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Reviews > Sleep Gear > Sleeping Bags > Sierra Designs Echo and Electra > Gail Staisil > Long Term ReportLong Term Report: Sierra Designs Electra Sleeping Bag By Gail Staisil, Marquette, Michigan March 21, 2006 Tester Information Personal
Data:
Name: Gail Staisil
Age: 53 Gender: Female Height: 5' 9" (1.75 m) Weight: 140 lb (64 kg) Shoulder Girth: 41 in (104 cm) Hip Girth: 37 in (94 cm) Email: woodswoman2001@yahoo.com Location: Marquette, Michigan USA Photo Album Website: http://community.webshots.com/user/isleroyalegirl Backpacking Background:
For the last 16
years, backpacking has become a passion. I am a
four-season backpacker and an off-trail navigator. Although I do take
yearly trips to the American West or Southwest, the majority of my
trips are in Michigan and Canada. My pack weight varies considerably,
but my base weight is below 20 lb (9.1 kg). I am primarily a tarp
camper who averages over 50 nights a year backpacking in a huge
variety of weather conditions, including relentless rain, wet snow and
sub-zero temps.
Sierra Designs Electra Sleeping Bag--Description Product Information:
Overview
The Sierra Designs
Electra Sleeping Bag is a women's-specific sleeping bag that is
temperature rated at -20 F ( -29 C). The dimensions of the
bag and the placement of extra insulation were configured
with women's body types in mind. The mummy-shape bag is made out
of a combination of
materials that are designed to enhance the performance of the sleeping
bag. For
more extensive description of the Electra, please see my initial
report.
Specifications
Field Testing Data Field
Locations/Conditions
During the long-term
test
period of two months, I have used the Electra on two extended sledge
trips for a total of seven additional field nights.
The trips were
to locations in the province of
Ontario in Canada and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The
Canadian trip was a five day
bushwhack through boreal forest and
included frozen lake passages. The Michigan
location included trails and bushwhacks
through deciduous forest to open areas along the lakeshore. Winter
weather varied from overcast and
calm to
heavy snowfall and wind. Temperatures ranged from a low of 1 F (-17 C)
to a high of 35 F (2 C) with humidity in the normal
range of 60 to
95 percent for those areas. All of the trips were at low altitude
ranging from 600 ft (183 m) to almost 2000 ft (610 m), with a moderate
amount of elevation changes.
Sledge Trip-- Batchawana River Backcountry, Ontario Canada (February 19-23 2006) Sleeping Booties Weren't Needed
This was a five day sledge trip into the backcountry of the Algoma District in Ontario, Canada. Blustery conditions started this trip and the first nights camp was set up opposite of the prevailing winds. I was sleeping in a tent for this trip so the inside of it was a paradise away from windy blowing snow. Anticipating rather cold conditions, I brought a full length closed-cell pad and a three- quarter length Z-Rest to lay under my sleeping bag. The tent was erected on several feet of compacted snow. Nighttime temperature lows ranged down to 1 F (-17 C) and I was very happy with this arrangement. I crawled into the Electra wearing two light layers of clothing. The first night I decided to wear my two pairs of spare felt liners (for my mukluks) as a foot covering inside the sleeping bag. I put my warm wool socks-clad feet into the cold liners and my feet became cold and stayed that way. After about a half hour, I decided to pull the liners off and just go with the wool socks. My feet were happy and remained warm throughout the night. During past winters at similar temperatures I have always worn insulated booties while laying in a sleeping bag. I am so impressed that I don't even need additional foot coverings in the Electra at least in temperatures as low as 1 F (-17 C). If this is any indicator of using the bag at even lower temperatures I am elated with the possible performance as I tend to be a cold sleeper. Draw Cord Location As I lay in my sleeping bag, I began to adjust the draw cord to seal off the draft collar. This cord is inserted into the left side seam of the draft collar. It is a bit of a struggle to adjust the cord so that it seals off the neck area. I am right-handed so I don't know if this is part of the problem but it seems to me that the cord would be much easier to manage if it was located in the center front of the draft collar. That way, either or both hands could be used quite easily and I wouldn't have to contort myself to adjust the cord. I adjusted the draft collar cordage to fit semi-snug and fastened the Velcro tab. I decided not to wear the hood itself but rather to arrange my lightly insulated jacket as a pillow inside of the hood. I wore a light wool hat instead. This worked out very well as I was protected from the elements by the use of a tent and the weather didn't dictate that I needed more insulation surrounding my head. Down-Fill After Five Consecutive Days I am pleased that there was no discernible loss of temperature rating after many consecutive nights in the field. The lowest early morning temperature was at 1 F (-17 C) and I felt no colder that night than any other night. The baffle construction has held the down in place and I haven't noticed any shifting of the down fill that would expose possible cold spots. Sledge Trip-- Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore (March 5-8 2006)  Warm Wet Weather
Early March weather prevailed on this backcountry trip into the interior and along the lakeshore of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan. Humidity was a huge factor as warm winter temps and changing weather patterns produced extreme dampness and wet conditions. Daytime highs were in the 30 F range (-1 C) and nights were not much below 20 F (-7 C). Change of Shelter/Condensation The first night's camp was set up in the backcountry in several feet of deep heavy wet snow. For this trip, I decided to sleep under a 10 ft X 10 ft (3 m X 3 m) tarp pitched in an explorer shelter formation. I arranged two sleeping pads (full length closed cell and three-quarter Z-Rest) on top of a PVC tarp and then put the Electra over it. The PVC tarp is the cover for my sledge so I had it with me anyway and it made a great ground cloth. The next morning there was no visible condensation on the Electra so I quickly packed it away for the next night's camp. The next windy and star-studded night produced heavy frozen condensation on the interior of my tarp but again the Electra survived nicely. There were a few patches of light frost near the top of the bag most likely produced by my breathing but all else was condensation free to the sight and touch. I didn't notice any cold permeating the interior of the bag through the DriZone exterior fabric. The Double-Draft Tubes continue to be a fine asset as I didn't feel any wind or cold spots through the zipper area either. For more details on this feature please see my field report. The last night of camp was set up closer to the coast of Lake Superior. Cloudy heavy skies were evident. Moisture was at the highest saturation level and the night produced intervals of sleet, and light rain. I had planned to sleep without a shelter the last night of the trip but I changed my mind due to the conditions. Melting heavy wet snow fell on my tarp throughout the night as I had earlier set up my tarp under huge pine trees and the snow was sliding off of them. In the morning, my bag was completely dry to the touch. Often times when I don't think a sleeping bag is picking up moisture, it usually is apparent when the bag is compressed and put in a stuff sack where some wetness will press against the surface and be visibly evident. I didn't notice this happening any of the nights when I had unpacked the bag from the previous morning. During the daytime the bag was stored in its stuff sack and then put in a waterproof overbag. This was highly important as the sledge was pulled through very wet conditions. Special Features I have continued to enjoy the fit of this women's-specific sleeping bag. I have been so comfortable that most nights I have slept through the entire night. The extra down has undoubtedly helped to keep me warm and the extra padding has most likely eliminated any need for me to change positions due to soreness. Although I haven't felt any need to wear any additional insulated clothing in the bag, I have often stuffed my light weight Primaloft pants and jacket into the bag so that they would be toasty for morning use. There has been plenty of room to put in both items and not feel trapped so that I couldn't move. I have found the Pad Locks to be a feature that I didn't really need. They can be used to secure a couple of layers of pads as the straps are fully adjustable. During the winter, it is easy to level a spot in the snow for my sleeping bag platform so I don't normally have any issues with my sleeping bag sliding off of the sleeping pads underneath. In my opinion, the Pad Locks might be more useful when sleeping on uneven ground with a summer weight bag. With that said, I doubt if I ever would have the opportunity to sleep in below-zero conditions without any snow on the ground so the Pad Locks aren't needed on the Electra. I plan to remove them now that the testing period is over. The Glow-In-The-Dark Zipper Pulls were probably a nice touch but the large size of the zipper pull itself was easy to find if I needed to adjust the zipper during the night. Durability/Material The construction of the Electra has held up beautifully. There is no apparent loss or shifting of loft and the exterior and interior of the bag remain blemish free. The zipper still functions in an operational mode although it continues to be difficult to pull up snag free while laying in the bag. The Electra doesn't need to be washed yet but the manufacturer claims it can be washed with either a mild soap or a soap intended for down-care items. It can be washed in a large tub or a front-loader type washing machine. The web site has specific recommendations that are easy to follow to ensure that the bag is properly washed and dried. Overall Thoughts During the long-term
period I have continued to be quite happy with the Electra Sleeping Bag
as a choice winter sleeping bag. I had
wondered how it would perform for many consecutive days in a high
humidity winter environment and it has far exceeded my expectations. In
addition, some of the attributes including the Double-Draft Tubes and
the
extra insulation in the torso and footbox have made this a top notch
winter bag for me. I look forward to many outings in the future with
this excellent bag. Its definitely a keeper for my winter expeditions.
Likes:
Dislikes:
Comments:
Thanks to Sierra
Designs
and BGT for this great opportunity to test such a quality product.
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