Reviews > Sleep Gear > Sleeping Bags > Valandre La Fayette > Steve Nelson > Long Term Report

Long-Term Report: Valandré La Fayette Sleeping Bag
April 11, 2006

Reviewer's Information

Name: Steve Nelson
Age: 45
Gender: Male
Height: 5' 9" (1.75 m)
Weight: 158 lb (72 kg)
Torso size: 20" (51 cm)
Hip circumference: 32" (81 cm)
Chest circumference: 39" (99 cm)
Shoe size: 11 US (44-45 EUR)
Email address: nazdarovye at y..oo dot com
City, State, Country: San Francisco, CA, U.S.A.

Backpacking Background:

As an interface design and usability consultant by trade, I'm always excited by analyzing and improving designs and processes; backpacking provides a fertile and fun arena for that. I have been backpacking since I was a kid growing up in upstate New York: we backpacked and canoe-camped in all seasons, throughout the Adirondacks and nearby areas, ranging as far as La Verendrye Wildlife Reserve, Quebec. As an adult, I've backpacked and hiked extensively in California, but also have taken trips throughout the West, from New Mexico to British Columbia, and return often to the Adirondacks.

In the past year I made the transition to lightweight and ultralight backpacking. I like moving fast, and lightening the load facilitates that. I also enjoy urban strolls, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, kayaking, and aviation in addition to hiking and backpacking, so my gear gets exposed to a wide variety of uses and conditions.

Product information

Overview

The Valandré La Fayette is a down sleeping bag rated at 5 F (-15 C). It utilizes complex construction (85 parts including pre-cut circular baffles), and innovative features (such as the "Marie Antoinette" draft collar), and a center partial zippered opening, that the manufacturer claims increase the comfort range of the bag beyond others of similar weight and fill. I provided more details on the bag and its construction in my initial report, and observations from my first two months of use in my field report, both which you may wish to reference.

Field Conditions

To date I've had the bag out for seven nights on six trips. Five were backpacking trips (to the Carson Pass area of the Mokelumne Wilderness in California's Sierra Nevada, to Henry Coe State Park near the Bay Area of California, to Glacier Point Road at Yosemite, to Manzanita Lake at Lassen Volcanic National Park, and to Eagle Lake in the Desolation Wilderness of California), and one was a road trip to Utah where I used the bag indoors. Temperatures have ranged from 20 to 65 F (-5 to 18 C), elevations from 2,000 to 9,000 ft (610-2,743 m), and weather from sunny to rainy to a raging blizzard with winds in excess of 50 mph (81 kph). I've used the bag inside two different double-wall tents (one of them a four-season tent, the other a lightweight, very airy three-season tent); on the other trip I slept on a cot in the basement of a townhouse. In all cases I used a light silk liner inside the bag, and slept on an Insul Mat or Therm-a-Rest mat, sometimes with an additional closed cell foam pad added.

Long-Term Results

My long-term impressions of the La Fayette are mixed. On the one hand, the bag is beautifully made and has kept me warm in reasonably cold conditions. On the other hand, the new fabric has not handled moisture as well as I would have expected, and certain features of the bag—such as the center zipper—have proved to be a bit frustrating. I elaborate on all of this below.

On two of my three most recent trips, I had moisture issues similar to those mentioned in my Field Report. At Glacier Point and at Lassen moisture from condensation inside my shelter once again soaked the bag through to the down, causing loss of loft. On my final trip, in an airier three-season shelter I was testing for snow camping, I didn't have condensation on most of the bag, but did note it by my face where I exhaled. Once again, the moisture penetrated the shell and caused some loss of loft, though the rest of the bag was completely dry. My bottom line: the new fabric used for this bag is less resistant to moisture than I would prefer, and less resistant than that used on other bags and shell layers I own that use fabrics such as Pertex and GoreTex XCR.

Also, an additional two months of testing confirmed my feelings about the center zipper: it's a significant annoyance. Its pulls rattle against my chin or face whenever I seal up the bag, even though I'm a side sleeper. I really dislike it, and recommend that if Valandre create a flap or other retainer for these zipper pulls, whether they retain a center-zip design or not. In addition, the hook and loop fastener seal for the opening is effective, but a bit rough against my skin, hard to close evenly, and collects lint; I wonder if a more traditional draft tube might be just as effective, lighter, and more comfortable.

The "Marie Antoinette" collar is an effective design, but also has some room for improvement. Its hook and loop fastener and split toggle are a bit fussy to adjust, and I think the collar could be just as effective—and lighter—without them.

As noted previously, the hood cinch cord works well for snugging down the hood, but suffers from the same issue as the collar toggles: the plastic forms a lump that is sometimes uncomfortable or chafes against my skin. I've found myself just leaving the hood loose on several of my trips to avoid fighting this.

The waist cinch cord is an effective and useful feature. The bag has ample room for extra layers and items—I've worn insluating pants and a jacket inside the bag, and brought in extra items like water bottles and cothing to dry, to test this out. Conversely, when I'm sleeping in thinner base layers, I like being able to cinch down the bag a bit to eliminate extra space that would otherwise need to be heated up by my body; the La Fayette's waist cord is perfect for this.

I like the La Fayette's compression sack—it's roomy, it's easy to get the bag into it, and it cinches down quite a bit. I've used it on many of my trips, even thought I generally don't compress my other sleeping bags.

As noted previously, the sleeping bag arrived with a bit of a funny smell (kind of like a combination of a chicken coop and baby powder). I did finally wash the bag, following the manufacturer's instructions and using appropriate soap, in a home washing machine and dryer. The bag came through just fine, and was as lofty and effective on the two trips after the washing as it was on the four prior to that.

Durability has continued to be great. Even after washing and my moderate use, little down has leaked from the bag; the seams and zippers have remained problem-free; and the loft and baffles appear to be just as they were when I received the bag.

Summary

I'm a bit conflicted in my feelings about this bag. I think the construction is wonderful, and the bag keeps me warm in the temperatures promised. However, details of the collar, zipper and hook and loop strip closures are sometimes frustrating to deal with in the field, and occasionally downright uncomfortable. I think the bag could be simplified in construction and usability while retaining all of its otherwise excellent features. Additionally, I do think that the shell fabric should be more water-resistant.

Things I like:

• Gorgeous construction and details
• Good loft, with baffling and complex construction to maximize its retention
• Draft collar, when properly adjusted, is particularly effective at sealing off the interior of the bag

Things I don't like:

• Hook and loop fastener strips inside collar and hood are a bit stiff and rub against my skin
• Zipper pull clanks against my chin when I zip up the opening of the bag
• Fabric does not appear to be very water-resistant, at least in the conditions I've encountered

Thanks to BackpackGearTest and Valandré for giving me the opportunity to participate in this test.

Reviews > Sleep Gear > Sleeping Bags > Valandre La Fayette > Steve Nelson > Long Term Report