Review: -20 regular length, wide Slick bag

[Gman]

Hello, thought I would post a review including details about the Slick bag that have not been mentioned in previous discussions/reviews, as far as I could tell.

The bag is a -20 degree, regular length, wide width, right side zipper.

Length: I measure the length as 84 inches. It is notably longer than my Slumber Jack regular length, and my Wiggy Super Light regular length. I am 5'9" and I love the length on the Slick, I am very pleased that I have room to spare at the bottom and I think a person up to 6'1" would fit. I was afraid that Kifaru had a achieved the low weight on their bags by making them a bit on the short side, they did not.

Width: I measure it as 72 inches of interior circumference at the widest point. This is less than listed, but more than enough for me. I am not big guy, but I am very claustrophobic. It is slightly wider than my Wiggy's Super Light wide body, but drapes much, much better. The bag conforms right around me and there is no dead space despite the very wide cut. I would describe the wide Slick as a semi-rectangular bag, it has more room in the hips and foot than any mummy bag I have ever used. Love it.

Insulation thickness: Feels just like the amount used in my Wiggy's Super Light - seems to be approx the same loft - so my guess is 10.8 oz per square yard or thereabouts. It feels like the same thickness is used throughout the bag, including the bottom.

Weight: I weigh the bag as 4.3 pounds.

The cons: The zipper, which is a 3/4 length, got badly jammed in the fabric the first couple times I tried it. I have since found there is a trick to getting it to run smoothly. You have to pull the zipper away from the body of the bag slightly as you pull up. If you are in the bag, you need to push the zipper away from you as you zip. As a testament to the fabric, it did not tear from the bad jams.

The only other negative about the bag is that the fabric is so loose in the interior (no baffles, only attached at hood and foot section) That you can get a little bound up in it as you move around, however, I quickly adjusted to this by holding it in place as I turned in the bag.

The test: Starting temp was 45F at 11pm. Lowest temp was 34F at 6:30am. Since it is spring now, it is impossible for me to test the lower limit, so I thought it would be interesting to see what the upper temp range is with the bag zipped up. I consider myself an average sleeper. I was wearing thin wool socks, synthetic long underwear, and a thin balaclava. I was on my deck, on a thermarest basecamp self inflating pad. I zipped the bag all the way up and left the hood loose. Woke up at 1:45am a little hot, but not really sweating. I unzipped the bag all the way and stuck an arm out. Woke up at 4 am a little cool, zipped all the way back up. Slept until 6:30am, on the warm side but not hot or sweaty. I was impressed I could use the bag in these temps, however if it was any warmer, I would have to have gotten out of the bag. So a low temp of 30F to 35F seems to be the upper limit.

Misc. Compared to my Wiggy's Super Light, this bag is: Roomier, lighter, much easier to compress, and warmer in the 30-35F range. I have found the Wiggy good to about 5F -10F if I make a draft collar out of a light jacket or sweater. The Wiggy is uncomfortable at 10F without the make shift draft collar. Overall, the Slick is a much, much better bag and obviously more thoughtfully designed with better workmanship . The only advantage the Wiggy has is that the zipper NEVER jams, no matter how you zip it.

Thanks for reading, hope this adds to the info out there about this wonderful bag. If you have any questions about other details, just respond to this thread and If I can answer them I will.

[wolfmen]

Thank you for your detail review.
I am looking forward your long term test in the future. It seemed the about temperature that cannot have "real" test for your -20c sleeping bag.
I have 0F Kifaru bag and I also have zipper problem, so every time I will zp it with caution.
And in my experience, if you want use the K bag most efficient,,you need use high R valve pad and zip the bag all way up.

Again, thank you ur review.

[Gman]

Spent another night in the -20 bag with lows in the mid 30s. I can confirm that I did not overheat or sweat, so this gives this bag an effective range of over 50 degrees (-20 to 35+). I will give a report on the lower end next winter. I probably won't see temps below about 0F, so I expect to be quite comfortable. My Wiggy's Super Light just does not quite cut it to 0F, so we'll see how the Slick does. Like I said before, the Kifaru is lighter and notably easier to stuff than the Super Light - and it is rated for colder temps! Of course it is also more expensive...