Reviews > Sleep Gear > Sleeping Bags > Valandre Shocking Blue > Jerry Goller > Long Term Report

Valandre Shocking Blue
Long Term Report
May 23, 2006

Reviewer Information                                                                                     

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 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 for a weight savings of about 2 oz (57 g) and to provide a truly waterproof stuff sack. 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 Long Term Test.

Due to an early Spring and a late start of the test period, I had no further chance to test the Shocking Blue beyond the Field Report test period. But I'm satisfied that I used the bag enough during the entire test period to get a good feel for this item.

This bag has become my default winter bag. Its practical comfort range, for me, from about 0 F (-18 C) to about 25 F (-4 C) makes it my choice for the vast majority of my winter trips. I am truly impressed with a comfort range that wide. At about 3 and a quarter pounds (1.4 kg), it is light enough and flexible enough in its temperature range to satisfy all of my winter bag requirements. No other bag I know of has the room and warmth of this bag at that weight. Other bags in this temperature range may be lighter but none of them I personally know of have the room of the Shocking Blue. Due to its roominess I'm confident I could wear an added layer of reasonably thick insulation and take this bag down to -15 or -20 F (-26 or -29 C) with no real problem.

I never did truly bond with the draft collar. While there is no question that it works, and works well, I still feel it is unnecessarily "gadgety".   I think a simple "U" shaped collar would probably work as well but that may be due to my habit of sleeping on my side with my hands resting under my cheek. That's a position that is a bit hard to achieve with the collar attached as well as the collar on the Shocking Blue does.

I continue to be impressed with the water resistant shell on this bag. While condensation made the outer layer of the shell damp to the touch, the down inside never clumped and retained it's loft even after being stuffed in a waterproof stuff bag.

I can say in all honesty that this is one of the finest sleeping bags I've ever owned. It is expensive but, in my opinion, well worth the money. I can recommend it without reservation.

Reviews > Sleep Gear > Sleeping Bags > Valandre Shocking Blue > Jerry Goller > Long Term Report