The North Face Cat’s Meow Sleeping Bag Owner’s Review - Paul Schilke

Paul Schilke, 29, Male
5’8” (1.72 meters), 185 lbs (84 kg)
eltorro AT backpacker DOT com
Berrien Springs, Michigan USA
Date: 12/20/02

Backpacking Background:

Until recently, I had not backpacked since 1990.  In 2002, I hiked two thousand thirty miles of the Appalachian Trail (AT) in three giant sections (a flip-flop). You will find a rough version of my journal at www.TrailJournals.com/ElTorro.

Other activities include rock climbing and cycling about ten years ago (including a 50-mile ride.)  I cruised in a canoe on the Green River (2001) for one week through Canyon Lands National Park in Utah. 

I say cruised as opposed to “canoed” because we had problems with our system we designed to enable me to help paddle. I now have a multi-part glove system that works fairly well with weight-lifting/pushing.  That glove will probably work well with a canoe paddle but is untried.

I can only use one hand.  On the AT, I discovered that my hand has a condition similar to Raynaurd's Syndrome - a problem with circulation, which causes swelling and coldness.

My hiking style is lightweight but comfortable.  With my current pack I have problems with loads over 35 lb (16 kg) and prefer a max pack weight of 30 lb (14 kg).  Base pack weight hovers around 20 lb (9 kg).  I also use a fanny pack on my hip - a hip sack - that takes about a pound or so off my back.

Product information

Cat’s Meow,
Purchased new in 2002
Regular
The North Face
www.thenorthface.com
20 degrees F (-7 C)
Mummy style
Polarguard Delta
Manufacturer listed weight         2 lb 13 oz (1.27 kg)
Postal scales weight                   2 lb 13 oz (1.27 kg)
Watch Pocket Pillow Pocket
Differentiated Hood Cinching Cords

MSRP $169

Field Information

        I used this sleeping bag in temperatures ranging from 27 to 100 + degrees F (-4 to 38 degrees C), in forests and mountains, shelters, tents, and under the stars on the Appalachian Trail, from Georgia to Maine and back again like this: Georgia in April, Smokey Mountains National Park in May, Virginia in June, Harper’s Ferry in July, New Hampshire in August, Katahdin in September, Pennsylvania in October, and Harper’s Ferry in November.  The weather consisted of freezing, thawing, raining, misting, blazing sun, freezing-rain and snow.  There were also some picture-perfect, living-room temperature days.

El Review

        Many times in the search to decide between synthetic and down, I read that synthetic bags are given survival temp ratings and down bags comfort; down bags last longer; synthetic bags offer warmth when wet and down bags are hard to dry.  I selected the Cat’s Meow, a synthetic, for use on the Appalachian Trail: a wet place at times, where I had no idea of my ability or of the challenges.   Polarguard Delta, the latest update of the Polarguard line, fills The Cat’s Meow.   Polarguard Delta was exclusive to North Face products when I purchased the bag.

        The Cat’s Meow puffed up (lofted) well in my living room when first unwrapped.  The thermostat was set to 70 F (21 C).  I crawled into the bag to find myself in a sauna.  Pleased, the next thing to do was stuff it into the manufacturer’s stuff sack.  It was important to see what kind of problems I’d have stuffing it with my one useable hand.  It was a struggle but accomplished.  Then I removed the bag to find the loft did not hold up after one such stuffing.  I did not take any measurements but the bag now seemed ratty.  It no longer looked like a new, unused bag, which it was. 

        Friends online had warned me not to use a compression sack, I was disappointed to learn on my own that the same held true in this case for the manufacturer’s stuff sack.  I probably stuffed it into the manufacturer’s stuff sack a couple of more times in the following weeks before going to a 10x21 inch (25 x 53 cm) sylnylon stuff sack.  It was easier to stuff. 

        A fellow hiker on the AT, who had also completed the Pacific Crest Trail, said for his down bag, he uses a stuff sack that is larger than manufacturer specified.  On the PCT, he said that his down bag maintained its loft for the entire trail.  Near the end of their journey, other PCT thru-hikers with down bags experienced greater loft loss and colder nights than he did.  Nevertheless, this does not necessarily compare to my immediate loss of loft. 

        Another model available when I purchased the bag was the Cat's Meow Endurance.  This model adds a highly water-resistant and breathable Pertex Endurance shell and gets a 15 degree F rating (-10 C.)  This model may be discontinued. 

        There were a few times on the trail when condensation collected on my bag; I woke in the wee hours of the morning wet, cold and wishing for the Pertex Endurance model.  However, the Cat’s Meow did dry quickly when wet.  It was always dry by morning.  Moreover, I lived to tell the tale of my journey, so it was adequate for 3 seasons. 

         Under 40 degrees F (4 C) I wore practically every piece of clothing in my backpack.   In October and early November that included a Polar Tech 200 jacket, a Polar Tech 300 vest, and two long sleeve thermal shirts.  At times, this many layers allowed me to sleep with the bag unzipped at temperatures above freezing.  In September and early October, when I did not have two pieces of Polar Tech, I felt like the bag was cold.  I understand that there are things that a person can do, like drinking a warm beverage, and exercising before getting into the bag to create extra warmth for the bag’s insulation to collect.  However, I give this bag a comfort rating of 40 degrees without extra clothes. 

        Beside the great mail order, less-than-MSRP price and the quick drying synthetic insulation, I purchased the Cat’s Meow due to reviews stating that competing bags suffered zipper problems.  The zipper on the Cat's Meow did snag a few times.  It proved little problem to fix by unzipping.  Once on an extremely cold night the snag was so bad I had to grip the bag with my teeth and tug on the zipper with my one good hand, very hard, to unzip it.  Surprisingly there was no damage to the material, anywhere.

        The Cat’s Meow also offers features like a watch pocket, a pillow pocket and differentiated pulls.  The watch pocket put my alarm watch near my head, outside of the sound deadening insulation.  This allows the mileage conscious thru-hiker to be on the trail at dawn, instead of just waking up.  It was a tight fit for my watch but it worked for me.

        The pillow pocket was a feature I did not use.  A hiker can stuff cloths into the pocket on the bottom side of the hood to cushion the head like a pillow.  I used my sylnylon stuff sack instead; I toss and turn through the night, which requires a moveable pillow.  The North Face web site claims that you can stuff the Cat’s Meow into the pillow pocket during the day.  I never tried that, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work.

        The differentiated pulls were a neat feature that always worked.  The North Face needlessly brags about the cords color-coding on their website.  Color-coding makes no difference in the dark.  What they don’t brag about: the top cord is a flat ribbon while the bottom cord is a round bungee.  I could easily tell that difference in the dark.

        Over all this is a well-designed bag with all the features and faults inherent to a sleeping bag filled with synthetic-insulation.  If I were to buy another synthetic 3-season sleeping bag, I might buy the Cat’s Meow again, but I would be sure to buy a bigger stuff sack for use on the trail.

Note: 

I did return this bag under warranty to Campmor.  I will test the theory that a using a larger stuff sack than specified by the manufacturer will increase the lifespan and temperature range.  I will update the report after 3 months of use.