Personal Information:
Name: Christine Korhonen
Age: 32
Gender: female
Height: 5' 4" (1.6 m)
Weight: 150 lb (68 kg)
E-mail: chris@wormguy.com
Location: Western Montana

Backpacking Background:
I'm in Montana enjoying the summers and becoming re-acquainted with winter. Now that I'm back above the snow line, I'm attempting some winter camping and snowshoeing. I'm a lightweight backpacker mentally, if not always in practice. My full summer pack weight is around 19 lb (9 kg) with a tent, but my winter pack still hovers around 25 lb (11 kg) for one night with food and water.

Product Information:
Manufacturer: Sierra Designs
URL: www.sierradesigns.com
Style: Women's Mist
MSRP: US $359.95
Color: Blue/Gray
Size: Regular

Measurements:
Sleeping bag
Listed weight: 3 lb 6 oz (1.5 kg)
Measured weight: 3 lb 8.4 oz (1.6 kg)

Dimensions:	Length	Shoulder	Hips	Feet
Listed	72" (1.8 m)	59" (1.5 m)	58" (1.5 m)	40" (1.0 m)

Mist Description:
The Sierra Designs Mist is a 0 F (-18 C), goose down, mummy-shaped sleeping bag. The Mist is a women's specific bag, advertised as narrower at the shoulders, wider at the hips, and with more insulation in the torso and foot box than their men's bags. The Mist's outer shell is made of DriZone, a laminated fabric advertised as waterproof and breathable.

Field Conditions:
I tested the Sierra Designs Mist on backpacking trips around Montana and Wyoming. Elevations ranged from 4500' to 6500' (1400 m to 2000 m). Nighttime low temperatures were from 25 F to -11 F (-4 C to -24 C). Conditions included light wind and snow. I used the Mist in my Hennessey Hammock Extreme Ultralight Backpacker Asym hammock with a Therm-a-Rest Ultralite 1" (2.5 cm) inflatable pad underneath. For one night (the coldest one) I slept on snow-pack in a 1-person tent using an Insul-Mat Max Mtn women's sleeping pad.

Field Use:
I've used this bag 10 degrees F (6 degrees C) beyond it's temperature rating and lived to talk about it. On the coldest night I recorded a temperature of -11 F (-24 C) inside my shelter. On that night I stayed fairly warm in this bag, although I did develop cold spots alternating at my feet, knees, and elbows when I touched the bag's sides. I got cold spots at my butt and knees while sleeping in warmer temperatures in a hammock. I used the hood every night, even in warmer weather. I think slightly more length (or re-positioning of the draft collar as described below) and possibly more width would have avoided some cold spots for me. Maybe I am a better candidate for the men's bag. I couldn't tell if the additional insulation advertised in the torso and foot box was useful for me. I wouldn't have wanted the hip portion any narrower, but an inch or two at the shoulders may have made the bag easier to zip for me.

Zipper:
As noted in my field report, I had problems zipping the bag partially due to its narrow shoulder width. Exacerbating this difficulty was the large glow-in-the-dark zipper pull. The pull was attached to the zipper by an intermediary ring. It was challenging to get the pull at the right angle to move the slider. The pull isn't a problem for me anymore since it came off in my hand one night, and I've lost it. Now I grab the slider directly to zip the bag. A normal zipper pull like the one on the foot-end zipper would make the bag easier to zip up and wouldn't break off as easily. Since I was in such cold temperatures, I didn't use the foot-end zipper to vent the bag. I didn't use the Velcro tab that covers the top of the zipper, either. The Velcro didn't seem to add anything and was time-consuming to open and close.

Pad Locks:
I was hesitant to use the Mist's pad locks at first since I sleep in a hammock and move around a lot at night. I was afraid that instead of rolling inside the bag, I would roll the whole bag and pad, ending up lying on my side with the pad behind me. It turns out my fears were unfounded. The pad locks kept the bag and sleeping pad together all night, and I was able to keep the sleeping pad under me. Since the hood on Mist is large, I could roll over inside the bag and still breathe. I never felt the pad locks underneath me, and it was easy enough to get the pad in and out of the locks.

Collar:
I feel that the collar is attached too close to the foot of the bag and should be moved 4" (10 cm) closer to the hood. Moving the collar up would allow it to hit me right above my shoulders. I don't care for the large squares of Velcro inside of the bag that secure the collar, but I did use them on the cold night to keep the collar in place. The edges of the Velcro squares don't rub my skin as much as I'd feared, but are time-consuming to fasten.

Hood:
The hood is very roomy. I'm used to a more tighter-fitting hood, and at first wished that the hood was smaller and could tighten down more fully. Now this hood has grown on me. It's deep enough to cover my entire head, but the opening is large when closed so the moisture from my breath can get out. I can also turn on my side without losing the hood's opening. In tighter hoods I have to make sure the sleeping bag rolls with me or else the hood opening ends up by my ear. With this bag's large opening and loose hood I can roll and move the opening to me.

Condensation:
The Mist's DriZone shell worked well to keep off condensation. On the cold night, I woke up with frost on everything. The DriZone fabric was crunchy where moisture had frozen, but the down and I were warm and dry inside. There was a lot of moisture especially on the hood near my mouth and nose. The moisture remained outside the bag and didn't seem to affect the down.

Durability:
Other than the zipper pull coming off, the Mist has suffered no further damage. It has remained rip and tear free. I haven't seen one feather leak from this bag. I have not yet found a need to wash the bag, after four months it still looks clean inside and out and has retained its loft.

Likes:
Warm
Shell repelled my breath condensation
Pad locks surprisingly useful in hammock

Dislikes:
Position of draft collar
Large zipper pull breaks off easily
Velcro unnecessary

Thanks to Sierra Designs for running this test and BackpackGearTest.org for allowing me to be a part.

Read more reviews of Sierra Designs gear
Read more gear reviews by Christine Korhonen

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