User Review: The North Face Dark Star

The North Face Dark Star
Above: The current Dark Star, which may differ slightly from the version reviewed.

Reviewed May 19, 1997 by Peter Wulfraat

Rating:
Design: Mummy
Fill: Polarguard HV
Temperature Rating: -40 F
Weight: 5 lbs
Price Paid: $400 US

I must admit that I am not a hugh TNF fan however I can say that they do make phenomenal cold weather bags. This is a seriously warm sleeping bag, I spent one night in the Whites when the temperature reached -42 F and the bag preformed up to all my expectations -- and then some. The lining feels like soft fleece and it is truely a reward to crawl into this bag at the end of a long day of climbing.

The only down side is perhaps the size (both sleeping and packed). I find it somewhat constricting on the shoulders which is something that took a long time to get use to. Also, this is a BIG bag and it's packed size is very big. You definitly need a 100 + litre pack to cary this monster around the mountains.

All in all if you are looking for a very durable, Polarguard bag for cold weather use, check it out, but shop around.

A side note: TNF introduced a dryloft shell on the Dark Star this year and is, in my opion, a bad move. I can see condensation inside the insulation becoming a problem regarless fo the claims of dryloft. You should seriously reconsider purchasing any synthetic bag with a dryloft or goretex shell. If you really need extreme protection, do what I did and but a goretex bivi.

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Where to Buy

Buy Online We found the Dark Star at 3 online stores:

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Product Description

Price

Campmor 2 purchase options:	Darkstar -40 Degree Sleeping Bag Regular	$269.97	Buy Now
Campmor 2 purchase options:	Darkstar -40 Degree Sleeping Bag Long	$279.97	Buy Now