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Reviews > Sleep Gear > Sleeping Bags > Sierra Designs Rock Creek and Osage > Leesa Joiner > Long Term ReportSierra Designs
Rock Creek Sleeping Bag Long Term Report November 20, 2005 Personal Information: Leesa Joiner leesaj@gmail.com Southwestern Maine 44 years old Female 5' 7" (1.7 m) 160 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 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 as a 35 degree (2 C) bag. 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. Test Information: Over the course of this test, I was able to sleep in the Rock Creek eight times in my hammock, 12 times in my tent and 2 nights under the stars. I also used the bag twice in the house when the power went out. The Rock Creek Sleeping bag has seen much use this summer and fall in both hot, dry and wet, cool conditions. I tend to be warm when I sleep, especially if I am at a comfortable temperature when I go to sleep. I move around quite a bit when I sleep although not as much in a hammock as in a tent or even my own bed. In the past I've often found that I don't sleep well in a sleeping bag, because I tend to get tangled up while sleeping. This hasn't been a problem in the Rock Creek. I still move around a lot, but I don't wake up from being twisted up in the bag. The bag has maintained its loft very well - I find that even after it has spent time in the stuff sack, a quick shake of the bag 'fluffs' it right up. The bag itself has held up well, the fabric cleans easily with a quick wipe with a damp cloth. After an accidental soaking, the bag dried after a few hours hung on a clothes line in windy weather. A quick trip into the dryer, set on air dry, to 'fluff' up and the bag was as good as new. I did have some problems with the zipper. The company advertises a 'snag free zipper track'. I found that it snagged quite easily. When it did snag, it was easy enough to work the fabric free from the zipper, without damage to either. I developed a habit of running my finger along in front of the zipper to ensure that it didn't snag. The coldest night spent in the bag was early in the test - it was 22 degrees F (5.5 C). I was very comfortable in the bag, while wearing a t-shirt, fleece pullover, lined pants and heavyweight socks. During warmer overnighters, I would sleep in lightweight pants and t-shirt, sometimes on top of the bag and sometimes in it. I really came to love the fleece lined foot section. I hate cold feet and found that by keeping my feet warm and comfortable, the rest of me stayed much more comfortable. Another nice aspect of the fleece is that fleece feels much better against my skin than the liner fabric did. I found that the bag helped me to maintain a comfortable body temperature. On the coldest night, I stayed warm through the night. On warmer nights, such as when camping in late June in the White Mountains in western Maine, I was able to stay comfortable, even when the wind picked up and caused the temperatures to fall into the 40 degree F range (4.5 C) The bag was able to keep out chilling winds. On warm nights, I was able to sleep with the bag unzipped to allow for some air circulation. The Pad Locks worked well, especially during the nights in a tent - I could go to sleep on the pad, and it would still be there in the morning. Without Pad Locks, there have been many nights that I would wake up and the pad wouldn't be under me at all. In the hammock, it worked well also, but even without it, the pad couldn't go too far. In my field report, I mentioned a concern about the length of the bag. I found that it was on the short side. I am 5' 7" (1.7 m) and the bag is 72" (1.8 m). I had thought that since it was 5" (.1 m) longer than I am, it would be long enough. This was my error. Had there been some sizing guidelines on the website though, I might not have made the mistake. The bag was still very useful and I would highly recommend it to others. The glow in the dark zipper pull is a nice feature - my daughter likes that she can see my sleeping bag if she wakes up during the night. The Rock Creek sleeping bag has held up very well to frequent and prolonged use. It shows no major signs of wear, the stitching has held very well. The zipper moves smoothly. Most impressive is the amount of loft that the bag has maintained. I think that the time in the dryer (about 20 minutes) actually increased the amount of loft. I plan on using the Rock Creek again come spring. Right now the temperatures are too low for a 35°F (2°C) bag. Test Conditions: The majority of my testing was done in northern New England, where temperatures are all over the place. We have had highs of 98 degrees F (36 C) and night time lows of 35 degrees F (2 C). We've also had a couple of very rainy weeks - June/July saw 5 weeks with only 6 days that it didn't rain! While backpacking in the White Mountains, we had three nights of rain, with four days of the most beautiful, cool dry weather. 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. 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, along with areas in Ohio and Vermont. Read more reviews of Sierra Designs gear Read more gear reviews by Leesa Joiner Reviews > Sleep Gear > Sleeping Bags > Sierra Designs Rock Creek and Osage > Leesa Joiner > Long Term Report | |||