The North Face Solar Flare Sleeping Bag: -20 Degree Down

I just got back from a winter camping trip in central New York, and I have to say that I am thoroughly impressed with this sleeping bag. Now generally, I am not a huge fan of The North Face, but this bag exceeded my expectations. When I tested this bag, the night lows were between 10F and 20F, so the temperatures were easily above the bag's rating. My sleeping setup was as follows, Patagonia Cap 3 top/bottoms, lightweight running Smart Wool socks, a Mountain Hardwear beanie, and underneath, two Thermarest pads. I was never cold at night; in fact, I was decisively hot – sweating even. On the warmer nights, I had to sleep with the bag unzipped halfway. This is to be expected though, as the bag is rated to -20F. Also, according to the North Face reps. I talked with, North Face actually rates their bags on a comfort rating (as in the bag is comfortably warm at -20F) as opposed to a survival rating, so I am sure that the bag would be warm at -20F. Regarding the actual comfort of the bag, the bag is definitely roomy (though I am small at 5'5, 140lbs). However, this bag is plenty big and wide enough for someone much taller and larger. You could easily have room to wear an additional jacket or layers within this bag even if you are of larger stature. The footbox is also nice; it is vaulted so you can sleep with your toes up without compressing the down or getting a coldspot. I also like the draft tubes, the shoulder draft tube collar, and the hood configuration, which are all easy to use, snug, and comfortable. As far as the Hyvent waterproof shell is concerned, it works quite well. During my trip, the inside of our tent was very wet from condensation. There was falling frost on the walls, and the moisture from my breath would bead up on the outside of my bag and actually freeze into ice balls. The outside of the Solar Flare was decisively wet, even frozen, yet the inside stayed perfectly dry. At home, I also tested it out by depressing the bag in the center and filling the depression with water. The water did not leak through at the seems, the inside stayed dry, and I was able to wipe off all the water leaving the exterior dry as well. Overall, this is one hell of a bag, and I would highly recommend it to anyone.

This is an excellent product. I go backcountry splitboarding all the time in Utah and the bag was able to keep me comfortably warm throughout the night. Purchasing a good sleeping bag like this one is essential if you want to get a good rest after a long day hiking and riding.