Reviews > Sleep Gear > Sleeping Bags > Sierra Designs Van Winkle 15 degree > Dennis Shubitowski > Initial Report

Initial Report - Sierra Designs Van Winkle 15 F(-10 C) Sleeping Bag

I began backpacking in the early 1990s. I hike in every season including winter, and I also enjoy other outdoor activities like hunting, canoeing and riding horses. My beginning pack weights were monstrously heavy, but now my average three-season load for a multi-day trip, including food and water, is usually less than 25 lb (11.3 kg). Gear that I carry tends to be the lightest I can go without sacrificing comfort or convenience.

Product Information <back to top>

Measurements

*Measured with cloth seamstress tape measure. Take these measurements with a grain of salt as this Flex sleeping bag is a little tough to measure, and I do not know exactly where Sierra Designs measured on the bag for their listed sizes.

Packaging/Website <back to top>

The sleeping bag arrived safe and sound on my front porch. The bag was shipped inside the large cotton sack meant for storage when not in use. The cotton storage sack is a very bright orange with a simple drawstring and cordlock at the top in a simple hem. It has a tag on the inside that says it is 100% cotton and is made in China. On the bottom out this bag is the Sierra Designs logo and name in printed silver along with "Van Winkle Reg." There was a product hangtag attached to the large sack. The hangtag is a heavy, slick cardstock and is tri-folded. The inside of the card gives the highlights of the Flex series of sleeping bags - fill, fabric, insulated draft tubes, Pad Locks, Nightcap hood, and Flex baffles. There are also general informational notes about the differences between Sierra Designs men's and women's sleeping bags and some sleep research information. The back of the card indicates this bag is meant to be moved around in (stomach, side, and back sleeping - "You are Now Free to Move About Your Bag"). There are also size and weight statistics (which differ quite a bit from the website information - see above), and there is a description of the warranty - lifetime against material and workmanship and will replace free of charge; other repair issues are done for a nominal fee.

Sierra Designs has a fine website that is easy to navigate. The bag appeared exactly as depicted down to the detail - it looks like a photograph of the bag I received to review. Their website also gives great descriptions of the features on their complete line of sleeping bags including this one which is in their Flex series. Other features of this bag include the NightCap hood and the Flex Construction baffles.

Initial Report <back to top>

First Impressions

I removed the sleeping bag from the sack and saw it was rolled up like a cinnamon roll. The bag is a burnt orange color on top and black most everywhere else - bottom, hood and inside. It reminded me of a pumpkin for some reason, but the color scheme is pleasant to look at in my opinion. The smaller stuff sack for the sleeping bag is slate blue in color and was threaded behind the main zipper near the bottom of the sleeping bag where the zippers are joined. I had to completely unzip the main zipper and separate it to remove the stuff sack. The stuff sack is tagged as being made in China, and there is a black fringed pull flap on the bottom with the Sierra Designs name and logo printed on it, and there is a storm flap to cover the bag opening when stuffed and cinched up. There was no other literature or instructions included in the packaging (not that they are really needed), and I imagine this is how the bag would be purchased from the store as well from previous experience in buying sleeping bags.

When I layed the bag out, the first thing I noticed is that this bag is huge! I mean I know I should have gotten an indication from the website measurements, but to see it on the ground looks like I could fit two of me inside of it. There are several tags on the sleeping bag - at the bottom is a tag that says it is also made in China, another tag indicates it conforms to the CPA I-75 Rate of Burn standards, and the other tag is the "Do Not Remove Under Penalty of Law" tag with the material components, weights, and finished size information. The bag is listed as having a minimum of 75% goose down fill. Near the shoulder of the bag sewn into the draft tube are the care instructions and a "Reg" tag indication the size. Care instructions are as expected - if dry cleaning take it to someone who knows what they are doing or wash in in a front loading washer with gentle detergent, rinse thoroughly, and drip or tumble dry on cool heat.

Weight

When I weighed the bag, I found it was considerably over specifications that Sierra Designs gave - anywhere from 7 to 10 ounces (200 to 285 g) heavier depending on the source used which is about a 20% variance from the given weight. This is pretty disappointing to me and I would have returned the bag if I had ordered it believing it to be a 3 lbs (1.46 kg) bag comfortable to 15 F (-10 C). This is especially egregious in my book as a sleeping bag is one of the "big three" as far as making up the core of my pack weight (along with the pack and shelter as the other two items). I can only hope I got that extra weight in overfill on the down insulation.

Construction

The bag is constructed with main baffles on the top and bottom of the bag along with a humongous hood and a large footbox. There are 13 main baffles - the bottom nine baffles are 5.5 inches (14 cm) wide, and the remaining four baffles near the neck are 3.75 inches (9.5 cm) wide. There are about 6 differently shaped nylon sections on each side of the bag from the bottom of the zipper to the hood forming a general triangular pattern to give the bag some depth. It appears that the baffles are continuous and the down could be shifted around the bag if desired. The hood is composed of three large, 7 x 10 inch (18 x 25 cm) baffles on top and two 5.5 inch (14 cm) wide baffles on the back continuing to the sides - the upper baffle is about 37 inches (94 cm) long/wide and the lower on is about 41 inches (104 cm) long/wide, not including the flex of the baffles. Unique to this bag is that the baffles do flex, thus the name. To look at the bag, I can tell the baffles have an elastic component and look slightly pulled together and crinkled. According to measurements, there is about 6 inches (15 cm) of "give" to the baffles and they will expand and contract with the body as one moves around.

The main fabrics used mainly on the bag feel quite the same. Both fabrics are 50 denier polyester taffeta but are treated to have different properties. The outer fabric has a durable water repellent coating while the inside fabric has an anti-static and moisture wicking coating. I will pay attention to both of these features and report how they function during the test period. The taffeta fabric has a groovy moire-like pattern to it from the way the ripstop fibers are assembled. The fabric feels very soft and silky and seems like it will be a pleasure to be wrapped in. So far, the fabrics seem pretty down-proof and I have only seen a feather or two sticking out or loose while using it around the house.

NightCap Hood

This hood, again, is absolutely huge. When I got inside the bag, I could lock my hands behind my head, stick my elbows out like I was relaxing, and still be well within the confines of the hood. Embroidered in orange on the top center of the black hood is the Sierra Designs name and logo. There is an insulated draft tube around the perimeter of the hood (and around my face). Directly above that tube in a orange nylon hem is a light grey draw cord with barrel lock used to tighten the hood around the face. On the top left outside of the hood (when inside or using the bag) is another light grey cord with barrel lock. This cord comes out from inside the hood through a nylon reinforced area with a black metal grommet. This pull cord collapses the size of the hood down toward the head so the amount of hood available can be adjusted to minimize heat loss depending on sleep position. The cords for the the nylon stuff and and the face pull are the same size, material and color while the inside hood pull cord is the same material and color but a beefier size cord.

Zippers

The sleeping bag has two zippers which surprised me somewhat. The main zipper is a sizable YKK #8 that has a black bias tape pull tab printed with Sierra Designs initials and "Flex" on opposing sides. This zipper is on the left on this particular bag and is about 67 inches (170 cm) long. The zipper stops 6 inches (15 cm) from the bottom of the bag. It can be separated, as indicated above, and the zipper can be opened from either end for ventilation adjustment. With another right zip bag that has the same size zipper (which I have), the two bags can be mated together. The opening where the zipper ends is reinforced with a triangle-shaped, insulated section of draft tubing, and right above it on the orange baffle is embroidered "Van Winkle 600" in black thread. Back near the right shoulder there is a shorter 8 inch (20 cm) YKK zipper of the same size but with grey nylon cord pull tab. I am a little unsure of the purpose for this zipper as the bag opens plenty wide without needing this short section open to comfortably get inside. I am sure, however, the benefit of this zipper will be apparent later on. There is a full length draft tube that runs completely around the perimeter of the bag from the end of the zipper at the foot to the end of the short zipper on the right shoulder. Each zipper is backed with a stiff tape, and the side of the draft tube that faces the zipper is made of a heavier denier black nylon than the polyester taffeta that is used throughout the rest of the bag lining. Both of these features should help preventing the zipper from snagging the nylon material as advertised, but that remains to be seen. When the bag is completely zipped closed, the two draft tubes for the hood and zipper overlap to help minimize drafting and heat loss.

Pad Locks

On the back/bottom of the sleeping bag are two sets of half inch (13 mm) nylon ribbons sewn into a seam on each side. One set is located near the shoulder and the other near the waist, and both have an adjustable ladder lock to lengthen or shorten them. These are the Pad Locks that are meant to tighten around my sleeping pad to prevent the bag from sliding off the pad. On first impression, they look pretty flimsy and that they could tear out of the seam when pulled on from tossing and turning, but that is probably a groundless fear that I will confirm during testing. I am looking forward to testing this feature as it is no fun to slide off the sleep pad when winter camping on snow.

Testing Plan <back to top>

So far during the short review period, the Van Winkle has been the comforter on my bed every night and is also used to lounge around the couch while reading or watching television. I will continue to use it for the purpose for the remainder of the test. This will become my bag for the remainder of the test period for backpacking. I plan on testing the lower temperature limits in both the safety of my backyard and in bringing a second, summer weight sleeping bag for winter trips; this bag will layer inside the Van Winkle if needed due to temperature. I also plan on augmenting with clothing if needed. I plan on several fall trips and I love to get out in the winter as well. I will use the bag in a hammock, in a bivy/bag cover, under a tarp, in a four season tent, and while car camping. I will monitor the loft of the bag and see how it progresses over the test period. The NightCap hood is definitely unique and I will report on that along with how the Flex baffles work. I will likely also wash the bag during the test period and report how that goes.

Things I Like (so far)

• Roomy, roomy, roomy
• The large hood is awesome

Reservations (so far)

• Significantly heavier (over 20% difference) than list weight
• Nylon cord on small stuff sack is already fraying

Thanks to Sierra Designs and BackpackGearTest for the opportunity to test this sleeping bag.

Reviews > Sleep Gear > Sleeping Bags > Sierra Designs Van Winkle 15 degree > Dennis Shubitowski > Initial Report