Field Trial

Conditions

I have tested the Snugpak on several different trips over the past six months.  The first trip was a two night camping trip was in November for a "Leave No Trace Training Workshop" held at Payne's Prairie State Park in Florida.  The temperature the first night was 54 degrees Fahrenheit (12 degrees Celsius) followed by rain on the second night and the temperature warming up to 60 degrees Fahrenheit (16 degrees Celsius) with the rain.  The ground conditions other than the Snugpak Merlin consisted of a tent footprint, tent,  one person and a Big Agnes REM sleeping pad.  On both nights I found the Snugpak very comfortable to sleep in shorts and a cotton t-shirt.  I did use the foot zipper to allow ventilation at the foot box as my feet were rather warm on the second night.  Several times I caught the zipper on the fabric while zipping myself up inside the bag.  The Snugpak handled the high humidity of the second night without the slightest amount of dampness.

The second outing for the Snugpak was in December on a three-day,  two-night backpacking trip on Cumberland Island National Seashore, Georgia.  The weather was really cold (for a Florida girl) with days getting up to 60 degrees Fahrenheit (16 degree Celsius) and the night hitting 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 degrees Celsius).  The tent set up was the same as above except that my 9-year-old daughter provided some additional body heat.  I slept in polyester long johns and ended up with a fleece shirt over that and the Snugpak drawn tight around my head and was still very cold.  Both nights were around 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 degrees Celsius) and both nights I could not get warm.  Some of the problem may be the Big Agnes Sleeping Pad that is not insulated.  I wrapped the sleeping pad with a thin metallic insulating blanket and this helped some but I was never comfortably warm.  One thing that was very noticeable was in the morning everyone else's sleeping bags were wet due to the respiratory moisture of the night and the Snugpak was completely dry.  It was really noticeable that the Snugpak was the only sleeping bag out of 9 assorted types that was dry each morning.  I would probably use a liner with the Snugpak in temperatures near freezing in the future.

The third trip was  in December to Hontoon Island State Park in Florida for an overnight backpack trip with my 10-year-old daughter.  The temperature was a very humid 51 degrees Fahrenheit (11 degrees Celsius) with a daily high of near 78 degrees Fahrenheit (26 degrees Celsius).  The ground conditions were the same except that I placed a thin foam pad over my Big Agnes REM sleeping pad incase I needed more insulation.  I was very comfortable with shorts and a cotton t-shirt.  The Snugpak once again was able to handle the humidity very well with no hint of dampness in the morning, despite the fact that the fog was so thick from the surrounding swamp that the tent didn't dry until near noon.

Additional trips were all within the temperature ranges listed above.  I did not get another opportunity to test the Snugpak in freezing weather and found no additional field performance issues other than the ones listed above.  In summary I will evaluate the Snugpak's performance based on my extended test outline.

Durability: 

I found the Snugpak to be durable to the extent that the testing period lasted.  The zippers continue to function and all seams are intact.  I got better at using the zipper and found that after a few more uses I wasn't snagging the fabric when I zipped the bag. I washed the Snugpak once in a special detergent for outdoor equipment in the washing machine, in cold water, gentle setting.  I used the two loop cords located on the bottom of the foot box to hang the Snugpak to dry.  Washing had no effect on the fill and I don't see any migration of fill due to the washing or drying.

Comfort:

The Snugpak is very comfortable.  I find it as comfortable as a down bag without the moisture problems that I have experienced using down bags.  The fabric is silky and feels good to the touch.  I used the Snugpak for 6 nights after I washed it and found no difference in loft or comfort due to washing or prior usage.

Moisture control:

I never had any moisture problems when using the Snugpak.  Even in cold weather with lots of condensation due to respiration  the Snugpak was completely dry.  In very high humidity the Snugpak performed great, it was never  the slightest bit damp. 

Stuff Sack:

Even kneeling on the stuff sack and pulling with all my strength I could not duplicate the neat softball size package that is displayed on the Snugpak website and in their product information.  The stuff sack worked well and compressed the Snugpak to the approximate size of a 1 liter Nalgene water bottle.

Product Performance:

I am very pleased with the performance of the Snugpak Merlin 3 Softie.  It really lives up to the Softie part of its name and feels like silk inside.  The zipper did snag occasionally but with time, or practice I found that the zipper functioned fine and didn't catch the fabric.  I believe that the Snugpak is rated correctly and I personally find it comfortable in the 40 degree Fahrenheit (4 degree Celsius) range that  the manufacturer advertises as the "comfort range."  The manufacturer advertises that the "effective range" is to 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 degrees Celsius).   I know that I effectively shivered all night in temperatures near the freezing mark.

 

Suggestions for Improvement

I do not have any suggestions for improvement. The Snugpak Softie performs as advertised, in the temperature range that it is rated to handle.  The Snugpak's ability to handle moisture made it a great sleeping bag for me in wet, humid conditions.