Tester: Coy Starnes
Gender: Male
Age: 43
Weight: 230 lb (104 kg)
Height: 6 ft (1.8 m)
E-Mail: starnescr@yahoo.com
Location: Grant, Alabama, USA

Tester Bio
I live in Northeast Alabama. I enjoy hunting, fishing, canoeing, and most other outdoor activities but backpacking is my favorite pastime. I enjoy hiking with friends and family or solo. I hike throughout the year and actually hike the least in the hot humid months of summer. My style is slow and steady and my gear is light. However I will sacrifice weight for comfort and durability. A typical 3-season load for me is around 20 lb (9 kg) not counting food or water. I usually sleep in a hammock and cook with an alcohol stove. My backpacking trips are usually 2, 3 or 4 days in length.

Product Information
Test Item: La Fayette sleeping bag (2006 model)
Manufacturer: Valandre
Manufacturer's URL: http://www.valandre.com
Year Manufactured: 2005
Color: orange shell/black liner
Size: Large
MSRP: Not given

Specifications
Fabric (outer/inner) Polyamide with DWR coating/Polyester with Anti-static coating
Down quality Goose 95/5; 850+ fill power
Down load 550 g (19.4 oz)
Listed Weight (size not specified) 1000 g. (35.3 oz/2 lb 3.3 oz)
Measured Weight of my Large 1108 g (39.1 oz/2 lb 7.1 oz)
Stuff Sack weight 71 g (2.5 oz)
Mesh Storage bag 45 g (1.6 oz)
Length (inside) the bag comes in three lengths, 170/185/200 cm (67/73/79 in)
Circumference (shoulder/hip/foot) 170/152/86 cm (67/60/34 in)
Stuff sack size L X H 48 x 23 cm (19 x 9 in)
Extreme rating - 15 C (5 F)

Note: My bag is the Large and a few ounces over the weight given on the website. Most manufactures list weight etc based on the Regular size.

Product Description
This bag is a mummy bag. But first, my bag says it is a Large on the hang tag and I am assuming it is the same as the 200 cm (6 ft 6 in) listed as available in the sizes. The bag uses 850+ down which the hag tag says is grey goose down.

From the website
"85 individual parts in all, we have introduced pre-cut and circular shaped baffles throughout the bag, a truly 3-dimensional collar that follows your neckline as close as the headpiece of a guillotine - hence the name "Marie Antoinette styled collar". High-density knee protection system also keeps the down in place no matter how you twist and turn during the night. Internal semi elasticized waist adjustment system and static drawcord in the preformed differential cut hood.

The zipper is centered and only goes 1/3 of the length. The self lockable slider stays in place which is a great help when you sit up in your sleeping back while preparing meals etc"

There are many neat features on the La Fayette. Please see my Initial Report for a much more detailed description.

Field Testing Locations and Conditions
I have used the La Fayette on 4 more overnight hikes since my Field Report. pad and hammock setup

These were hikes in the woods here around my home in Northeast Alabama. The coldest night was 14 F (-10 C) and the warmest was 61 F (16 C) with good frog music. During the Long Term Report period I have used the same Hennessy hammock and a new self inflating pad I bought myself for my birthday. The wide pad just works better in this hammock. The picture here shows the setup.

Long Term Test Results
So far I have spent 10 nights total in the La Fayette using 2 different hammocks and a tent. I should mention that I always tried to use the shelter in a way which maximized the exposure I got. In other words, when in my hammocks I left the tarp off unless I knew it would rain. In my tent I left the door open so that the night air could get in easily.

Shortly after my last long hike in incredible warm weather for January, Alabama experienced one last winter blast in mid February. On a Sunday with a little snow and ice on the roads, all but a few local churches canceled services. Ours did not so after church services that morning I went hiking and set up my hammock and returned to the house. I did not return to my campsite until after church that night and in fact waited until it was rather late (11 PM) to head back using my headlamp. It was 21 F (-6 C) when I left the house. I quickly changed into my sleeping top and bottoms which my mom had just bought me for my birthday. The shirt and pant are fleece but not labeled as to the weight. I would say they are fairly thin but extremely fuzzy. I also had on a nice pair of thick wool socks and used my down coat as my pillow. I used my new 1.5 in (3.8 cm) thick 25 in (64 cm) wide self inflating pad. I could feel a little cool air directly over my chest so I took my down jacket and laid it over my chest. I slept most all night and was very warm. My water bottle overhead froze solid but not before I drank about half of it. It was 14 F (-10 C) when I returned home early the next morning. I admit I cheated a little using the jacket but usually when I hike in really cold conditions I have the jacket with me. In fact the one time this winter I did not have it I needed it and I carried it several other times when it stayed as my pillow. I was just glad to find I could sleep soundly in such cool temperatures. I let the hood of the jacket partly cover my face so I was not tempted to poke my head under the sleeping bag to breathe warmer air.

Three days later I had another chance to get out for a quick overnighter. It only dropped to 26 F (-3 C) this night and I used the same fleece pants and shirt but did not need the down jacket over my chest. I still let the sleeve of the jacket cover the exposed part of my face. This worked nicely and it was still a good pillow.

My last 2 nights saw lows at 55 F (13 C) and 61 F (16 C). Since neither time was even close to freezing I used the La Fayette more like a quilt. The collar and short zipper length does hinder this but I found I could tighten the collar over my shoulder in much the same manner as when lying in the bag as intended. I was able to vent fairly well from the belly up but my legs and feet were very warm both times.

I have nothing in the wear and tear department to report. I did recheck the loft and it appears to remain the same as when I received the bag. The hook-and-loop strips do have a lot of lint and even a few traces of down but this is quite normal for any hook-and-loop fasteners I use in the outdoors. The down is probably mostly from my jacket as I have observed very little loose plumage inside the storage or stuff sack.

Conclusions
For me, this bag is a solid 20 F (-7 C) bag and with just a little help I was able to go down to 14 F (-10 C) and remain very comfortable. I am extremely pleased with the roominess this bag offers. I like the top zipper configuration but wish it used a more conventional draft tube. However, I don't know how much a regular draft tube relies on gravity to work so I can not say it would work better than the hook-and-loop fasteners used on the La Fayette. For me, it would be worth a few more ounces to have a full length zipper. Not only could I adjust my temperature in the bag better, it would also work better as a quilt.

I would like to thank Valandre and BackpackGearTest.org for this testing opportunity.



Read more reviews of Valandre gear
Read more gear reviews by Coy Ray Starnes

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