Name: John E Musser
Age: 47
Gender: Male
Height: 6' 0" (1.83 m)
Weight: 205 lbs (93 kg)
Email address: jemclimberATsbcglobalDOTnet
City, State, Country: Pharr, Texas, USA
Date: July 8, 2004

Backpacking Background:

I consider myself a moderate weight hiker/cyclist for the past 15 years. I occasionally will carry a heavier weight items if I feel the comfort level is worth the weight. I usually plan on fairly long days hiking at a rate of 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) per hour. I have confined most of my exploits to areas within 600 miles (966 kilometers) to 800 miles (1288 kilometers) of home and 1 to 8 days in length.

Product Specifications:

Purchased new in 2001
Manufacturer - The North Face www.thenorthface.com
Size: Long
Product is no longer manufactured
Temperature rating: 35 degrees F (2 C)
Style - Synthetic Insulated Mummy
Zipper - 3/4 zip
Insulation Type - Polarguard Delta
Fabric for the outer shell – Top - Iridescent Firestorm™ cross-dye/Bottom - BottomLine taffeta
Fabric for the inner shell - 20 denier ripstop Pertex® Silken
Manufacturer listed weight - 2 lb 3 oz (1.27 kg)
Home scale weight - 2 lb 3 oz (1.27 kg)
Accessory Pockets - Watch Pocket, Pillow Pocket
Hood Closure - Differentiated Hood Cinching Cords
MSRP (2001): $159.95

Field Information

This sleeping bag is used for 3 season camping mostly in Texas. During the summer months or when the temperature is above 60 F (16 C) I sleep on top of the bag and cover with a lightweight Polarfleece® blanket. During the Fall and Spring when the temperature ranges between 40 F (4 C) and 60 F (16 C) I sleep inside the bag for comfort. I find that this bag is perfectly suited in my climate for backpacking and cycle touring. Between the two uses I use the TNF Flight bag approximately 25 to 30 days per year.

The Review

When I first ordered the bag I ordered the standard length. I am exactly 6'- 0.1/2" ft (1.83 m) tall and usually between 190 lbs (86 kg) and 205 lbs (93 kg) depending on the season. When the bag arrived I pulled it out of the shipping sack and let it recover its loft. Then came the fun. I climbed in the bag and immediately felt claustrophobic. The bag was a tight fit everywhere. It didn't take a genius to figure out that this bag was not for me. I returned it and ended up trying out several other bags at a well-known retailer. I finally purchased the same bag in long length, giving in to the slightly higher weight. In addition to the added length, the longer bag is also more generous in the girth as well. This makes for more space in the bag for my claustrophobic self.

I often pre-pack my pack except for consumables as much as a week in advance. In order to gauge the bags loft characteristics I did a compression sack test. I used the compression sack provided by The North Face. Then I packed it in to the compression area of my pack and had room to spare so I removed the stuff sack and just packed the bag into the place it would normally live in on a trip. I waited for a week and then removed the bag. At first I was very surprised. The bag did not appear to want to restore the loft. After an hour or so of shaking and moving the bag, the loft did come back for the most part. On the trail with day-to-day use the bag regains its loft in 30 minutes or so with a little prodding.

I think the manufacturer's recommendation to store the bag open and flat for best life should definitely be followed. I say this after forgetting and leaving the bag in its stuff sack for 3 months. I worried whether the loft would ever recover. It did, but only after a couple weeks.

The North Face marketed the bag as having a "water resistant shell". I use this bag along the South Padre Island National Seashore quite often. In the mornings condensation is inevitable. Condensation does appear to penetrate the shell into the fill, particularly if touched. performance in light rain is good, but make no bones about it, if I'm out in a moderate rain the bag will get wet. When camping on the South Padre Island National Seashore regular condensation dried in under an hour of sunlight so I don't consider it a problem. When I camp in other areas condensation was only a problem after a rain.

I am a cold sleeper who tosses and turns a great deal. I generally sleep in lightweight fleece shorts and a t-shirt. Without additional clothing this bag is very comfortable down to around 40 F (4 C). Below that I find I need extra clothing. I regularly wear lightweight fleece long johns and am comfortable down to freezing. I have also used a silk bag-liner that adds about 5 F (3 C) to the bag.

The zipper on the Flight does tend to snag on occasion. It proves little problem to fix by unzipping and rezipping the bag. The problem is a tendency to snag the bag on the edge of the shell, while zipping the bag. With more use I have found I snag the zipper less and less.

The Flight like other sister products in the TNF line also offers features like a watch pocket, a pillow pocket and differentiated pulls. I use the watch pocket to put my alarm watch near my head, outside of the sound deadening insulation. It happened to be a very tight fit for my watch but it worked for me.

I do not use pillow pocket. I tried inserting various clothing items and just couldn't get comfortable. I broke down and carry a sylnylon pillow that lets a stirring sleeper like me have a moveable pillow. The North Face web site claimed that you could stuff the Flight into the pillow pocket during the day. I have never had occasion to use that feature. I just keep the bag stowed in my pack when the need arises.

I have used my Flight bag for over 3 years. My experience overall is that this is well-designed bag with all the features and faults found in a sleeping bag filled with synthetic-insulation. Since the TNF Flight has been discontinued, if I were to buy another synthetic 3-season sleeping bag, I would probably buy the TNF Cat's Meow.

Overall, I find the Flight to be accurate as to the temperature rating, lightweight and sized large enough for my use.

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Owner Review by John Musser

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