AndreS

I just wrote the review for the previous model, which is the polarguard model that is currently on sale, but it looks like nothing had particularly changed with the Dark Star other than the brand of filler. It is a very large, slightly heavy, but particularly bulky bag. Even with the compression stuff sac it still comes in at about 2.5" long by about 12-14" wide... So it takes up a lot of space... Stuffing doesn't quite take 15 minutes, but it is a little tough to get it in the sac and sinched up. It is a great basecamp or living quarters bag for expeditioning, but there are better bags to get. But with anything, you get what you pay for and the Dark Star is a particularly good deal IMO. I use it for all sorts of camping, anytime my 20 bag won't cut it including fall/spring and southern Utah in the winter, times where it rarely gets below 10F or 0 so the bag is complete overkill. It manages this very well of course, I manage the excess heat by simply venting the bag (aka having the zipper open in places) which works great. The bag (even though made in China or whatever) is still North Face quality, excellent design, good neck collars, etc...

I've had the Dark Star for a couple years now. It is an absolutely massive and heavy sleeping bag. I asked my old man for a good winter -20 or -30 bag for the birthday and what showed up was --The Dark Star -- LOL. My personal experience is that it is awesome. It is big and heavy but very warm and comfortable. If it is too hot you learn to manage the heat by simply not zipping it all the way up, which I do quite often. If you are fully zipped up it is capable of the rating that it claims. I use it for a huge assortment of camping, basically any time it will be particularly cold and my small 20 bag won't cut it, but even in fall and spring and in southern Utah in winter, times where it rarely gets below 10 F. It works very well for me, I am 6'5, fit in it perfectly. Again, I manage any excess heat by venting the bag. It would be a great base camp bag though particularly bulky. If size is not a big deal then use it. If you are a winter expedition on foot or limited space there are better bags to get. As with anything though, you always get what you pay for and it is a decent deal as well.

In general high quality of manufacturing in my opinion. Good and warm. Doesn't have some of the features of the more expensive bags, but packs small and I have a feeling it will last a long time. Good and warm, it got into the low 40s several times and I was beyond comfortable. Great little bag. My only little grip is I don't like the square bottom sowing pattern and the hanging hooks are a little chincy. After I bought it, I did a close assessment of several other bags in the same temp range and there are certainly nicer/better, but I think probably hands-down the best bang for the buck...

In general high quality of manufacturing in my opinion. Good and warm. Doesn't have some of the features of the more expensive bags, but packs small and I have a feeling it will last a long time. Good and warm, it got into the low 40s several times and I was beyond comfortable. Great little bag. My only little grip is I don't like the square bottom sowing pattern and the hanging hooks are a little chincy. After I bought it, I did a close assessment of several other bags in the same temp range and there are certainly nicer/better, but I think probably hands-down the best bang for the buck...

Great little unit.. Incredibly smart and durable, literally the best headlamp I have ever owned in 15+ years of regular headlamp use... My only gripe is that the "diverse" beam setting only comes in white, while for $10 more the TacTikka XP Adapt comes with 4 different lenses (my favorite is green - much brighter but does not affect your night vision) and I like the 3 band setting of the TakTikka versus the 2 band loop of the Tikka XP. They are basically the same headlamp but the TakTikka comes with three "clips" that it can be mounted to, one that goes on a helmet, one that goes on a belt loop, and one that goes on a traditional head loop. And the TakTikka (single-handedly the reason I bought it) comes with those different color lenses. If you had a friend with a TakTicca and you bought the Tikka you could poach a lens or two off him, then you would be fine IMO. Not killing night vision and slightly --duller-- beam for extended night hikes and use goes a long way...

The construction and quality of it are awesome. But just be sure you know what you are getting, a 40 degree bag, which means summer time only in places that get cold. Even at 50-55 you start to get a little chilly in it. Perfect for the tropics or places that are generally warm (I'd say 60 or higher) on average. It packs very very small, about the size of a football, which is great. Thickness wise, in general the bag is quite thin.