Sea to Summit Flame Sleeping Bag Assessment: Emily’s Hunt for Sleep

compose Miles Arbour
time Jul 14, 2022
remark 4

Again in 2017, I reviewed the Sea to Summit Spark SPI—an impressively light-weight sleeping bag with a consolation ranking of 54°F (12°C) and a complete weight of simply 348g. So far as warm-weather sleeping baggage go, it was fairly preferrred. However, as I found, it was straightforward to search out its limits when the temperatures dropped.

Though she has accompanied me on quite a lot of bikepacking journeys, my associate Emily doesn’t even have her personal sleeping bag. When Sea to Summit introduced an up to date line of Spark and Flame sleeping baggage, I figured it was a great alternative to check out a bag that’s hotter, nonetheless packable sufficient for bikepacking, and higher fitted to correct three-season use. After some dialogue with Emily, we landed on the Flame 2. With a consolation ranking of 35°F (2°C), two lengths to select from, and weight that’s simply over one pound, it appeared prefer it’d hit a candy spot for all the things past winter right here in British Columbia.

In response to Emily, “Over time, I’ve made it my mission to not spend any cash on tenting gear. As a substitute, I borrow no matter Miles has had available. This had led to me experimenting with a wide range of whacky mixtures, from stupid-light quilts in cooler months, cumbersome winter-rated baggage in July, and forgoing a sleeping pad altogether after we someway solely had one to share. Don’t even get me began about our little hammock undertaking final summer season. I’ve by no means really been glad with my sleep system whereas bikepacking, which has led to some depressing mornings on what ought to have been fairly easy getaways. When it got here time to get my very own sleeping bag, some issues I used to be in search of included a correct hood, not a quilt, one thing packable to work round my small bike body/restricted packing house, and most significantly, a snug temperature ranking for coastal BC.”

Flames and Sparks

Sea to Summit considerably expanded their ultralight Spark sleeping bag collection in 2020. Not solely did they add extra temperature rankings, growing the full variety of baggage from three to 5, however they added a wholly new girls’s-specific line, the Flame Sequence. From ultralight liner baggage rated for 55°F (12°C) to mid-winter baggage for five°F (-15°C), the Spark and Flame Sequence take a no-frills method to light-weight sleeping baggage. The Flame 2 is the second lightest weight bag within the new collection, and is what Sea to Summit describes as a “two-season” sleeping bag—not fairly heat sufficient for correct three-season tenting however greater than only a liner for heat summer season nights.

Each the Spark and Flame sleeping baggage use Accountable Down Licensed ULTRA-DRY 850+ fill-power down. The shell is fabricated from a ultralight 10D nylon and the liner of a 7D nylon. For much more weight financial savings, the 50°F, 40°F, and 28°F have 1/3-length zippers, whereas the 18°F and 5°F have full-length facet zippers. The 50°F and 40°F use a sewn-through baffle development to avoid wasting weight, the 28°F has baffles within the torso and sewn via within the leg space, and the 18°F and 5°F are absolutely baffled for higher insulation in chilly climate. A light-weight silnylon compression bag and storage dice are included with every bag. Each mannequin is accessible in each an everyday (as much as 6’0″) and a protracted (as much as 6’4″).

At 505 grams with a compressed quantity of roughly 2.9L, the Sea to Summit Flame 2 is completely fitted to bikepacking, taking over minimal room in your baggage. For Emily, because of her smaller body measurement and restricted packing house, this is a crucial function. On our journey down the Black Canyon Path in Arizona this winter, Emily wished full use of her dropper publish, so opted to hold a hydration vest and a handlebar roll setup as an alternative of combating a saddlebag. The Flame 2 took up about half of the capability within the medium Revelate Designs Pronghorn dry bag (see decrease left photograph) she used, leaving loads of room for some further layers. On her gravel bike, the Wayward Riders Louise Dropper Put up Harness with a 7L Ortlieb dry bag additionally offered loads of room for the bag + extras. On a current overnighter, Emily match the sleeping bag, inflatable pillow, camp towel, and a full change of garments contained in the JPaks DropperPak.

Ideas Whereas Sleeping

The ladies’s Flame sleeping bag collection has a girls’s-specific reduce that labored nicely for Emily’s physique kind. It’s narrower on the shoulders and wider between the hips and knees. In response to Sea to Summit, this design permits the consumer to maneuver freely all through the night time with out compressing the insulation. There’s additionally extra insulation in comparison with the unisex vary, positioned utilizing completely different physique mapping for thermal efficiency precisely the place it’s wanted. With that mentioned, the insulation shifts round fairly simply and requires some shaking to distribute it on prime after unpacking. Skipping this leads to chilly spots and small sections the place there’s subsequent to no insulation. After I requested Emily for her ideas on the form and performance of the Flame 2, right here’s what she needed to say:

“As my first girls’s-specific mummy sleeping bag, it’s laborious for me to match towards baggage I’ve used prior to now, which have primarily been Miles’ giant unisex baggage. On hotter nights, I felt like I had loads of room round my shoulders and many size with the hood on to not really feel restricted. As somebody who doesn’t usually sleep with a hood, I appreciated the width of the Flame’s hood and by no means felt claustrophobic. Even with out a full-length zipper, I used to be in a position to open the bag as much as vent issues out, however on sizzling nights I missed the power to open the bag absolutely and let my ft breathe. On chilly nights (32°F/0°C or colder), I discovered there wasn’t sufficient room to tuck my knees towards my chest. Whereas that is outdoors the bag’s temperature ranking, I really feel like I might push it into colder temperatures with some extra width and the addition of a fleece liner.”

• Measurement Examined: Common
• Materials: 10-Denier Nylon
• Weight: 490 grams (with stuff sack)
• Place of Manufacture: China
• Value: $389 USD
• Producer’s Particulars: SeaToSummit.com

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