Reviews > Sleep Gear > Sleeping Bags > Snugpak Softie Chrysalis > Thomas Vickers > Initial Report

Snugpak Softie Chrysalis Micro Sleeping Bag Initial Report

October 6, 2005

Tester Background:
I grew up in the piney woods of southeast Texas. Camping was a quick trip into the mosquito-infested woods behind the house. My style has evolved and over the last 4 or 5 years, I have begun to take a lighter weight approach to hiking gear (I still use sleeping bags and tents, just lighter versions). While I have flirted with lightweight hiking, I feel that I am more of a mid-weight hiker now. My philosophy is one of comfort, while carrying the lightest load possible.

Additional Tester Measurements:
Shoulder Girth: 49 in (124 cm)
Chest: 39 in (97 cm)
Waist: 34 in (86 cm)
Hips: 39 in (99 cm)

Expectations:
My visit to the Snugpak website didn't leave me feeling productive.  I know what the bag looks like, but the pictures don't do much to explain or illustrate the "Chrysalis baffle system, variable length system, or the chisel foot."   These all sound like neat features, but a little more explanation would have made me feel a bit more informed.

Arrival:
When the Snugpak Softie Chrysalis sleeping bag arrived I was glad to see that the hang-tag on the compression stuff sack carried a bit more information about this bag. "The Chrysalis sleeping bag is designed for movement and growth.  The option of using the baffle system is to allow more space when required."  I was a bit stunned to read that and of course I had to pull the bag out of the compression sack and see what this was about. Not only was this going to be a test of a sleeping bag, but a test of one with some pretty innovative features in my view.  It may not seem like much to most people, but getting a Snugpak sleeping bag in the mail along with its compression stuff sack and Snugpak catalogues is big excitement at my house. 

Description:
Of course the compression stuff sack is the first thing I noticed when unpacking the bag.   It has four compression straps located equidistant from each other on the outside of the bag. It is well constructed with no loose thread that I can find. The Softie Chrysalis Micro was shipped inside of the stuff sack and I doubt that I can ever get it back into the stuff sack as nicely and as neatly as it arrived.

The Snugpak Softie Chrysalis sleeping bag is a nice mustard colored sleeping bag.  It seems rather long and while going over the bag I noticed two small web straps on each side of the footbox, about  24 inches (61 cm) from the foot end of the bag.

Located on the end of the footbox there are two more webbing straps with plastic hooks on them.  

There is no real explanation of these items, but I am going to assume that they are part of the variable length system that was mentioned on the website and hangtag.  The zipper is a full length zipper that runs down the left-hand side of the bag.  Inside of the zipper is a baffle that is approximately eight   inches (20 cm) wide at the top of the bag and tapers down to about four inches (10 cm) wide at the bottom of the bag.  It has one side of a zipper on it and it appears that the bag can be unzipped, expanded, then rezipped using the baffle. 

The hood on this bag is pretty simple. It isn't too bulky and I am hoping that it folds out of the way easily since I don't like using the hood too often.  The bag is a left zip bag and inside the bag, on the right side, at the base of the hood, is the cinch cord that tightens the head/face opening.  I like the large bulb-shaped slide fastener on this cord because it seems easy to grab and work with  one hand while inside the bag.   Definitely a feature to test and report on later.  

As I went over the bag looking at features and the quality of its construction I noticed a nice extra.  On the inside  left-hand side  (about chest high) of the bag is a pocket. It closes with hook-and-loop fasteners and looks to be about the right size for a headlamp, watch, or even a knife.   This was not listed as a feature, but is sure is nice to see this finishing touch added on as a surprise. 

Initial Impressions:
Wow! I am not easily surprised, but it seems as if Snugpak has put some thought into this sleeping bag.  It is light, comes with a nice compression sack, and most of all, it appears to be able to vary its size. 

A big thanks to Snugpak and Backpack Gear Testers for allowing me the chance to test this bag.

Reviews > Sleep Gear > Sleeping Bags > Snugpak Softie Chrysalis > Thomas Vickers > Initial Report