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Reviews > Sleep Gear > Sleeping Bags > Sierra Designs Van Winkle 15 degree > Bill Jeffrey > Initial ReportSierra Designs Van Winkle Sleeping Bag - Initial Reportby Bill "AsABat" JeffreyEmail: wjj2001 "at" yahoo "dot" com October 3, 2004 Tester Personal Biographical Information Bill Jeffrey
I have over 30 years backpacking experience, starting with Scouting as a youth. I am currently the High Adventure Leader for a Scout Troop. I try to get out once or twice a month, plus at least one week-long trek each year. My trips are of two types. First, I am hiking the Pacific Crest Trail in sections, and generally use a lightweight approach on these typically solo trips. Other trips involving family involve more traditional backpacking equipment. Terrain varies from sea level to 14,000 feet (4,300 m), desert to mountain, and trail to cross country, occasionally including snow travel. Sierra Designs claims that the hood will "allow you to configure it for your preferred sleeping position" and includes belly, side, and back sleepers. If this was a multiple choice test I would choose "D" - all of the above, although I prefer to call my sleeping position "occupy as much space as possible." This is the first of three reports of the Sierra Designs Van Winkle sleeping bag and is based solely on inspection at home. Future reports will describe my experiences with the sleeping bag over two and then six months. Product Description:
The sleeping bag arrived by UPS Ground in a corrugated box in fine condition. I cut the box open very carefully and was glad I did, as the sleeping bag, in its storage bag, completely filled the large box. Cutting the box open with a large knife could have been disastrous.
The sleeping bag is made of smooth 50D polyester, rust orange color outside and black inside. There is a faint pattern to the fabric which I presume must be what the manufacturer calls "octa-rip" or "fancy ripstop" as the typical heavier ripstop threads are not present. The outer fabric has a durable water repellent (DWR) finish. The inner fabric is claimed to be moisture wicking. The fabric tag states the finished size is 94 x 31 inches (239 x 79 cm), which is what I measured the fabric of the shell to be when laid perfectly flat. The girth of the bag is also listed different on the hang tag and website, as follows:
The Van Winkle is filled with 28 ounces (794 g) of 600 Fill Goose Down, according to Sierra Designs' website, although the weight could not be measured. The fabric content tag indicated that the contents were "Goose Down Minimum Down 75%. This was on a sticker which covered printing on the tag stating "Goose Down Minimum 80% Goose Down." The fabric care tag simply says "Goose Down." There is embroidery on the bag reading "Van Winkle 600" which does suggest the down is 600 fill. Because none of the tags sewn on the bag state the down quality, I do not know if the fabric content tag was originally printed incorrectly and corrected with the sticker, or if the quality of down used in the bag changed after the tags were printed. A higher percentage of down versus feathers results in higher loft for the same weight, and, therefore, less fill is needed for the same loft.
The Van Winkle is one of Sierra Designs' Flex (TM) sleeping bags. According to Sierra Designs, "The Flex construction has flexible, expandable baffles that increase the girth where you need it, without creating empty spaces that lead to cold spots." The outside baffle seams look like they are elastic, and stretch. The inside seams do not stretch. Another unique feature of this bag is the NightCap Hood (TM). The hood has two drawstrings. The first, a round cord, is in the usual location to cinch the hood closed around the face. The second is located just short of the top of the hood. If this flat lace is left loose, the hood has enough room up top for me to sleep with my arms extended over my head while still inside the warmth of the bag, or to sleep with my arms under my head like a pillow. With the NightCap Hood and Flex Construction, I found it is possible to sleep in any position with all arms inside the bag, and to turn inside the bag without the usual restriction of a mummy bag.
The main zipper is a 66 inch (168 cm) YKK zipper. This zipper can also be opened near the foot of the bag for ventilation. The long bags are right-zippered. There is a second zipper on the left side that is just 7.5 inches (19 cm) long that will open the top of the bag a few inches for extra ventilation. Both zippers are backed by insulated draft tubes to keep out the cold. The draft tubes have a heavier fabric facing the zipper to prevent snagging the zipper in the fabric. Attached to the bottom of the sleeping bag are two Pad Locks (TM). These are thin web straps attached at either side of the shoulder and midsection of the bag. They are light and easy to use, adjusting with a ladder lock buckle. The lower Pad Lock is sewn with a spacing of 23.5 inches (60 cm). The spacing between the Pad Lock at the shoulders is 24 inches (61 cm). It is possible to put a somewhat wider pad in, but this will cause the sleeping bag to spread wider and lose vertical space inside as well as flatting the loft. Narrower pads will fit well, of course, but tightening the Pad Locks too securely around them will cause the sides of the bag to pull together, narrowing the room inside. Leaving them a bit loose still keeps the pad under the bag.
The stuff sack is made of fabric that is a bit heavier than the sleeping bag's shell. The seams are all finished and there is a pull loop at the bottom to hold them sack while removing the sleeping bag. The draw string is sturdy and has a toggle closure, but the round flap to close the sack has unfinished edges that show a tendency to unravel and is, in my opinion, just a bit too small. The stuff sack itself is properly sized for the sleeping bag, requiring just a bit of effort to stuff the last bit of sleeping bag inside. Initial Impression: So far, in the comfort of my living room, the Van Winkle is even more comfortable than advertised. The Flex Construction allows more freedom in the bag without compromising warmth. The NightCap Hood is the most roomiest hood I've seen on a mummy bag, and I appreciate the room to stretch my arms over my head. My one big disappointment is that the weight is significantly more than advertised. I suspect this will limit my use of the bag during warmer months. Next: The Van Winkle will be used on all my trips during the next several months. These will be primarily in the deserts of Southern California where the nighttime temperatures can dip to freezing. Subsequent trips will include a snow camp at 7,000 feet (2,100 m) in February. I expect temperatures around 15 degrees F (-9 C) and possible rain and snow. During this test I will look at how well the Flex Construction and NightCap Hood accommodate my varied sleeping positions, focusing on comfort and warmth.
Reviews > Sleep Gear > Sleeping Bags > Sierra Designs Van Winkle 15 degree > Bill Jeffrey > Initial Report | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Included in the box were:
The seams all appear to be well made and free of stray threads. The fabric appears to be very down proof, having only found two stray feathers poking out in a week of pushing and poking at the bag. The outside fabric is water repellent, and a couple tablespoons of water dropped on the bag just sat there in a pool until wiped up. The inside fabric is "quick drying" and "highly wicking." Water drops on the inside spread across the fabric quickly.
