North Face Tundra Bag Not Beefy Enough
Written: Jan 16 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Synthetic Polarguard Delta does not lose loft when wet.
Cons: - Temperature rating overrated
- Poorly constructed foot box
- Poorly designed draft collar arrangement
The Bottom Line: I do not recommend this bag since the effective comfort rating falls so very far short of the stated temperature rating of -20F.
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| climbhiker's Full Review: The North Face Tundra |
I have a North Face Winter Down Sleeping Bag, which I find to be an excellent bag. However, I wanted to buy a synthetic bag because of my forays into the North Cascades (synthetics don't lose loft due to moisture), which are often very wet affairs. I therefore bought the North Face Tundra (supposedly rated to negative twenty degrees Fahrenheit [-20F]). I bought it sight unseen from REI (they had to order it). When I got it, I was shocked to see the loft on the bag was only about 1-1/2 inches (approximate guess from inside of bag to outside - one side only). The bag weighs in excess of 4 pounds (lbs).
I took the bag back in and queried the REI staff about why a winter bag rated to such a low temperature had such little loft (my down winter bag has loft of about 4-6 inches-one side). They were a little taken back but hesitantly talked about the new Polarguard Delta being a better and more compressible material. I responded that I would try it out, but I had strong reservations that it would not be warm enough based on the loft size. If unsatisfied, I could return the bag based on the REI satisfaction guarantee for my money back.
I can sympathize with the engineers who design these synthetic bags since compression of the bag is an issue. North Face provided a compression sack with the bag. With the sleeping bag in the stuff sack and the sack fully compressed, I could just BARELY fit the bag in the bottom of my backpack, which is a big 7000 cubic inch backpack. If the bag had been any bigger, I would have not have been to carry it inside my big pack - it would have had to be cinched to the outside of the backpack.
My field test of the bag was in the North Cascades in January 2004 for a four (4)night trip. The outside temperatures were colder than normal in this part of the country with nightly lows about positive 0-15 degrees Fahrenheit (no where near the -20F rating). The result was that I was freezing in the bag.
It should be noted that I am a thin person (Stats: 47 yrs old. 5-10' in height @ 145 lbs) with by blood pressure on the low end of the scale, but I am in good physical condition for backpacking/mountaineering and have no medical conditions. It also should be noted that I bought the long bag (6'-6") since I put a lot of articles in my bag at night in the wintertime (canteens, batteries, boot liners, socks, etc). Therefore, the bag is a little big for me; however, my down bag is the same size, and I have had no similar problem with it. It should also be noted that the I used the sleeping bag inside of a tent, which means that there was no heat loss due to wind.
I had to wear a minimum of two layers in the bag to stay warm, and it was my feet that I had greatly difficulty keeping warm at all (extremities furtherest away from the torso). I had to put hot water (in canteens) in the bag by my feet to keep my feet from getting VERY cold. I checked the construction of the foot box and it suffers the same low loft condition as the rest of the bag.
I also found the draft collar tightening arrangement to be way too confusing to work it in the dark. The cords went into the lock from two different directions, which made the lock impossibly difficult to work in the dark. I had to use a flashlight every time I wanted to tighten and un-tighten this draft collar. The main hood did not suffer from this problem.
In conclusion, my opinion is that the bag is overrated for the stated temperature of -20F. For me, this bag is more of a positive 20F bag. The bags needs the following upgrades:
- Much more bulk all over (more loft)to meet the -20F rating
- A better constructed footbox since the feet are the easiest part of the body to get cold
- A redesign of the cords and lock for the draft collar
I will be taking this bag back to REI for my money back. Thanks REI!
I am now in the market for a different synthetic winter bag!!
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
climbhiker
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Reviews written: 2
Trusted by: 0 members
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