The Sea to Summit Spark Ladies’s 15 Diploma Sleeping Bag is a light-weight, 3-season sleeping bag designed for ladies who need consolation and high quality. My physique runs extraordinarily chilly, so my high precedence when selecting a sleeping bag is, “Will this design hold me heat?” My second precedence is twofold: how heavy the bag is and its packability. My third precedence issues sturdiness, asking, “Will this bag maintain up over time?” I attempted out the Spark on my thru-hike of the Arizona Path, the place these three key components of heat, weight, and sturdiness have been examined. Right here’s what I feel.
- Temperature score consolation: 15F
- Temperature score decrease restrict: 5F
- Gender: Ladies’s
- Weight: 2lbs 0.8oz
- Compressed Quantity: 8L
- Form: Mummy
- Insulation: Extremely-Dry Down 850+ fill energy, RDS licensed
- Compression sack: included
- Shell Cloth: Ultralight 10d Nylon
- Matches Up To: 5’ 7” Common measurement, (6’ 1” lengthy measurement additionally accessible)
- Dimensions: (Shoulder/Hip/Toes) 55.9”/52”/36.2”
- Professionals: Very heat, light-weight, packable, sturdy
- Cons: Slim, cosy foot field
A Sleeping Bag Engineered For Ladies
By nature, girls have a tendency to sit back extra simply than males. The Spark is designed for a lady’s particular form to offer extra heat and insulation utilizing physique mapping to deploy insulation the place it’s wanted, within the foot and midsection. The form is narrower on the shoulder and widest between the hips and knees, permitting for a pure aspect sleeping place. I’m a aspect sleeper by means of and thru, so this labored nice for me. I swap sides and wiggle at evening, although, and the broader mummy form allowed me to sleep in no matter place I needed. The down stayed lofty and didn’t get smooshed and compressed as I shifted by means of my sleep, which means I stayed toasty.
The ladies’s Spark is shorter total, aiming to chop out useless area and improve thermal effectivity. This labored nicely for me with the slender shoulder girth, particularly when utilizing the mum’s insulated collar and hood. When it comes to the foot field, it’s meant to reduce these nasty chilly spots on the backside of the sleeping bag by being shorter, which I may see it doing for somebody nearer to five’7”. I’m not fairly 5’5”, so I nonetheless tended to endure with that little additional useless area. Although I discovered the foot field cosy, I nonetheless needed to stuff additional garments on the backside to maintain me hotter. I can’t say it is a design drawback, however it’s extra of a direct results of my top and the truth that I’m at all times chilly!
The body-mapping design for a lady’s form additionally got here into play with the additional insulation utilizing 850+ goose down. This implies the bag’s chambers are crammed extra the place you want it most. I discovered this to be true, and I additionally famous the down felt extra lofty and puffy than another sleeping baggage I’ve used, which I consider helped to maintain me cozier. This made me really feel the standard of the Spark was excessive, and I appreciated this part.
Let me begin by saying the Arizona Path was chilly each single evening. So, I had many nights to check how the Spark fared in beneath or close-to-freezing temperatures. Total, I can say it did rather well, maintaining me heat.
Sleeping Bag Loft and Baffles
I discovered the Spark lofted extraordinarily nicely, which meant it didn’t take lengthy for the fluff to return after being stuffed. It felt fluffy virtually instantly after pulling it out of my stuff sack. The down insulation is 90% goose down, contributing to the bag’s heat.
After I began researching sleeping baggage years in the past, I had no thought what baffles have been. Baffles are these compartments operating throughout the shell of the sleeping bag, they usually’re essential to hold the insulation from clumping or transferring about. That is vital as a result of the baffles successfully cut back chilly spots and reduce warmth loss when insulation stays in place. The Spark has full field baffle development for max heat, accommodating additional down and minimizing these icky chilly spots.
The Spark’s insulation is made with the Extremely-Dry Down waterproof therapy, which may forestall moisture from degrading the down. On the Arizona Path, there was a whole lot of tent wall condensation, and even on mornings when the shell of my sleeping bag was damp, I used to be nonetheless heat and guarded inside my burrito.
Draft Tubes, Draft Collar & Hood
To nix warmth loss, the Spark has a zipper draft tube (an insulated tube operating alongside and behind the zipper to forestall chilly drafts from coming into and heat air escaping). I really valued the snuggly and poofy draft and neck collar, which is the insulated back and front collar across the hood. Most nights, I cocooned myself like a tightly wrapped burrito due to the cooler desert temps. I did this by tightening the draw twine, which stopped warmth from slipping out of the bag. I felt tucked in and cushty however not claustrophobic, which nobody desires to really feel whereas sleeping.
Weight & Packability
Second to heat, the load issue is crucial to what I take into account in a sleeping bag selection, primarily based on being a thru-hiker the place typically each ounce counts. The common measurement is 2 ½ kilos, which isn’t the lightest mannequin available on the market, however by far not the heaviest. This bag is barely heavier than the Ladies’s Flame Fm IV, which the Spark changed. Nevertheless, Sea to Summit upgraded the zippers and interior liner, contributing to a slight weight improve.
When contemplating packability, I selected to stuff the Spark in my trusty Sea to Summit Evac Compression Dry Bag, which I’ve had since 2016, once I thru-hiked the Appalachian Path. The Spark packed fairly nicely, however not the most effective, just because this sleeping bag is bigger in quantity and substance.
Sleeping Bag Shell and Liner
The Spark’s shell material is 10D nylon, and the liner is 10D (D=Denier). The Flame Fm IV had a 7D liner, which is what helped the sleeping bag keep lighter. A tad heavier liner can present extra long-term sturdiness, so I don’t thoughts this tradeout. This lining additionally good in opposition to my pores and skin and gentle.
Zippers
The highest enchancment I famous with the Spark have been the zippers. The Flame Fm IV used lighter YKK #3 zippers, the place the Spark makes use of the YKK #5. Sea to Summit switched to a beefier for extra of a snag-free, dependable operation. My greatest criticism in regards to the Flame Fm IV was the zippers snagging, making it robust to get out and in of my bag simply and ripping the material. So, in fact, this was the characteristic I paid probably the most consideration to whereas utilizing the Spark for six weeks on trial. I’m tremendous happy to report I discovered the zippers easy to make use of with no issues, by no means as soon as catching.
Size & Sizing
A related level to make is that I’m about 5’5”, so the common measurement works greatest for me, being fitted to girls as much as 5’7”. There’s a lengthy measurement for ladies as much as 6’ 1”, however in case you’re taller than that, this wouldn’t be the best selection for you. Additionally, you’ll want to take a look at the specs at a look above to think about your individual fantastically distinctive and particular person physique form (do you may have wider shoulders or hips, for instance) to see if the sizing of the Spark would give you the results you want.
Comparable Ladies’s Sleeping Luggage
Suggestion
I extremely advocate Sea to Summit’s Spark Ladies’s 15-Diploma Sleeping Bag for any girl who values a bag that emphasizes heat, mild weight, and sturdiness. It’s a strong possibility for chilly sleepers like me, and it dealt with nicely for these freezing and close-to-freezing nights within the desert. When you hike laborious and wish to sleep laborious, too, the Spark is a strong selection for a top quality sleeping bag engineered for ladies
Disclosure: Sea-to-Summit donated a bag for evaluate.
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