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how to choose a good sleeping bag
One detail worth noting: The extra-long cords attached to the inside and outside zipper pulls made for quick escapes when overloaded bladders started screaming for a midnight run.
Bottom line: Below-average loft and warmth detract from the Thermo Pod's excellent sizing and breathability.
A thick, nicely detailed bag with a cozy, flannel-like lining and tons of interior space, the Bugaboo seemed, at the outset, like the ideal bag for those ugly, snowy, tentbound days when you need a deep, dark, cozy hole to crawl into and hibernate. But two things got in the way. One was the bag's bulk; it consumed a third or more of a midsize pack. The other problem was that the bag completely missed the mark in the warmth and roominess categories for the metabolically challenged half of the crew.
Despite the fact that this Polarguard 3D bag was the fattest and heaviest in the test, Kristin and I (the two cold sleepers) woke up shivering on 35 [degrees] F nights. (Paul and Melissa snoozed happily when it dropped down into the low 20s.) One problem was the super abundance of room inside. Then there was the fact that chilly air streamed through the huge, floppy hood and down past the draft collar, which we couldn't cinch snugly because the sheer quantity of fabric caused it to bunch and gap.
Fortunately, the bag's shell showed good water repellency and dried in a jiffy when laid in the sun. The rugged materials and overall construction quality promise a long life. Other nice touches include the puffy draft tube and collar, a zipper pocket on the chest, and the most snag-free zipper in the test.
Note: The model name of the large version that Paul and I tested is the BugaBoo XL M36.
Bottom line: If you're a wide-body or a very warm sleeper, the Bugaboo may be the bag for you. It'll suck up pack space, but there's enough room inside for a party in the woods.
~~
Scoreboard: 15 [degrees] F Sleeping Bags
Manufacturer/Model Price Lenghts Weights
(in) (lb, oz)
Sierra Designs $220 82/88 3,3/2,14
Lewis/Georgia 78/84 3/2,11
L.L. Bean 725 $239 80/86 2,7
Expedition 15 2,8
Moonstone Optima 3D $190 69/78 2,14/2,14
Mountain Hardwear $210 73/78/84 2,15/3
2nd Dimension
Marmot Wizard Q/H $169 66/72/78/80 3,5/3,1
Kelty Serrano 15 $180 80/88 3,1/2,14
REI Thermo Pod 15 $145 74/80/86 3,6/3,6
Outbound Bugaboo $180 86/96 4,3/4,3
M32/XL M36
Manufacturer/Model Compressibility Loft Roominess
Sierra Designs 4.5 4.5 4
Lewis/Georgia
L.L. Bean 725 5 4.5 4
Expedition 15
Moonstone Optima 3D 3 4 3.5
Mountain Hardwear 3 3.5 4
2nd Dimension
Marmot Wizard Q/H 3 4 2.5
Kelty Serrano 3 3 3.5
REI Thermo Pod 15 4 2.5 3.5
Outbound Bugaboo 2.5 3.5 2.5
M32/XL M36
Manufacturer/Model Temp. Weather-proofing Ventilation
Rating
Sierra Designs 4 4 3.5
Lewis/Georgia
L.L. Bean 725 4.5 3 3.5
Expedition 15
Moonstone 4 3.5 3
Optima 3D
Mountain Hardwear 3.5 3.5 3.5
2nd Dimension
Marmot Wizard 4 3.5 4
Q/H
Kelty Serrano 15 2.5 3 3
REI Thermo Pod 15 2.5 3.5 3.5
Outbound Bugaboo 2.5 3.5 3.5
M32/XL M36
How To Choose The Right Sleeping Bag For Camping
Manufacturer/Model Durability Ergonomics Overall
Sierra Designs 4.5 3.5 4.4
Lewis/Georgia
L.L. Bean 725 3 4 4.3
Expedition 15
Moonstone 3.5 4 3.8
Optima 3D
Mountain Hardwear 4 3.5 3.6
2nd Dimension
Marmot Wizard 4 3.5 3.4
Q/H
Kelty Serrano 15 3 3.5 3.3
REI Thermo Pod 15 3.5 3.5 3.1
Outbound Bugaboo 3.5 3 2.8
M32/XL M36
Chart Notes
Weight: Boldface number is the weight of regular-size bag in its stuff sack weighed on Backpacker scales. The second number was provided by the manufacturer.
Compressibility: Does the stuffed bag take up more/less space than it should? Do you need a magician (or gorilla) to stuff it in the sack provided?
Loft: How well does the bag puff up after unstuffing it or putting it through the washing machine? How well does it loft when wet?
Roominess: Is there roll-around and elbow room, or does sleeping in this mummy make you feel like one?
Temperature Rating: Is the rating optimistic (cold bags get a low score), reasonable (okay, average score), or conservative (warm bags get a high score)?
Weatherproofing: How well does the bag's outer shell protect you from wind, wet ground, and condensation? Any cold spots around the hood, zipper, or draft tubes?
Ventilation: How well could you cool off on warm nights? Does the insulation breathe well? Does the bag's lining effectively wick away perspiration?
Durability: How well is the bag put together, and how well does it stand up to heavy use and laundering? What's your estimate of this bag's probable lifespan?
Ergonomics: Was the bag user-friendly? Did the zipper run smoothly? Were zipper pulls and drawcords easy to find in the middle of the night? Did the drawcords cinch the hood and draft collar snugly, or did they strangle you?
Overall: How near or far is the bag from your ideal three-and-a-half-season sleeper? Note: This score is not an average of other ratings, but a gut-level reaction to the bag's total performance.
NUMERICAL RATING SCALE
1 Poor, miserable 2 Fair, okay, but … 3 Good, decent gear 4 Very good, beats most 5 Excellent, superior gear
RELATED ARTICLE: warm SLEEPING WOMAN
Melissa DeVaughn
Outdoor writer and dogsled racer; Eagle River, Alaska; 5'4", 115 lbs., skinny
"I'm usually a cold sleeper, but being pregnant changed that just in time for this test. Nothing like a nine-month hot flash to keep you warm in the woods!"
Favorite:
Moonstone. "1 love the extra leg room, and the extra loft and warm-when-wet capabilities make this bag a good match for typical Alaskan weather."
Warmest:
1. Outbound 2. Marmot 3. L.L. Bean
Coldest:
1. Kelty 2. Mountain Hardwear
RELATED ARTICLE: cold SLEEPING WOMAN
Kristin Hostetter
BACKPACKER equipment editor; Portland, Oregon; 5'5", 135 lbs., athletic build
"Call me the Human Popsicle. I can't remember the last time I had to unzip a sleeping bag to cool off."
Favorite:
Sierra Designs. "This sack packs up tiny, but still packs mucho BTUs. And it fits me like a glove."
Warmest:
1. Sierra Designs 2. L.L. Bean 3. Moonstone
Coldest:
1. Outbound 2. REI
RELATED ARTICLE: warm SLEEPING MAN
Paul Cleveland
Outward Bound instructor and river guide; Bellingham, Washington; 6', 165 lbs., broad shoulders and slender torso
"Call me Mr. Metabolism. I'm hot. Like an inferno. It's a miracle I didn't burn a hole through any of these bags."
Favorite:
L.L. Bean. "This sack kept me toasty even when I forgot my pad on a snow-camping trip. Rename it the Red Hot Chili Pepper!"
Warmest:
1. L.L. Bean 2. Sierra Designs 3. Marmot
Coldest:
1. REI 2. Kelty
RELATED ARTICLE: cold SLEEPING MAN
Jonathan Dorn
BACKPACKER equipment editor; Emmaus, Pennsylvania; 6'6", 225 lbs., tall, slim
"If you ever see a really tall guy eating a Snickers bar and doing jumping jacks in the woods at 4 A.M., that's me trying to warm up."
Favorite:
LL. Bean. "Light as a feather, tons of warmth, and the best hood I've ever seen."
Warmest:
1. Marmot 2. LL. Bean 3. Moonstone
Coldest:
1. Outbound 2. REI
RELATED ARTICLE: Notes From The Field
Here are some observations gleaned from tester notebooks that should help you make the right buying decision:
Draft collars: The test crew found a good reason to think twice about traditional tube-style collars: the advent of the yoke-style collar, which features a free-hanging flap that falls over your shoulders like a bib. For people who toss and turn, a yoke won't stay in place, but the still sleepers liked the ergonomic fit and absence of a drawcord.
Microfleece linings: Several bags feature fleecy synthetic linings meant to improve wicking and next-to-skin comfort. In below-freezing conditions, the linings succeeded marvelously, swaddling us in warm, dry fuzziness. In milder weather, though, they collected more sweat than standard taffeta linings. They also got stinky faster, which adds up to more frequent launderings, 5 types of sleeping bags
Down vs. synthetic: You know the score: Down packs more warmth for its weight and bulk, but synthetics handle damp climates better. So why did two down bags top our ratings, despite a significant amount of testing time in the rainy Northwest? Because they're well-designed bags, of course, but also because the testers, like most backpackers, prefer to take a lighter, more compact bag and risk a little discomfort.~~~~
4 Replies
this discussion topic
@firosiro:
Hi,
I currently host my domains with 1&1, but would like to move them to another host.
I am based in the UK and have looked into 123-Reg. However, I am not to sure if they are any better than 1&1.
Who do use or would recommend to host domains?
Not clear.
Are you talking what domain registrar you are using?
Or are you talking about web hosting of the site?
I would recommend keeping the two separate.
Pick a domain registrar for the domain and pick a different non-related web hosting company to host the website or put it on your own server (like Linode).
If your hosting goes south, you can easily take the regular backup of the site (You do backup your site, right?) and load it onto a new web host and just make changes to the DNS zone for that site.
Can't tell how many times I've seen people have both with the same and when the hosting went south, support and domain zone access went south at the same time.
Webhosting… they are all over the place. Currently and for many years I have used a company called HostGo, been good etc.. but they are not really special. I have a hosting resell package with them.
