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Description:
The
Sierra Designs Electra is a women's sleeping bag rated to
-20 degrees F (-29 C). The insulation is provided by baffled
800-fill goose down, and the shell is made of a breathable waterproof
material that Sierra Designs calls DriZone. The shell material is a
pleasingly bright blue and the interior material is a neutral grey.
It comes with a large yellow cotton stuff bag, as well as a
compression stuff sack for packing purposes. The companion
men's bag, the Echo, is identical in materials and design, but
the dimensions are slightly different to accomodate
the common body-shape differences between men and
women. The regular length Electra has a 59 inch (150 cm)
shoulder width, 58 inch (147 cm) hip width, 42 inch (107 cm)
foot box width, and is 72 inches (183 cm) long. By comparison,
the regular length Echo is 62 inches (157 cm), 57 inches (145 cm), 43
inches (109 cm), and 80 inches (203
cm) respectively. By comparing the numbers, it is
evident that the women's bag is narrower in the shoulders, has more room
in the hip, and is shorter in length.
The Electra is a mummy
shaped bag with a full length side zipper. The hood has a cinch
cord, and there is an interior draft collar that can also be cinched down
to prevent drafts. Lining the zipper on the interior
of the bag are two draft tubes, and toward the head end one of
the draft tubes has a sewn in fabric patch with detailed care
instructions, as seen in the left photo below. The zipper
is two-way, allowing for foot venting, and has a large glow
in the dark pull tab. On the bottom of the bag are two pad
straps which allow the bag to be strapped to a sleeping pad.
Initial
Impressions:
The Electra
was originally packed in jellyroll shape inside the cotton storage
bag. When I first pulled the bag out it seemed rather compressed and
unlofty for a supposedly well below-freezing bag. I laid it out on
my living room floor and watched it come to life. Before my eyes it
inflated to twice the original size. It lofted up beautifully and
then actually looked like the -20 degree F (-29 C) bag it is advertised to
be! I crawled into the bag and immediately noticed the size.
As a small to average sized woman, the non women-specific sleeping
bags I have used have always had plenty of extra space and wiggle
room. When my feet touched the bottom of the Electra I was a bit
surprised. I zipped the bag up and tossed and turned for a few
seconds. The Electra definitely felt different than the bags I have
used in the past.
This is good
and bad. The good part is that I won't be carrying the unneccessary
weight of a bag that is too big for me. Also, since I am a cold
sleeper (more on that in the test plan), there is less air space for me to
warm up at night. The less positive aspect is that I will have to
get used to sleeping a bit differently. I am used to curling up
inside my sleeping bag and being able to move freely without the bag
moving with me. With the Electra, this freedom is somewhat
restricted. I also store extra clothing and jackets in the extra
space at the end of my sleeping bags (between the end of the bag and my
feet) for extra warmth and to take up the space. I will no longer
have to do this, but my clothes will be a bit cold in the
morning!
After only a
few minutes in the Electra on my living room floor I had to get out - it
was warm! I looked carefully at the seams and baffled construction
and found no apparent manufacturing defects. Seams are clean, the
cords aren't frayed, and the zipper moves smoothly.
Test
Plan:
Before getting into details, it is important that I
summarize my 'sleeping style.' I am a cold, cold sleeper.
Actually, I am a cold person overall. If twenty people are
comfortable in a room, I'll be the one person who needs to put on a
jacket. When backpacking, I always carry more layers and warmer
jackets than my companions, and most of the time I need them. As far
as sleeping goes, I always carry a bag that is rated much warmer than
expected conditions. I often supplement my bag with a liner and extra
clothing. Furthermore, I use my extra layers to stuff around me in
my bags at night. The reasons for this are twofold: first, I
keep my clothes warm for the morning, and secondly, they use up the empty
air space that my body would otherwise have to warm up. On top of
this, I will throw in hand warmers and a warm water bottle on especially
cold nights. I have three different high quality sleeping bags from
three different manufacturers, so I've come to the conclusion that it's a
'me, not them' issue with staying warm in the
backcountry.
With that said, I have no intention of taking the
Electra out in temperatures close to its rating. Currently, I
snowcamp with a zero degree F (-18 C) bag in the Sierra Nevada. The
Sierra has mild winters and a day on the Sierra snow in February
can feel like a summer day in several other parts of the country.
But when nighttime temperatures get below 20 degrees F (-7 C), which they
can do regularly, my bag isn't always enough. I break out the
handwarmers, extra layers, liner, heated water bottle cozy, and all other
tricks that snowcampers have up their sleeves to keep warm.
The Electra will replace that bag this winter as my
primary sleeping bag for snowcamping in the Sierra and Southern
Cascades. I expect that I will be able to stay warm without all of
the added items, even when temperatures get really low. It is
very unlikely that temperatures will get below zero degrees, but
if I can stay warm in the Electra anywhere below 20 degrees F (-7 C)
without added items I will consider it a
success!
In addition to the most important test of comfort,
usability of all the features will be tested. Does the glow in the
dark zipper pull actually glow in the dark (and does it actually
help)? Do the cinch cords stay tight and can the draft collar be
closed off enough that no drafts actually make it through? Does the
zipper pull smoothly or does it snag? Is the material really
waterproof and breathable? I always have condensation problems with
my bags in the snow, so this will be particularly interesting to
observe. Do the buckles on the pad straps make for uncomfortable
bumps underneath me when they are not holding the bag to a pad?
Also,
backcountry usability will be commented on. How well does the bag
compress? Does it fit in the compression sack well or is it a
struggle to pack? What about when it is wet? Does it dry
quickly, especially if the waterproof material fails and the down gets
wet?
Finally, how
well does this bag match my sleeping style? As I mentioned above,
I'm a toss and turner, especially when sleeping outside, and this bag is
smaller and more restrictive than those I have used in the past. Is
this a problem? Will I still be comfortable?
I look
forward to getting this bag outside and seeing what it can
do. |
