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Reviews > Sleep Gear > Sleeping Bags > Sierra Designs Echo and Electra > Ken Bigelow > Long Term ReportSierra Designs Echo Sleeping Bag
Field Report April 3, 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 Canyonlands National Park, the Uinta Mountains and the Wasatch Mountains. Low temperatures have ranged from -7 F (-22 C) to 35 F (2 C). Elevations have ranged from 5,000 ft (1,500 m) to 9,000 ft (2,700 m). I have experienced snowstorms, rain and had clear skies when sleeping in the Echo, but I was in a shelter and not fully exposed to the precipitation when sleeping in the bag. The terrain has included snow covered trails, wet and muddy corridors, slickrock and dirt paths. Long Term Report: For additional descriptions of the Sierra Designs Echo Sleeping Bag and its features please see my initial report and my field report. The Echo was subjected to an unexpected moisture test on an overnight snowshoeing trip in the Wasatch Mountains. After setting up camp I crawled into the tent to escape the rapidly approaching storm. The Echo was concealing my hydration bladder and I inadvertently sat on it. My hydration bladder does not like to be sat upon and in retaliation, my bladder allowed a good portion of its contents to escape onto the Echo, the tent floor, my sleeping pad and pretty much everything else in the tent. Lucky for my friend and I, our bags repel water (thank goodness for the DriZone shell) and we were not forced to face hypothermia or abandon our trip and face hiking in a snowstorm that would eventually drop over eight inches (20 cm) of snow overnight. I was able to wipe the moisture off the interior of the bag which quickly dried and I slept comfortably all night long. While in the Uintas, moisture in the form of condensation was our opponent. It was a clear cloudless sky so we left the entrance to the tent wide open to increase ventilation. Our method was not fully effective as I still awoke to condensation falling on the Echo, but the DriZone shell kept the moisture on the bag's surface. The moisture didn't seem to affect the Echo's ability to insulate as I remained warm inside and it probably would have taken the threat of physical violence to separate me from the bag on that cold morning. On this trip I neglected to cinch the lower pad lock so my feet did end up off my closed cell Therm-a-Rest Ridge Rest during the night. My feet felt the chill when the temperature dipped to -7 F (-22 C), but when they were back on the pad I was warm enough to sleep comfortably. I did have the aid of a bag liner and a thermal baselayer, but I did not need to wear my down jacket inside the bag (as I had anticipated) to keep warm overnight so I ended up using it for a comfortable pillow instead. I also had enough room under my feet (at the bottom of the bag) for my jacket, extra socks and shirt. This is a tradition I practice on cold nights to keep me a little warmer. In my opinion the -20 F (-29 C) rating stated by the manufacturer is definitely in the ballpark of the comfort range of the Echo.  The Echo Sleeping Bag Exposed to Dripping Condensation in the Uinta Mountains The inner draft tubes have prevented wind from penetrating through the zipper and chilling my body. On one of two separate trips into Canyonlands National Park with the Echo, I experienced a night of fairly strong wind. Throughout the night, the wind directed sand underneath my tent's rainfly and blasted me. To cope with the sand I buried myself in the Echo and was unable to detect any breeze through the zipper at all. In the morning the Echo (and everything else) had a very definite layer of sand on it, but the only sand inside the Echo was in the hood (which I had left partially open). Nothing below the draft collar had any sand on it at all. After some testing under the tap, I have determined that the compression sack that comes with the Echo is water-resistant, but not waterproof. I turned on my tap to a steady trickle and placed the stuff sack directly in the water's path. In less than two minutes it wet out. The manufacturer does not make any claims about the stuff sack being either waterproof or water resistant so I was not surprised by the outcome of my experiment. After four months of testing, the Echo has shown no signs of any durability issues. I have not found any cold spots while sleeping in the Echo and do not believe the insulation is migrating around at all. The Echo has retained the same loft throughout the test period and it is still as comfortable as ever. I have not detected any fill escaping from the Echo and the stitching still appears to be solid. The sliders operate as good as new and I have not noticed any change in the zipper's performance over the last four months. Summary: Over the last four months, the Echo has survived hydration bladder leaks, rain and snowstorms, low temperatures and even wind-blown sand. It has performed superbly keeping me warm and comfy when the surrounding environment has been anything but. The Echo's features give it a flexibility that has allowed me to use it in a wide range of temperatures and still achieve a good night's sleep. I love this bag and will continue to use it when colder temperatures are expected. 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 > Long Term Report | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
