I started backpacking as a kid in the Boy Scouts doing overnighters. In the last year, I have caught a bug that wants me to go out and see things that a relatively few people have seen. This has drawn me back to backpacking. I have found it to be the most enjoyable thing I know. I have gotten my wife involved and we get out and hike at least once a month. I generally carry about 30 lb (14 kg) and am in the process of decreasing that weight.

Berkley Posalski
7 years, 6 mos.
Male
4’2", 1.27 m
73 lb, 33kg

Berkley is my son that goes on backpacking trips with us with very little weight on his back. I carry most of his gear. He has hiked up to 9 mi (14.5 km) in a day and climbed a 9600 ft (2900m) peak. He enjoys camping more than the actual hiking, and is comfortable sleeping anywhere.

This sleeping bag has worked well for Berkley to sleep in and has held up extremely well. Berkley has slept in the bag for about 8 nights to this point and it has worked well in various situations and for various purposes. When we have slept outside on trips down to close to freezing, he has remained warm in the bag. He has not complained of being cold and he fits in the bag very well. We have not taken the bag backpacking, but have camped in a tent on several occasions. We have had some very rainy weather with flooding rivers and thus our outdoor trips have been limited. Our camping that we have done has been while using a Coleman Exponent Gear Krypton 2 tent. During the trips it has been rainy, and not just a drizzle. Humidity has been high, though I do not know the actual humidity percentage, but everything outside was wet, but we stayed cozy and the sleeping bag had very little moisture to deal with other than when we entered or exited the tent. Playing games in the tent was how we spent a majority of the time and the sleeping bag was laid upon for the duration of this time. He has remained dry and warm and the sleeping bag shows no wear, thus it has lived up to my expectations. When we have used the sleeping bag indoors, it has been too warm to use all zipped up. He has used it unzipped as a blanket to great success. He is able to put his feet into the foot box and lay the bag over him. He has stayed warm during these nights.

Some of the issues that we have with the sleeping bag are as follows. When zipped all the way up, the zipper angles towards the face from the edge of the bag. This has made it a little more difficult for Berkley to get out of the bag in the middle of the night for potty runs. It requires actually unzipping the bag with the zipper pull rather than being able to accomplish it via pushing on the bag and having it unzip. This is both a positive and a negative. While it is more difficult to maneuver, the bag does a fine job of staying zipped with significant movement inside. I believe this will be less of an issue for an older child or with some practice. Also, the sleeping bag fits him perfectly in the width of the bag. He is a big 7-year-old, and you want a comfortable bag in cold weather, but if he was much bigger, I believe the bag would be constricting. This may limit the usability of this bag to about another 15 lbs (7 kg) above where he is. Of course, this will depend on height and other factors.

We have not had any quality problems with the bag and it has stayed rather clean even in the wet weather. The straps on the bag for a sleeping pad have done a fine job in minimizing his travel around the tent and making it easier for him to find the zipper in the night. The glow in the dark zipper pull has not been a huge help. We have not used the included pillow as we have brought and used our pillows from home for comfort. The pillow is rather firm and uncomfortable to lay on for him as he is used to a softer pillow. We would probably not carry the pillow on backpacking trips as it is extra weight that we can use his clothes for. The clothes pouch has worked well to warm his clothes that are of the soft variety. Things like shirts and underwear are usable, but it is too bulky to put pants and jackets into this space.

We will continue to use the bag and will report on how it does in the snow, as we will be taking a snow camping trip in February. We have enjoyed the bag so far and it will be his sleeping bag of choice for backpacking in all but the warmest conditions.

We will be carrying this sleeping bag for use for 2-3 person camping in the snow. We plan on spending a weekend in the rain and two weekends in the snow. I will be interested in seeing how the sleeping bag performs. We plan on using the sleeping bag also inside the house to determine its capabilities in warm confines. He will also use the bag on various occasions for sleepovers and backyard camping with me. I want to know how well it does in the snow. I will be using the sleeping bag between sea level and 6000 ft (1829 m) in temperatures from 50 F (10 C) down to 15 F (-9 C).