Personal Information:
Leesa Joiner
leesaj@gmail.com
Southwestern Maine
44 years old
Female
5' 7" (1.7 m)
150 lb (68 kg)

Background:
My camping, hiking and backpacking experience has included trips varying in length from one-day hikes to two-week trips. My hiking experience began with my father when I was about six years old. We hiked along the river pathways in northeastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania. While enjoying the outdoors with friends and family, I spend time hiking, geocaching, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and camping. Although I am not a lightweight backpacker, I am continually trying to 'lighten up' and primarily use an Ultra-lite Backpacker Asym hammock for sleeping.

Product Information:
Sierra Design Rock Creek Women's Regular Sleeping Bag

Sierra Designs Headquarters 2011 Cherry Street, Suite 202 Louisville, CO 80027

(800) 635-0461
www.sierradesigns.com
Year of Manufacture: 2005
MSRP: $179.00 US

Product Description:
Type                    Adventure Down   
Insulation             Powerfill 600-Fill Goose Down   
Trail Weight         2 lb 5 oz  (227 kg)
Actual Weight      2 lb 7 oz   (318 kg)
Fill Weight           16 oz        (454 kg)
Shell Material      40D Polyester   
Liner Material      40D Polyester
Inside Length       72"          (1.83 m)
Stuff Size           8" x 18"    (20 x 45 cm)
  Shoulder Girth   59"           (1.5 m)
Hip Girth             58"           (1.4 m)
Footbox Girth      42"           (1.07 m)
(All linear measurements are as advertised.)

    The Sierra Designs' Adventure Series sleeping bag with Powerfill 600-Fill Goose Down is rated at 35 degree (2 C).  It features a snag-free zipper track, chest pocket, glow-in-the-dark zipper pulls and pad locks to keep the bag attached to a sleeping pad.

First Impressions:
    The sleeping bag is a meduim blue on the top and a dark grey on the bottom.  It arrived along with a stuff sack and also a larger cotton storage bag.  The stitching on the bag is even and well finished.  The zipper works smoothly as long as attention is paid to make sure that the inside fabric of the bag does not catch.  There appears to be an abundance of fabric in the zipper tracks that easily slides into the zipper, when the zipper is being zipped or unzipped.   The fabric on the bag is smooth to the touch without the inside feeling overly slippery. 
    I slept in the bag one night so far and found it comfortable, but a bit 'short'.  I ordered the regular bag instead of the long because I am only 5'7" (1.7 m) and didn't think I needed the long style.  Since this is a summer weight bag, I feel fairly confident that the regular length will be okay.  If it were a winter bag, I would want the extra space to be able to keep a change of clothes and a water bottle in the bottom of the bag.  I am anxious to try the Rock Creek in my hammock.  I have a feeling that the fact that it is not bulky will be a real asset in a hammock.
    The bag was very comfortable to sleep in.  I used it inside, but closed my door and opened the window enough so the temperature dropped to about 55 degrees F (13 C).  I slept extremely well and was neither too hot nor too cold.    The best part of sleeping in the bag was that I didn't feel like I was sleeping in a sleeping bag.  My feet didn't feel constricted, I didn't feel like if I turned over I'd become tangled in the bag.  I just...slept.  I am really looking forward to getting outside with this bag and seeing how it performs over the next several months.  I have a Girl Scout campout coming up in two weeks and I really need to be sure I am well rested during it.   Its hard to remain cheerful when I don't sleep well! 
    The bag appears as advertised on the web site.  The one concern I have about the information on the web site is a lack of bag size recommendations.  I went by the length of the bag when ordering, there was no chart that advised at what height a person should order the longer bag.

Test Conditions:
The majority of my testing is done in northern New England, where current day temperatures are in the 40 to 60 F (4  to 15 C) range, with night temperatures falling to around freezing. The last few months saw the temperatures drop to -20 F (-29 C) at times.  It is not unusual to have 30 in (76 cm) of snow on the ground by February. Most of my hiking is done below 3000 ft (900 m). There is a wide range of types of terrain on these hikes; everything from well maintained trails to hiking through heavily wooded areas. Some trips involve backpacking into campsites and at other times I set up camp and hike out from there.  

Test Plan:
    My plan is to use the Rock Creek sleeping bag on all upcoming outtings.  I will have the opportunity to use the bag while sleeping in tents, cabins and in my Hennessy Hammock.  I have a couple planned overnighters, including two nights in western Maine and a long weekend in Vermont.  Once school is out towards the end of June, my children and I will be spending a couple of nights every week or so hiking and camping.  Most of these trips are spur of the moment - we pick a spot within a few hours drive and head out.  We seem to end up hiking and camping in the White Mountains of Maine or New Hamshire quite often.  I am anxious to see how well the bag performs in varying temperatures.  Nights in the White Mountains can drop below 40 F (C) degrees even in mid-summer.
    I am curious to see how well the bag holds up and if and where it shows wear.  One of my main concerns is if the zipper catching on the bag fabric continues to be a problem, and if so, how it effects the use of the bag.  I will also be watching for how well the bag maintains its loft.