User Review: The North Face Tundra

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

Reviewed April 23, 2009 by Erik

Rating:
Design: mummy
Temperature Rating: -20 F
Price Paid: $220

I hate to say it but most people do not understand how sleeping bags really work, or what the degree rating actually means.

First of all a sleeping bag is essentially insulation for your body. If you didn't heat your home, the insulation would not heat it for you. A sleeping bag will only keep warm what is actually warm. Meaning, you cannot just jump into a bag at 0 degrees Farenheight and expect to keep warm. You need to preheat the bag and preheat yourself. A sleeping bag is only as good as its user.

I am a dog sled guide in northern Minnesota and I used this bag every night for 4 months. It proved a quality bag when used properly. I would heat a bottle of water and preheat the bag 10 minutes before I got in. I would also do a number of jumping jacks immediately before getting in; to preheat myself.

One last thing that no sleeping bag does well, including this one, is manufacturing a quality neck gaiter. I just wrap a fleece jacket around my shoulders to conserve all the heat my body produces throughout the night. It is all seems common sense when you think about it. I have slept comfortably in this bag at -20 Farenheight.

The other thing people do not understand about sleeping bags is that the -20 F rating is a "survival" rating. Meaning that you could "survive" through a night up to -20 F, not comfortably, but alive.

This bag has served me well for 4 months straight in a near arctic environment. I think there is a huge misconception about what sleeping bags can and can not do. Every night throughout the winter I was teaching people how sleeping bags should be used, and they slept comfortably. If used properly, this bag is tops.

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Product Description

Price

Campmor 2 purchase options:	Tundra -20 Degree Sleeping Bag - Regular	$209.97	Buy Now
Campmor 2 purchase options:	Tundra -20 Degree Sleeping Bag - Long	$219.97	Buy Now