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Reviews > Sleep Gear > Sleeping Bags > Sierra Designs Echo and Electra > Ken Bigelow > Field ReportSierra Designs Echo Sleeping Bag
Field Report January 31, 2006  Name: Ken Bigelow Age: 27 Gender: Male Height: 5' 9" (1.8 m) Weight: 205 lbs (93 kg) Email address: krb84108 (at) yahoo (dot) com City, State, Country: Salt Lake City, Utah, USA Backpacking Background: I was first dragged on a backpacking trip eight years ago and have been addicted to it ever since. My adventures vary in length from a weekend to over two weeks. I am slowly shifting my backpacking style to a lightweight approach. I recently upgraded to a hammock to reduce weight. From spring through fall I typically backpack in the mountains or desert, while in winter I often go snowshoeing. I see a wide variety of climates ranging from -5 F (-20 C) with snow to 90 F (32 C) and sunny and just about everything in between. Product Information:
Field Conditions: I have used the Sierra Designs Echo in Zion National Park, the Uinta Mountains and just outside of Arches National Park. Low temperatures have ranged from -12 F (-24 C) to 28 F (-2 C). Elevations have ranged from 5,000 ft (1,500 m) to 8,000 ft (2,400 m). I have used the Echo in both a hammock as well a tent. I have experienced heavy rain, a light rain-snow mix and had clear skies when sleeping in the Echo, but was in a shelter and not fully exposed to the precipitation when sleeping in the bag. The terrain has included snow/ice covered trails, wet and muddy corridors and dirt paths. Field Report: I first used the Echo while spending four days in the Kolob Canyons region of Zion National Park. I used the Echo in my Hennessey Hammock and experienced low temperatures between 22 F (-6 C) and 28 F (-2 C). I left my bag liner and thermal baselayers at home for this trip as I did not expect to encounter any harsh conditions that would necessitate bringing them. I did experience one afternoon of heavy rain, but the Echo remained dry throughout the trip. The Echo was so warm that I had to unzip it to remain comfortable (even though I was only wearing a tee shirt and regular hiking pants). I used the Echo more as a quilt for the trip as it was a little too warm and I was sweating when it was fully zipped. The Echo remained dry inside, but my sleeping pad underneath me, was slightly damp every morning. The dampness was from my perspiration during the night which makes me believe that the Drizone Laminated Fabric does an excellent job of allowing moisture to escape. The Echo was so warm I used it to help dry out my socks and warm my feet. Exploring the canyons required crossing and even wading in several creeks. My feet were freezing and wet when I pulled into camp at the end of the day. When I arrived at camp I dried my feet as best I could and quickly climbed inside the Echo. It wasn't long before my feet were nice and toasty warm. This was a wonderful feeling at the end of a cold, wet day. My moist socks were completely dry within a couple of hours. I spent three nights in the Echo with my arms, feet, and for one night, my entire upper body bare and exposed to the bag's material. The interior texture is extremely soft and comfortable against my skin. Is was so comfy that I often drifted asleep while reading in it at six in the evening, which is odd as typically do not go to sleep until after ten.   Sleeping on the hard ice was uncomfortable and I did toss and turn frequently during the night. For the most part I had no problems doing so. I slept on my back, side and stomach at least for a brief stint in each position. In the early dawn hours I even curled up in the fetal position for a bit. The Echo accommodated my constant adjustments and did not hinder my body except my arms. Laying my crossed arms on my chest provided little resistance to adjusting my position, but I find my arms fall asleep quickly and the configuration slightly uncomfortable. When sleeping in a mummy bag I prefer to keep my arms at my sides, but this substantially prohibits movement within the bag. I should note that this problem was really not a surprise to me as every mummy bag I've ever tried has the same issue. I certainly would not have traded the warmth provided by the bag for additional movement in those temperatures. I would, however, like to see Sierra Designs incorporate their flex design into the Echo. Even with all my tossing and turning in the night, I was unable to detect any cold spots in the Echo. The baffled construction has yet to send all the insulation to one portion of the sleeping bag. I initially thought that the hood would prevent me from comfortably sleeping on my sides or stomach while in the Echo. I have found this presumption to be completely inaccurate as I can twist my body around inside the Echo and sleep in almost any position I please. The hood adjusts to fit my head whether my face is staring at the sky, nestled in the side of the hood, or buried down inside the hood when I'm lying on my stomach. Overall I was impressed with the way the Echo adjusts to me instead of me having to adjust to it. In the morning, frozen condensation covered the tent's interior and occasionally it dripped down onto the Echo. When I finally mustered the courage to crawl out of the bag I found four or five wet spots the dripping tent had created on the bag. I had been unable to detect these while in the bag which makes me believe the Drizone technology protects me pretty well against minor moisture while I'm in the bag. The teeth on the zipper were not so lucky. Near one of the wet spots the teeth were completely frozen and I was only able to unzip until the slider reached this region. The slider would not proceed past this point so I crawled out of the bag with it still partially zipped up. After thawing the zipper it functions perfectly normal. Testing Location: I will continue testing the sleeping bag on weekend hiking trips where car camping is required and backpacking trips. In February I hope to go out for at least two overnight trips. They will likely be in the Uinta or Wasatch Mountains. I still hope to make it down to Bryce Canyon National Park for some snowshoeing/camping before the test period is over. The terrain will mostly consist of snow covered trails, off-trail snowshoeing and may include wet and muddy corridors, rocky terrain and slickrock. Temperatures should range from -5 F (-20 C) to 40 F (4 C), but could easily be colder. I will likely see all types of weather ranging from heavy snow to sunny. The elevations experienced should be between 4,000 feet (1,200 m) and 11,000 feet (3,300 m). Testing Plan: For the remaining test period I hope to answer a few more questions about the characteristics of the Echo Sleeping Bag: Performance - Is the rating provided by the manufacturer close to accurate? Will it dry out quickly? Do the zippers allow for easy zipping and unzipping? Will the Snag Free Zipper Tracks prevent the sliders from snagging on the fabric? Do the Glow-in-the-Dark Zipper Pulls allow the zippers to be easily found and used in the dark? Can the zippers be easily operated while wearing gloves? Will the bag's interior dry quickly and effectively? Is the zipper drafty or do the dual draft tubes keep out the wind? Will the pad locks prevent the Echo from sliding off the pads during the night? Does the bag compress simply for easy packing? Is the compression sack waterproof? Comfort - I tend to sleep cold so I when it is extremely cold I place all my extra clothing under my feet at the bottom of my bag. Will I still have room to continue this tradition? Durability - Will either the sleeping bag or stuff sack rip, tear, or in any other way be damaged during the test period? Will loft be lost with continued packing and unpacking? Over the test period will the bag lose its compressibility? Will the insulating properties of the bag decrease over four months of use? Will the baffle construction deteriorate and allow the down insulation to migrate throughout the bag? Will the sliders need replacing after multiple uses? Will the down fill material escape from the bag over time? How often will the bag need to be washed? Is this easy to do? Will washing cause any deterioration? Summary: The Sierra Designs Echo is very warm and comfortable sleeping bag for colder temperatures. I've used the Echo in a wide range of temperatures and found that the bag allows the user great versatility through adjusting its zippers, draft collar and hood. One can also incorporate different insulating and layer systems to comfortably sleep in a variety of temperatures. The bag has pretty good flexibility as it allows me to toss and turn during the night and the hood adjusts to fit my head and not vice versa. The Drizone laminated fabric seems to both breathe well and keep minor moisture out. Overall I'm very impressed with the bag and look forward to testing it more in the following months. I would like to thank Sierra Designs and BackpackGearTest for allowing me to participate in testing the Echo Sleeping Bag. Read more reviews of Sierra Designs gear Read more gear reviews by Ken Bigelow Reviews > Sleep Gear > Sleeping Bags > Sierra Designs Echo and Electra > Ken Bigelow > Field Report | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
