Reviews > Sleep Gear > Sleeping Bags > Valandre Shocking Blue > Carol Crooker > Initial Report

Valandré Shocking Blue, Initial Report

PERSONAL INFORMATION

Backpacking background: For the past 8 years, I've backpacked about 30 days each year. Most of my trips were three to six days long, and were in Arizona, the mountains of the western states, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and New York. Weather has varied from 107 F to a low of 0 F (42 to -18 C). My three-season base pack weight varies from 10 lbs (5 kg) to 5 lbs (2 kg), depending on the weather. My winter base pack weight is about 16 lbs (7 kg). I normally use a tarp for shelter all year round.

PRODUCT SYNOPSIS

The Shocking Blue is a 49 oz (1389 g) down, mummy-shaped sleeping bag rated to an extreme rating of -13 F (-25 C). Notable from the Valandré website claims, is the use of very high quality down and fabric, a unique collar to lock in warmth, and differential construction with down chambers shaped to fit the human body.

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS

The Valandré Shocking Blue sleeping bag arrived in a netting bag that was much smaller than I expected (10 3/4 x 8 x 24 in/27 x 20 x 61 cm). The Shocking Blue needs to be compressed to get it into this storage bag. It’s possible the bag is meant for shipping only, and not storage. I plan to store the bag in something larger.

My first impression of the Shocking Blue was that it is no longer a shocking blue color. The pleasing sky blue/silver color of the bag was an instant indicator that this was the 2006 model bag, with shell and liner fabrics no longer Pertex brand. The Valandré website boasts of only using Pertex fabrics. However, Endurance Mills, maker of Pertex, has had financial difficulties. According to Valandré representatives:

“The new fabric is made by Asahi Kasei, a major Japanese supplier. They control the whole process from making filaments to weaving the actual fabric. As opposed to Pertex who only did the weaving. The fabric is similar to the Pertex Endurance fabric. Same tear strength and durability but with lower weight. Also, Asahi Kasei is able to deliver more 'contemporary' colors, taking Valandré away from the 'Lego look'.”

“The Pertex Micro light polyamid rip-stop used as outside fabric, weighing 46g/m² was replaced with a Asahi-KASEI Impact 6.6 rip stop, weighing 37g/m². The Pertex Micro light polyamide plain version, weighing 43g/m² was replaced by a anti static polyester rip stop weighing 50g/m.”

My second impression was: this bag is heavy and feels very dense. Most of the bags and quilts I’ve used weigh between 1 and 1.25 lb (0.5 - 0.6 kg). I have one 26 oz (737 g) bag, but even that feels light and fluffy compared to the Shocking Blue.

My third impression was: this thing is big! The above-mentioned 20 F (-7 C) bag I have is cut to fit very closely. The Shocking Blue looks much wider. It’ll be interesting to see if I can fit the Shocking Blue into a 2500 ci (41 L) backpack for three and four-day winter trips, or whether I’ll need to upgrade to a larger (and heavier) pack.

Being a gram weenie, after my initial impressions, I started to think about what I could leave behind. I normally wear a lot of insulating clothing inside an underrated bag for winter camping, and I use a bivy sack under some kind of tarp. Since Valandré claims an Endurance-like shell fabric (Endurance has a reputation for being very water resistant), I can leave the bivy at home and just bring a ground sheet, saving a few ounces. I can bring less insulating clothing and count on climbing into the sack when I get too cold.

DESCRIPTION

Baffles

The horizontal baffles are spaced 6 inches (15 cm) apart. The full-length zipper opening keeps down from shifting from the bottom to the top of the bag on the left side. There is a baffle along the other side of the bag so that down cannot be shifted from the bottom to the top of the bag (to increase bag loft on top of the occupant).

Zipper

There is a near full-length two-way zipper (the zipper ends at the top of the foot box). The zipper has a down-filled baffle along the full length. The top side of the zipper is centered on a strip of stiffer fabric that looks like pack cloth. One side of the pack cloth forms a zipper flap once the bag is zipped shut. There are hook-and-loop patches at the top of the zipper to lock it closed.

Hood

The entire bag, including the hood, has a differential cut (meaning that the inner fabric is cut smaller than the outer fabric so that the bag maintains a rounder shape once it is filled with down). The hood draw cord is a single cord with toggles at both ends. The toggles clip together so both cords can be pulled at the same time.

Foot box

The foot box has the shape of feet when the occupant is lying on his/her back. It rises significantly above the level of the body of the bag (over 12 in/30 cm from the ‘ground’ to the top of the foot box).

Collar

Valandré puts a lot of emphasis on their web site on the Shocking Blue collar design. The collar is designed to completely surround the neck and keep warm air that has built up around the body from being lost through the hood. The collar looks like the stock of a guillotine. The bottom of the collar is a simple down filled draft tube. The top of the collar is shaped to fit closely around the occupant’s neck. The side furthest from the full-length zipper closes with a zipper, while the other side is secured with two hook-and-loop strips. There is a draw cord that closes the neck opening further if desired. I’ll include photos in the Field Report of the collar in use.

Fabric

The outer fabric has a noticeable ripstop pattern. Both shell and liner fabrics feel pleasantly smooth and supple.

Loft

I measured the loft at the shoulders, hips, and feet after allowing the bag to loft freely for several days. Loft at the hip area is the lowest loft of the bag. The baffles are 6 in (15 cm) apart, and the middle three down compartments share the lowest loft of about 6 in (15 cm). From there, the loft increases to about 10 in (25 cm) of loft at the shoulders and about 12 in (30 cm) of loft in the foot box. The loft, bag dimensions, and down load suggest a 5 to 15 degree F (-15 to -9 C) comfort rating for the Shocking Blue. Valandré claims an EN13537 (standardized European sleeping bag temperature rating system) extreme rating of -13 F (-25 C). The extreme rating is a survival rating for a ‘standard adult woman’ where a ‘strong sensation of cold has to be expected and there is a risk of health damage due to hypothermia.’

Workmanship

Workmanship on the bag is superb, with straight seams and even stitching - except in one spot. A short hole (about 1 in/2.5 cm) is open in the seam where the collar is sewn to the lining of the bag. I'll stitch the hole closed before testing the bag. Where the seam allowance is visible (where the collar is attached and at the seam along the non-zipper side), the seam allowance is tiny, about 1/16th in (1.6 mm).

What I like so far:

• Very nice looking bag.
• Extra loft in hood and foot box.

What I don’t like so far:

• Opening in seam.

TEST PLAN

I’ll use the Shocking Blue for winter backpacking/camping trips throughout the test period. I’ll be doing an overnighter using a hammock in mid-January in Arizona, a three-day trip to the Wasatch Mountains of Utah in late January (three bag nights during the field testing stage), and a four-day trip to the Beartooth Mountains in Montana in late February (three bag nights during the long-term testing phase). Trips after that will depend on weather conditions and my schedule.

The following are particular areas I'll be checking out:

• Quality of construction, durability.

• Temperature range that bag is comfortable, including when I get too warm.
• How well extra clothing works with this bag. From the listed dimensions, there should be plenty of room to wear lofted clothing inside the Shocking Blue. I will try different thicknesses of insulated clothing, both down and synthetic; to see how much loft I can wear without the loft being compromised.
• The bag appears to be quite roomy inside. I’ll test to see how warm the bag keeps me when I’m wearing minimal clothing.
• The improved Marie Antoinette collar looks interesting. How easy is it to adjust? How quickly can I get out of the collar (and bag) when I need to? Does it interfere with turning over? How well does it work for a side sleeper?
• Collar warmth. Does the collar help keep me warm? What about when I’m using the bag in warmer temperatures - can the collar be opened so that the bag is less warm?
• Valandré appears to have gone to great lengths to keep down stable. I’m a side sleeper normally and turn a lot during the night. Do my knees stay warm? Is the warmth locked into the bag by the differential cut and anatomical baffles? Whose anatomy? How does the baffle arrangement work for a woman?
• Valandré states that the hood has been redesigned. Does the hood maintain down loft around my head? How about face protection - is my face protected without causing the hood edges to pick up too much moisture from my breath?
• Condensation and breathability. I’ll use the bag without a bivy in a floorless tarp and a floored tent and seal the bag in plastic after the last night of each trip. I’ll then weigh the “wet” bag to determine how much moisture it retained from condensation or from retaining moisture released by my body.
• How water resistant is the shell fabric? How down proof? How durable?
• How comfortable is the lining fabric? How durable?
• How well does the bag drape around my body?
• Angled foot box. Does it work for a side sleeper? Will down booties fit inside comfortably? How about insulated overboots (Outdoor Research Brooks Ranger Low Overboots)?

Reviews > Sleep Gear > Sleeping Bags > Valandre Shocking Blue > Carol Crooker > Initial Report