Reviews > Sleep Gear > Sleeping Bags > Valandre Shocking Blue > Jim Sabiston > Long Term Report

Valandre Shocking Blue Sleeping Bag

Reviewer Information:

Backpacking Background: 

Product Information:

Manufactures Specifications: 

Specifications as Measured:

The Valandre Shocking Blue was delivered with a black nylon stuff sack and a mesh storage bag.  The color of the sleeping bag was not 'Shocking Blue', but a much softer grey. A quick visit to the Valandre web site provided information regarding a change in the materials used in the bag shell. Instead of Pertex Endurance, Valandre has switched to a 'similar' fabric made by Asahi Kasei, a Japanese textile manufacturer. I emailed Valandre to inquire about specifics on the newer fabric. I received a prompt reply, which explained that the replacement fabric was superior to Pertex Endurance, having the "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 emailed response goes on to say that, unlike Pertex, which only performed the weaving of the fabric, Asahi Kasei manufactures their fabric completely from start to finish.

There are a number of new, at least to me, and thoughtful features. The one that stands out the most, and gets a great deal of attention at the Valandre web site is the Marie Antoinette collar. This is a fancy name for a rather clever draft tube designed to fit snugly around the user's neck. There is an upper and lower half to the collar. The right side halves are mated with a zipper. The left side halves are mated with two hook & loop panels. The right side zipper is a 'set and forget' arrangement. The left side hook & loop is closed easily by pressing the upper and lower halves together once in position. The bag delivered to me is a left hand zip, so the hook & loop closure faces the main zipper for ease of access. The final adjustment is a cord lock and string, located on the upper half and right side of the collar and is marked by a red plastic loop.

The hood is cut with a differential cut, just like the body of the sleeping bag. The hood has a natural wrap-around fit but is comfortably roomy when not cinched down. The hood closure is adjustable in the usual fashion, by pull cords, but Valandre saw fit to make some interesting improvements even here. There are two cords, one for the hood proper and one for the 'chin' panel (actually the top of the body of the sleeping bag). The cords are anchored near each other on the right side of the face opening. Each exits at the opposite side in its own cord lock. Here is another detail that I really liked. Instead of leaving the cord locks independent of each other, Valandre has supplied a design which allows the cord locks to lock together when the bag is closed. 

Another area where it seems clear to me that alpinists had some input in the design of the Shocking Blue is the footbox. Two things are immediately obvious here. First is the huge amount of down committed to this area of the bag. The footbox has the highest loft of the bag, at 9 in (23 cm). I checked to ensure that this was not a result of an air space created by the cut of the footbox and it was not, it is all lofted down. The footbox also has an anatomical cut to it, shaped to match the natural angle of the foot when lying down.  This, combined with the extra down loading in the foot area should make for warm feet.

For a more detailed description of the Shocking Blue, please refer to my Initial Report.

Long Term Experience:

As mentioned in my Field Report, really cold weather has been hard to find this winter in the Northeast. The coldest temperature I was able to find was 5 F (-15 C). I tried to mix up my equipment to expose the Shocking Blue to varied conditions, so I spent two nights in a bivy, one in a lean-to and one in an exposed gully on the summit of the Timp (a small peak in Harriman State Park. Four nights were spent in tents, two in a single wall tent and two in a double wall solo tent. My focus over the latter part of the test was how comfortable the Shocking Blue would be in warmer temperatures. The warmest night I spent in the sleeping bag was about 35 F (2 C). At this temperature, even with only light undergarments on, it was necessary for me to vent the sleeping bag or I would overheat badly (I am a very warm sleeper). This is a really warm bag for the weight.

I am having a serious love affair with the Shocking Blue. I love the roomy cut both for the freedom of movement and comfort it gives me, as well as how the bag swallows everything, water bottles, clothing, etc., that I want to keep warm without making me feel crowded inside. This is the first sleeping bag I've ever used that accomplished this. The bag compresses incredibly small for the size. I use an Outdoor Research Hydroseal #1 compression sack for this purpose and to offer a high level of waterproof protection for the down fill. The Shocking Blue is a tight fit but the combination works well. Once packed this way, the Shocking Blue fits into my relatively small mountaineering pack and has been used exclusively in my Osprey Ceres 38 pack to date. The feathery thin shell fabric is all but impervious to minor spills, which simply bead up and roll off. It is not totally waterproof, however, and will eventually wet out with extended exposure to heavy moisture.

The bag lofts back up very quickly when unpacked and responds well to a bit of manual fluffing. It is my practice to set up my bivy and unstuff my sleeping bag immediately upon finding a good camp spot. This gives me a place to keep my gear and also allows maximum loft time for the down, not that the Shocking Blue seems to need much. I recall clearly one moment when I was kneeling on the bivy/bag combination attending to some task or other, and noticing that my knees were warming up where they were pressed into the bag!

While the temperatures never went below 0 F (-18 C) this winter, the fact that I was perfectly comfortable wearing nothing heavier than a light Schoeller climbing jacket (and I probably did not need that, but I like the extra layer when getting up in the morning when sleeping in a bivy) bodes well for the low temperature range of the Shocking Blue. I would expect to be able to use this sleeping bag without any additional layering to 0 F (-18 C). The roominess of the bag invites extra layering and I am confident that the addition of a good down jacket and insulated pants will allow me to push this bag well below -10 F (-23 C) in complete comfort.

The  Marie Antoinette Collar is a winner in my book. I have never had a need to unzip the right side, and the left (hook and loop) side seems to take care of itself, self closing as I close the side zip. Nor have I found a need to adjust the collar pull cord. It clearly extends the comfort range of the bag by preventing venting of the warm inside air and is not the least bit uncomfortable. If I have a dislike with the collar, it is that it prevents me from putting my hands under my head when sleeping.In warmer temperatures, this is no issue, as I can open the collar, but doing so in colder temperatures allows the bag to vent, cooling it off. This is a relatively minor nit is what is otherwise a nearly faultless bag.

Fig. 2 - Home sweet home on the summit of The Timp, my favorite night in the Shocking Blue to date.

Likes:

1 – Really light weight for a fully featured sleeping bag.

2 – Size Large is a good fit, with enough room to allow some movement.

3 – Small pack size. 

Dislikes:

 1 - One more minor nit: the snap-together cord lock fittings at the neck can be difficult to pull apart. A good tug will do it, though.

I have been very impressed with this sleeping bag on pretty much every point. My only disappointment lies not with the sleeping bag, but that this winter has been so mild that I have not been able to push the lower limits of the comfort range of the Shocking Blue. The bag clearly was not stressed at 5 F (-15 C) and it seems like I could take it well below 0 F (-18 C) before falling back on my usual 'keep warm' tricks.

Reviews > Sleep Gear > Sleeping Bags > Valandre Shocking Blue > Jim Sabiston > Long Term Report