The Chilkoot Blowhole

[Wildlifer82]

Has anyone else noticed this huge hole below the zipper in the Chilkoot? I can literally stick my thumb straight from the outside of the bag, directly into the inside of the bag, where your body lay, trying to stay warm. There is no draft tube anywhere along the zipper, and not even a flap of material to block cold air from coming in this hole. When I tested the bag, the very first thing I noticed is that the zipper was cold and drafty, especially at this hole near the knee. I was cold at 34 degrees in the 15 bag, and had to put a third layer of wool on to get warm (I do tend to sleep cold, but did not expect that). I thought it was a defect, but when I called SG they said it was designed this way - as that was the last place they filled the down baffles from. It seems like every other self-respecting sleeping bag maker (and many budget brands too) puts a draft tube along the zipper! Of course, I could have also been cold because of the extra 9" at the feet (I'm 5'8" and the only size offered accommodates 6'5"). In talking to sleeping bag experts, having extra space around the torso will lose some heat for sure, but having extra space at the feet is the worst because there is very little body heat down there to fill the extra space. Last criticism - I found the hood did not stay in place well at all as I tossed and turned in the night. As a side sleeper, it really sucks when your hood doesn't move with you, because the breathing hole is no longer aligned with your nose and mouth! I really struggled to shift the hood every time I turned. This could be be because the bag was too big for me, so I didn't fit tightly into the hood.

But the bag is super comfy (roomy) and light! If they fixed the zipper hole/draft tube, and offered a shorter size, it would probably still be in my closet. But for about the same price you can get a Feathered Friends or Western Mountaineering, which have none of these issues. So I guess I should be grateful for the blowhole, otherwise I would have never found those other companies

Just thought I'd offer these observations to counter-balance the hype around this bag.

 

[t_carlson]

Its not a "blowhole"

Its a glory hole

Get your holes straight

 

[Macchina]

A couple of things here:
Bags have several ratings: limit and comfort. The limit is the temp you can survive in the bag (this is usually what they advertise as the temp rating) and the comfort rating is usually 15-20 degrees above the limit temp.

The hot water bottle trick is amazing! boiling water in a Nalgene at your feet will get you 5-6 hours of warm feet and therefore better sleep. I can push a bag to it's limit temp rating with a hot water bottle. When we hunt as a group in below freezing temps we boil a gallon of water before bed and all fill our Nalgenes for the night. That way we stay warm and all have a bottle of thawed water in the morning. It doesn't taste great (the stainless Nalgene's are better).

Also, that hole is huge. Without a baffle that would be a serious problem for me!

 

[Wildlifer82]

A couple of things here:
Bags have several ratings: limit and comfort. The limit is the temp you can survive in the bag (this is usually what they advertise as the temp rating) and the comfort rating is usually 15-20 degrees above the limit temp.

The hot water bottle trick is amazing! boiling water in a Nalgene at your feet will get you 5-6 hours of warm feet and therefore better sleep. I can push a bag to it's limit temp rating with a hot water bottle. When we hunt as a group in below freezing temps we boil a gallon of water before bed and all fill our Nalgenes for the night. That way we stay warm and all have a bottle of thawed water in the morning. It doesn't taste great (the stainless Nalgene's are better).

Also, that hole is huge. Without a baffle that would be a serious problem for me!

Yeah, I've heard a lot about the hot nalgene trick, but have never tried it! Yes, for most bags I plan on 15 extra degrees, but all the hype around this bag makes it sound like it's warmer than that. Some (few) companies do publish a rating that is closer to comfort than to limit. But my dismay was more to the fact that I could easily feel the cold air coming in along the zipper and particularly along that hole! If Stone Glacier had just included a draft tube here, then it would be a much warmer bag. I understand it would add an ounce or two but it would significantly increase the warmth/comfort of the bag. It seems they made a huge compromise in an attempt to either have the lightest bag possible or to save some cost. Clear design flaw in my eyes.