Is the Spark Professional Sleeping Bag Definitely worth the Funding?

The Sea-to-Summit Spark Professional Down 30 Sleeping Bag is a top-of-the-line ultralight 950 fill-power down mummy sleeping bag with premium options, together with a draft collar, zippered footbox, and twin aspect zippers. The shell and liner are made with light-weight 10D nylon material with field baffling over the torso and sewn-through building over the legs. Like a lot of Sea-to-Summit’s sleeping luggage, the Spark Professional has two aspect zippers, one lengthy and one quick, so you’ll be able to vent the bag on each side or stick your arms out whereas nonetheless sporting the hood. Nonetheless, the Spark Professional has one deadly flaw, in our opinion: a badly performing zipper on the quick aspect that may go away you chilly and shivering at evening when it comes off its tracks at midnight.

• Kind: Mummy sleeping bag
• Temperature Ranking: 30F Decrease Restrict; 37F Consolation
• Insulation: 950 fill energy down with non-PFC waterproofing
• Weight: 21.8 oz
• Fill Weight: 10.9 oz
• Draft Collar: Sure
• Development: Field baffling in torso, sewn-thru over legs
• Material: 10D nylon shell and liner
• Compressed quantity: 5.3L
• Compression Sack: Included
• Professionals: 950 fill energy waterproof down, twin aspect zippers, zippered footbox
• Cons:  Poorly designed aspect zipper

The Sea-to-Summit Spark Professional Down 30-degree sleeping bag has superior specs on paper. Its 950-fill energy waterproof down is top-notch and offers wonderful heat and compressibility. The hood is comfy with out being claustrophobic, even for those who’re a aspect sleeper, and you’ll even fold it down beneath you if you wish to use the again extra like a quilt in hotter climate. The bag’s three zippers, together with a ventable footbox and two aspect zippers, can help you regulate your temperature in quite a few methods throughout a wider temperature vary. All three zippers are effectively insulated with draft tubes, which cowl the zippers contained in the bag and forestall chilly air from leaking in and chilling you.

Along with the footbox zipper, the Spark Professional has two aspect zippers, one about 3/4 of the way in which down the left aspect and one other 1/3-length zipper on the proper. When each are unzipped, you’ll be able to stick your arms out the perimeters whereas nonetheless sporting the hood, which is nice on chilly mornings whenever you need to prepare dinner meals however keep inside your bag to stay heat (There are snaps on the prime of every zipper to maintain the perimeters from falling down.) We additionally just like the shorter shoulder zipper as a air flow possibility whenever you need to average your torso’s temperature.

The longer of the 2 zippers works completely. Sea-to-Summit makes use of a particular two-way YKK snag-free zipper, and the material sides are taped to forestall snagging. The issue is the quick zipper on the opposite aspect of the bag. Whereas it is usually a two-way zipper, there isn’t a stopper to forestall the sliders from coming off whenever you unzip the zipper (particularly whenever you pull the highest slider all the way down to open the zipper). We will’t inform whether or not it is a manufacturing defect or by design. However in both case, it means which you could’t reliably shut this zipper as soon as the sliders come off with out having to reseat them…which is devilishly tough to do from contained in the bag.

Think about the next state of affairs: You’re too heat, so that you open the quick zipper all the way in which, and the sliders, unknown to you as a result of it’s darkish and also you’re half unconscious, fall off the zipper. A number of hours later, you go to shut the zipper as a result of your physique has cooled, nothing occurs, and also you’re caught with a gaping gap that’s leaking chilly air into your bag. So that you get out your headlamp, get out of the bag, fiddle with the sliders to reseat them, shut the zipper once more, get again into your bag, and attempt to get again to sleep…fuming the way you’re going to return this sleeping bag to REI or another retailer as a result of it sucks.

Evaluation

Whereas we are able to perceive Sea-to-Summit’s need to create an Uber sleeping bag with temperature regulation options for all conditions, we query whether or not placing three zippers on one sleeping bag is simply asking for hassle. Zippers are sometimes the most important level of failure in any piece of out of doors clothes or gear. In any occasion, for those who put zippers on a sleeping bag, you need them to work with a minimal of problem or upkeep for the lifetime of the sleeping bag. We will’t advocate the Spark Professional Down 30 sleeping bag as a result of points we encountered with the quick zipper. It’s too dangerous as a result of this could be an superior sleeping bag in any other case.

Store at REI

Disclosure: Sea-to-Summit donated a sleeping bag for evaluate.

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