After a protracted day of winter trekking, there’s nothing fairly like diving deep into your sleeping bag. Even with layers on and a range blazing, the most effective feeling comes from nestling right into a heat, puffy cocoon.
Nonetheless, winter baggage designed for deep chilly are cumbersome and might weigh 5 kilos — or extra. That’s why I used to be intrigued once I found the surprisingly light-weight and streamlined Therm-a-Relaxation Polar Ranger, developed in collaboration with famend polar information Eric Larsen. Keen to place it to the take a look at, I took it on a winter ski tour within the Norwegian Arctic.
In brief: The Therm-a-Relaxation Polar Ranger ($790) is spot-on with the temperature score, making certain you keep heat even on chilly nights. Full of useful options like a baffled pocket within the footbox for heat toes and handy aspect zips for air flow, it’s designed very properly for winter journey. Nonetheless, its cosy total match and restrictive hood and snorkel won’t go well with everybody, making it finest fitted to again sleepers. And, then there’s additionally the worth.
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Shell
Recycled nylon ripstop with DWR end -
Insulation
800-fill Nikwax Hydrophobic Down -
Measurement Common
Suits customers as much as 6 ‘tall -
Measurement Lengthy
Suits customers as much as 6′ 6″ tall -
Packed Common
8.5″ x 10″ (22 x 25 cm) -
Packed Lengthy
8.5″ x 10″ (22 x 25 cm) -
Weight Common
3 lbs., 4 oz. -
Weight Lengthy
3 lbs., 7 oz. -
Value
Common $850 | Lengthy $880
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Light-weight and comparatively compact -
Hydrophic down filling maintains insulation even when moist -
Good warmth-to-weight ratio -
Foot warming toebox -
Attachment factors to maintain sleeping(s) pad in place
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The match is a little bit too cosy -
Hood and snorkel are fairly restrictive -
The cellphone pocket is small -
Compression sack isn’t broad sufficient
Therm-a-Relaxation Polar Ranger Sleeping Bag Overview
Key Specs and Options
The Therm-a-Relaxation Polar Ranger Sleeping Bag boasts spectacular technical specs. With a consolation score of -20 levels F (-29 levels C) and stuffed with 800-fill Nikwax Hydrophobic Down insulation, this sleeping bag is designed to maintain you heat in deep chilly.
Out there in common and lengthy sizes, it incorporates a 20D nylon ripstop shell with a DWR (sturdy water-repellent) end for added sturdiness and resistance to moisture.
Now there are different winter baggage that weigh 3-4 kilos with comparable (or extra excessive) temperature rankings, such because the Sea to Summit Alpine Down, the Mountain Hardwear Phantom, or the Mountain Tools Redline (wildly dearer). However none of those baggage include hydrophobic down fill, aspect air flow zips, a baffled pocket within the toebox, or a snorkel and built-in draft collar.
The Therm-a-Relaxation Polar Ranger has a ton to supply in relation to sleeping comfortably within the chilly.
Actual-World Testing within the Norwegian Arctic
Venturing into the distant mountains of northern Norway in February, I launched into a week-long ski tour to place the Polar Ranger to the take a look at. Accompanied by a pal geared up with the identical sleeping bag, we adopted a polar expedition model, hauling all our necessities on skis and pulling a small sled.
Nonetheless, the climate had extra in retailer for us than anticipated. Regardless of anticipating temperatures between 5 and 14 levels, we endured sub-zero circumstances all through all the week, hitting under -20 levels within the remaining days. These chilly circumstances offered the proper alternative to problem the capabilities of the Therm-a-Relaxation Polar Ranger.
Spectacular Moisture Administration
Whereas the Therm-a-Relaxation Polar Ranger Sleeping Bag has some drawbacks, it has quite a few strengths. Handled down ensures insulation efficiency even in damp circumstances, so I didn’t see the necessity for a vapor barrier liner for such a brief journey.
As moisture gathered and froze on the bag’s floor, the hydrophobic down carried out admirably, sustaining heat even when closely iced up (once more, I examined within the Arctic). I’d like to know the way this holds up over time. (And if you’re gone for a several-week-long expedition, perhaps contemplate a vapor barrier.)
The bag’s central zipper boasts an anti-snag design, delivering a seamless expertise. Exiting the bag is a breeze — merely push your arm out of the hood and downward, and it effortlessly opens. This stands in stark distinction to my earlier encounters with different winter baggage. Even different baggage with side-opening zips at all times appear to snag for me.
The Therm-a-Relaxation Polar Ranger stands out for its light-weight design, catering completely to winter adventurers searching for heat with out the burden of extra weight. Whereas I wanted to layer up some days, I discovered the temperature score was spot-on. Even when pushing past its excessive restrict, I remained chilly however nearly snug sufficient.
A standout function for me was the toebox, fortified with a baffled pocket of insulation. This progressive addition proved extremely efficient in maintaining my toes toasty — a function I’d like to see in additional winter (destructive and below-zero) baggage.
Cons: Heat, however Comfortable
Throughout our first evening out, I shortly realized that my regular-size bag was a tad cosy, and I used to be a little bit chilly with simply base layers on. I opted for a light-weight fleece hoodie and pants combo after that, with gloves and a hat on colder nights. Fortunately, the aspect zips offered immediate air flow once I overheated, and the intelligent draft “tubes” stored me from getting too chilly. It’s a sensible function that extra winter baggage ought to undertake.
Nonetheless, there’s a key catch with this bag. To totally profit from its heat, you should zip up tight and cinch the hood — a bit claustrophobic, even for seasoned winter campers. Regardless of being despatched the common measurement (I’m just below 6 toes tall), Therm-a-Relaxation’s “efficiency” match felt restrictive. Whereas the size was effective, I needed to wriggle down to tug the hood over my head.
The bag’s slim width made it difficult to maneuver round. As such, it undoubtedly wouldn’t be fitted to aspect sleepers. I’m unsure the lengthy model would assist a lot, because it solely provides a couple of additional inches on both sides of the shoulder.
The cosy match additionally made it difficult to layer up clothes, though ideally, you shouldn’t have to complement your bag with additional layers. I solely resorted to this on the coldest nights when temperatures dipped under -22 Fahrenheit.
Verdict on the Scuba Hood
The hood coated most of my face, leaving solely my mouth and nostril uncovered. That means, it was important for me to sleep on my again to forestall respiratory into the bag and icing up the hood. Though the snorkel, fitted with artificial insulation, helped handle moisture, it nonetheless iced over after a couple of days. I didn’t totally shut it with the built-in magnets to go away a little bit extra room round my face.
The small cellphone pocket proved effective for a headlamp, however tight for my iPhone 13 Professional, doubtlessly posing a problem for these with bigger smartphones. Moreover, the stuff sack’s slim design leads to a notably elongated form when packed down. The stuffsack could possibly be a little bit wider for simpler packing, too.
Therm-a-Relaxation Polar Ranger: Conclusion
Regardless of a couple of drawbacks, the Therm-a-Relaxation Polar Ranger Sleeping Bag’s spectacular warmth-to-weight ratio positions it as a robust alternative for cold-weather tenting adventures — whether or not you’re ski touring, sledding, or winter backpacking. If the marginally slim bag matches you comfortably, that’s.
Subsequent time, I would choose to put it aside for later within the season so I can get pleasure from extra room by opening the zips. However total, its light-weight and moisture-resistant insulation, in addition to options just like the scuba hood and insulated footbox, means I’ll undoubtedly be utilizing it once more.
