She slept
without complaints until about midnight, with an outside temperature of -2 C (28.4 F). At this point in time she complained that her feet were cold, and we
retreated inside.
I had worried before that the large emtpy area at the foot of her bag might be problematic - after all, we resort to mummy bags over rectangular bags not
just for a slightly reduced amount of material (weight), but because having less volume included in the bag means less volume needs to be warmed by body heat.
I began looking for ways to reduce the bag's length without modifying it outright, and finally found what appeared to be a perfect solution in the shape
of the attached mesh storage pocket. By pulling this storage pocket closed around the foot end of the bag while the bag is extended on the ground, I could
shorten the bag's apparent inside length by nearly a foot (30 cm) or so.
The remainder of the experiment stayed the same. We camped on the balcony again soon thereafter. My daughter was dressed as before, with the addition of a
second layer of wool socks. The temperature curve
through the night progressed effectively the same way as it had on experiment number 1. I noticed this because I am now accustomed to sleeping in a hammock,
so when I sleep on the ground I am able to look at my watch and thermometer (placed on the ground within arm's reach) every hour or so. The temperature again
fell to -2 C (28.4 F) around midnight, without a complaint. I did notice, however, that my daughter was attempting to curl up in her bag. At two in the
morning, with the temperature showing -3 C (26.5 F), she again complained about cold feet and we retired inside. This has concluded our cold weather testing
of the bag.
Thus, I find that for my daughter, clothed, appropriately fed and hydrated, the effective comfortable limit of the bag appears to be at just below freezing.
This is likely impacted by the amount of room available in the bag. I assume that a larger child will have less volume around
the body to heat and may thus find the lower temperature limit a wee bit lower. This may put the bag close to the manufacturer's rating when she's grown
some.
Fit/Comfort:
My daughter continues to like the Big Dog a lot. Having slept cold in it twice has not changed this and she is still looking forward to camping in it (though
of course both she and her mom have had adequate assurances that such outings would take place in at least slightly warmer weather).
The pad locks continue to serve well on the self-inflating pad. However, I have found that I have sometimes cinched the pad locks too tightly. I then noticed
that the bag appeared to confine my daughter, who disliked this. It also prevented her from moving around inside the bag. This led to her sleeping restlessly,
attempting to move a number of times until moving over with enough force to roll the pad with her.
When I kept the pad locks too loose, the other side of the coin showed: My daughter was then able to roll so far to the side of the pad that very little of
her weight pressed down on it, which also allowed her to roll off, pulling the pad into an upright position next to her.
Since I have become aware of that problem, however, I have found it easy to adjust the pad locks "just right". I believe that the overtightening episode was
born of a fear that she might sleep cold, while the episode with the loose pad locks was the result of overcompensation. By simply affixing the bag to the
pad, my daughter has just enough room to roll inside the bag and thus spends the entire night on her pad. I continue to be impressed by this achievement
and have loudly speculated on the possibility of attaching "mattress locks" to her blanket.
Durability:
We have not had any durability issues with the Big Dog sleeping bag. In fact, with the exception of the cord on the attached mesh storage bag, it looks like
new. The cord of the attached mesh storage bag tore when I pulled on it very heavily in order to use it to shorten the bag. I am unable to fault the bag for
this, however, as I feel that I was a little too enthusiastic about putting my idea into action - less pull would have done the trick as well, and there was
no need for the manufacturer to assume that this mere storage feature would have to experience such stress. I tied the cord with a simple overhand knot and
it continues to serve its function flawlessly. In fact, it has also served to shorten the bag in this condition, with some slight degree of success as
outlined above.
Questions I intended to answer, and my answers:
Does it provide enough wriggle room? Yes, it does.
Will the Pad Locks keep her on her pad? Yes, they do an excellent job at this.
Will the Chest Pockets be useful? Not really. Things could be put inside, but what for?
Will there be issues with moisture from outside or inside the bag? It could use a DWR coating, but as neither surface material nor insulation seem to be
wicking (much), it wasn't a problem so far. It resists dew well.
Will it be and remain comfortable for my daughter? Yes,
Will it show any wear during the testing period? Not so far.
And most importantly: Will it keep my daughter warm at night? Yes, down to below freezing, though not quite to the limit given by the manufacturer.
Pros/Cons:
Pros: Warm enough for my daughter for about 90 % of the nights around here. Pad locks keep her on her pad, making *me* sleep better.
Cons: A bit shy of the manufacturer's rating in the experience of my daughter. Glow-in-the-dark zipper pulls still don't (glow in the dark).
Read more reviews of Sierra Designs gear
Read more gear reviews by Andre Corterier
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