Name: Jerry Goller
Age: 59
Gender: Male
Height: 6 ' (1.8 m)
Weight: 220 lb (100 kg)
Email address: jerrygoller@backpackgeartest.org
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah

Backpacking Background

I started camping with my father at age 6 or so. I’ve backpacked, off and on, all of my life. Even in the Marine Corps, I was in the Infantry. I consider myself a light weight backpacker with an average dry pack weight of 10 to 15 pounds (4.5 to 7 kg), depending on the season and terrain. I backpack year round.

Most of my trips are 2 to 5 days long and in Utah. I also, from time to time, take much longer trips lasting one to two months or more. These trips are usually on the Appalachian Trail or the Pacific Crest Trail.

Basic Product Information

Manufacturer: Valandre
Website: http://www.valandre.com/
Product: Shocking Blue sleeping bag
MSRP: $619.00 US, established by email
Listed weight: 1400 g (49 oz or 3 lbs, 1 oz)
Weight as delivered: 1483 g (52 oz or 3 lbs, 4 oz)
Dimensions: 200 cm (Large) long. 166/144/106 cm (65/57/41.7 in) circumference inside at shoulder/hip/foot
Included Accessories: Compression stuff sack (90 g, 3.1 oz) and a mesh storage bag.
Temperature Rating: -25 C (-13 F) Extreme Rating
Shell Material: Outer Shell: Asahi Kasei Impact 66 ripstop, Inner Shell: Asahi Kasei Impact ripstop, established by email
Down Quality: Goose 95/5 (850 cubic inch per ounce)
Down Load: 768 g (27 oz)
All information is per the Valandre website, unless otherwise noted.

Field Conditions During Field Test Period.

Tests were conducted in the Wasatch and Uinta mountains of northern Utah and Canyonlands National Park in southern Utah. With the exception of the Canyonlands trip, all tests were conducted on snow in tents. The Canyonlands test involved no snow and mild conditions. It was conducted in an attempt to establish the upper comfort limit for this bag.

A different tent was used for each test. Both single and double walled tents were used. All but one of the tests were conducted with a partner in two man tents. One test was conducted solo in a one man tent.

Temperatures during the tests ranged from a low of -7 F (-22 C) to a high of 24 F (-4 C). During most of the tests the temperatures were in the single digits F (- teens C). Humidity ranged from virtually 100% to a low of about 40%.

I wore a Patagonia Silk Weight top and bottom, Ibex Guide Lite pants, light glove liners, and Sierra Designs goose down booties for all tests except the Canyonlands test. During that test I wore a Patagonia Silk Weight top and Columbia GRT pants, which are very light weight, and Big Agnes Primaloft booties.

I would like to take a moment to explain the clothing I worn and why I wore it. I am diabetic and my extremities, especially my feet, get very cold quite easily. I have to wear booties year round, even when sleeping at home. I actually wore less clothes with this bag than I normally would have in similar temperatures in other bags I’ve had with similar temperature ratings.

Except for the Canyonlands trip, I slept on an Exped Downmat 9 or Downmat 9 DLX.

During the test period I used the bag on 6 overnight trips.

I replaced the provided stuff sack with a Ultra-Sil Dry Sack from Sea to Summit. I do this with all my sleeping bags to insure a dry bag at the end of the day. Down is by far my preference for sleeping bag insulation but I do exercise some care to keep it dry. The extremely light dry bag does this under any circumstances I’m likely to encounter on the trail.

Results of Field Test.

I continue to be extremely impressed with this bag. There doesn’t seem to be anything it doesn’t do well. I found that, for me, the lower comfortable temperature limit of the bag seems to be about 0 F (-18 C). On the night I experienced -7 F (-22 C) temperatures in the tent I added a Patagonia Expedition Weight top and slept comfortably for the rest of the night. To be honest, I didn’t get so cold I woke up. I had to pee about 4 am and was then a little too cold to go back to sleep. After adding the extra top I fell right back to sleep and didn’t wake up again until morning.
The upper limit of this bag, for me, seems to be about mid 20s F (minus single digits C) or slightly higher. On the Canyonlands trip we had an overnight low of about 24 F (-5 C) and I was comfortable in the bag, once the temps dropped below freezing. I had the draft collar open and the bag very slightly unzipped.

Unfortunately, I gave the water resistant outer shell a real work out during this test period. All of the tents we were testing during this period experienced significant condensation. The outer shell got quite wet from inside frost during most all trips. As I was just on overnight trips, I didn’t bother to dry the bag out before packing it away for the return trip. Once I got it home and laid it out it took a very short time for the bag to be dry to the touch. The bag didn’t appear to lose any loft, leading me to believe that no water penetrated the outer shell. I was very impressed by this.

I was also extremely impressed with the range of temperatures in which I could be comfortable with this bag. I really can’t remember ever having a bag that was comfortable over a 30 degree F (16 C) spread.

I liked the down distribution on this bag, as well. The foot box received plenty of down, as did the hood. I also found the bag to be extremely roomy even for someone of my generous proportions. I never felt constricted or claustrophobic in it.

About the only feature of the bag that didn’t impress me was the draft collar. I have yet to become one with the collar. It seems unnecessarily complicated to me. A simple draft collar that was attached to the top of the opening of the bag, cut in a “U” shape to hug the neck, would work as well, I feel, and would be lighter and cheaper to build. I found the hook and loop closures to be particularly annoying. They (there are 3) tended to stick to my glove liners when I had my hands by my face.
I just never felt it was worth the extra fiddling with it. But I will continue to work with it during the Long Term Test Period.
But I must also add that I never turned the bag over when I turned over. I suspect I’ve just slept in Big Agnes bags too long. I just turned over in the bag without moving the bag. I will try to use the bag in a more normal manner during the rest of the test and see if I continue to not care for the collar.

It is still winter here. It snowed today in Salt Lake City. I’m sure I will have a few more opportunities to test the Shocking Blue during the Long Term Test Period.

I am looking forward to it.

Read more reviews of Valandre gear
Read more gear reviews by Jerry Goller

Field Report

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