The Sea-to-Summit Spark Pro 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 facet 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 lots of Sea-to-Summit’s sleeping baggage, the Spark Pro has two facet zippers, one lengthy and one quick, so you’ll be able to vent the bag on either side or stick your arms out whereas nonetheless carrying the hood. However, the Spark Pro has one deadly flaw, in our opinion: a badly performing zipper on the quick facet that can depart you chilly and shivering at evening when it comes off its tracks at nighttime.
- Type: Mummy sleeping bag
- Temperature Rating: 30F Lower Limit; 37F Comfort
- Insulation: 950 fill energy down with non-PFC waterproofing
- Weight: 21.8 oz
- Fill Weight: 10.9 oz
- Draft Collar: Yes
- Construction: Box baffling in torso, sewn-thru over legs
- Fabric: 10D nylon shell and liner
- Compressed quantity: 5.3L
- Compression Sack: Included
- Pros: 950 fill energy waterproof down, twin facet zippers, zippered footbox
- Cons: Poorly designed facet zipper
The Sea-to-Summit Spark Pro Down 30-degree sleeping bag has superior specs on paper. Its 950-fill energy waterproof down is top-notch and supplies wonderful heat and compressibility. The hood is comfy with out being claustrophobic, even if you happen to’re a facet 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 facet zippers, let you regulate your temperature in quite a few methods throughout a wider temperature vary. All three zippers are properly insulated with draft tubes, which cowl the zippers contained in the bag and forestall chilly air from leaking in and chilling you.
In addition to the footbox zipper, the Spark Pro has two facet zippers, one about 3/4 of the best way down the left facet and one other 1/3-length zipper on the suitable. When each are unzipped, you’ll be able to stick your arms out the edges whereas nonetheless carrying the hood, which is nice on chilly mornings whenever you wish to cook dinner meals however keep inside your bag to stay heat (There are snaps on the high of every zipper to maintain the edges from falling down.) We additionally just like the shorter shoulder zipper as a air flow choice whenever you wish to reasonable 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 drawback is the quick zipper on the opposite facet of the bag. While 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 right down to open the zipper). We can’t inform whether or not this can be a manufacturing defect or by design. But in both case, it means 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.
Imagine the next state of affairs: You’re too heat, so that you open the quick zipper all the best way, and the sliders, unknown to you as a result of it’s darkish and also you’re half unconscious, fall off the zipper. Several 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 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.
Assessment
While we are able to perceive Sea-to-Summit’s want 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 largest level of failure in any piece of outside clothes or gear. In any occasion, if you happen to 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 can’t advocate the Spark Pro Down 30 sleeping bag as a result of points we encountered with the quick zipper. It’s too dangerous as a result of this is able to be an superior sleeping bag in any other case.
Disclosure: Sea-to-Summit donated a sleeping bag for evaluation.
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