The deeper you dive into constructing the proper backpacking package, the extra you notice it’s often higher to tailor your gear to the specifics of every journey. Whereas a one-size-fits-all strategy works for lots of drugs, the search for the optimum sleeping bag is the place issues can get difficult.
Often, I’ve been that hiker caught in a too-warm sleeping bag on a heat Southern California night time, sweating it out and cursing my 20-degree bag. Even after changing to extra configurable quilts, temperature regulation will be difficult — cue the one-foot-in, one-foot-out dance all night time lengthy.
So, I’ve determined it’s time to chunk the bullet on a devoted summer season sleep system. I selected to provide the ultralight Sea to Summit Spark 45-degree Fahrenheit sleeping bag a attempt for brief journeys with sure climate.
The Spark lineup is price a search for hikers looking for hotter luggage as properly, because it additionally contains 30-, 15-, and 0-degree fashions.
Sea to Summit Spark 45 Sleeping Bag At-a-Look
Worth: $349.00
Weight: 12.8 oz | 363 g
Fill Weight: 5.3 oz.
Compressed Quantity: 2.4 L
Compression Sack Weight: 1.3 oz
Decrease Temp Score: 45°F | 7°C
Supplies: 850+ fill-power goose down, 10D nylon liner, 10D shell with PFC-free DWR
Who Is This Bag Finest For?
The Sea to Summit Spark 45 sleeping bag is designed for ultralight backpackers and adventurers who thrive in heat climates. It’s finest suited to summer season journeys the place climate situations are predictable and in a single day lows are gentle.
Past outside adventures, this bag is also a compact companion for journey — whether or not it’s for an evening in a mountain hut, a hostel, an airport flooring, and even to maintain in your automotive for spontaneous in a single day stays on a pal’s sofa. It’s additionally gentle sufficient to convey on day hikes as an emergency possibility.
The Spark 45 weighs in at 12.8 ounces, precisely as marketed. With its compression sack, it’s 14.15 oz.
Concerning the Spark
The Spark collection is a part of Sea to Summit’s broader push to create high-performance, ultralight sleeping techniques for a wide range of situations. The 45-degree ranking locations this bag on the hotter climate finish of the spectrum, supreme for summer season adventures or journeys the place weight financial savings are essential.
It’s essential to comprehend that within the Spark lineup, the 0 and 15-degree fashions have options like field baffles and full-length zippers that the hotter 30- and 45-degree fashions lack. It’s because the summer-weight luggage are optimized for weight financial savings. The Spark 45 sticks to a easy sewn-through baffle building and a shorter zipper to avoid wasting weight, counting on high-quality down insulation and light-weight supplies to do the heavy lifting.
Circumstance of Evaluate
To present the Spark 45 a correct take a look at, I spent a couple of nights on the Pacific Crest Path in Angeles Nationwide Forest, together with a campsite close to the highest of Mount Baden-Powell. With nighttime temps dipping to the bag’s rated 45 levels at 9,000 ft, it was the proper testing floor.
I camped in a Zpacks Duplex tent and caught to my standard sleep routine — sleeping in my climbing garments with no additional insulating layers. I’ve additionally used it on an early August journey in Oregon on the Columbia River Gorge and through a chilly night time in a campervan.
Sea to Summit Spark 45 Options
850+ Fill-Energy Goose Down: The Spark is insulated with RDS-certified, 850+ fill-power goose down. This high-quality down goals to supply heat whereas preserving the load minimal. Regardless of the bag’s lightness, it maintained a stable stage of heat throughout my take a look at, even when temperatures approached the bag’s decrease restrict.
Ultralight, Breathable Supplies: The 10D nylon liner and shell materials are designed to be light-weight and breathable. Whereas the supplies did preserve the bag from feeling too sticky or clammy, they nonetheless felt sturdy sufficient for normal use. The shell has a PFC-free DWR remedy to assist with water resistance, significantly across the hood and footbox, which may very well be helpful in barely damp situations.
Technical Hood and Ergonomic Mummy Form: The Spark’s mummy form is supposed to stability heat retention with consolation, and it does an ideal job of that with none claustrophobic tightness.
YKK Zipper with Zipper Plow: The YKK #5 zipper, outfitted with a zipper plow, is designed to attenuate material snags. This characteristic works completely, permitting for easy operation with out the annoyance of fabric getting caught within the zipper monitor, even with fast changes at nighttime.
The Zipper Plow ensures the bag’s materials by no means will get caught up within the zipper monitor.
How It Carried out
Heading into my first journey with it, I’ll admit I used to be a bit skeptical concerning the Spark’s skill to maintain me heat given how gentle it’s. I packed some additional layers and a silk bag liner, simply in case. However guess what? They stayed in my pack the complete time.
Even on the coldest level of the night time, when the temps hovered round that 45-degree mark, I solely felt a slight chill — nothing a fast zip and a tug on the hood cinch couldn’t repair. For a bag this gentle, I used to be impressed with how properly it carried out, particularly since I used to be sleeping in simply my solar hoodie and shorts.
The Spark 45 proved to be a stable possibility for summer season backpacking journeys the place it is advisable to preserve your pack gentle however nonetheless wish to sleep comfortably, or your favourite sleeping bag or quilt is rated too heat for the climate you’ll encounter.
Sea to Summit Spark 45 Professionals
Heat-to-Weight Ratio and Dimension: The Spark nails it with a wonderful warmth-to-weight ratio, performing properly at its lowest limits with out supplemental insulation. Absolutely compressed, the Spark 45 packs roughly the scale of a one-liter Nalgene and just about disappears into your pack.
Consolation: The fabric is silky easy, and it didn’t cling or really feel clammy or sticky towards my pores and skin, even when heat. As somebody who can simply get the ick with sure material textures, this was one of many higher sleeping bag supplies I’ve used.
The bag additionally labored properly in numerous sleep and sitting positions, with none claustrophobia or tightness. Though I’m an inch shorter than the 6-foot-1 peak restrict for the common dimension, it nonetheless felt comfy.
Adjustment strap: The distinctive off-center hood adjustment strap was a stunning standout characteristic for me. It’s extraordinarily gentle, with a mushy and spongy really feel that reduces the possibility of it irritating your face through the night time. In previous experiences with different luggage, I’ve had uncomfortable encounters with scratchy hood straps and plastic adjusters, however this one stayed out of the best way and didn’t disrupt my sleep.
Sea to Summit Spark 45 Cons
Compression Sack: The included stuff sack is fairly comfortable. It may be a little bit of a problem to get the bag packed in. For those who choose a sooner camp breakdown or simply wish to save 1.3 ounces, you may wish to depart the compression sack at house.
Versatility vs. Value: This bag is constructed for hotter situations, so its versatility is reserved for less than the warmest of journeys. On the value level, it could be an costly option to justify for hikers recreating in much less predictable climates. Spark fashions rated for colder climate additionally price on the upper finish in comparison with comparable merchandise.
Shade Choices: The Spark’s electrical bumblebee aesthetic is the one selection you’ve acquired, so put together to embrace the neon yellow vibe.
Total / Worth
The Sea to Summit Spark 45 has earned its place in my common summer season gear rotation, making the prospect of fast and lightweight backpacking journeys on heat nights all of the extra thrilling. Although its versatility in backcountry settings is restricted to heat nights, the Spark’s compact and light-weight construct has me brainstorming different makes use of, together with finances journey and just-in-case situations.
The Spark 45 is a standard mummy bag that one way or the other weighs lower than most equally rated backpacking quilts. Regardless of containing much less down than some quilts, the Spark carried out as promised at its 45-degree ranking throughout testing.
Most different ultralight choices available in the market are rated round 40 levels Fahrenheit, making the Spark’s 45-degree ranking a novel providing for warm-weather backpackers who don’t want the additional insulation.
At $349, the Spark 45 is just not a finances possibility, coming in round mid-range amongst its primary rivals. Nonetheless, the 30-, 15-, and 0-degree fashions are among the many most costly choices in comparison with different manufacturers.
It’s price mentioning that only a few mummy-style luggage match the ultralight warmth-to-weight ratio sometimes seen in quilts the best way this one does. This makes the Sea to Summit Spark, throughout all its temperature scores, a pioneer within the sleeping bag market and a stunning competitor to ultralight quilts.
Store the Sea to Summit Spark 45 Down Sleeping Bag
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The Sea to Summit Spark 45 Down sleeping bag was donated for objective of assessment
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