[pct-l] experience so far with Tundra Pure -5 ethical down bag

[Dan Africk]

I still haven't field tested it yet, but last night I spent about 5
hours on my front porch in the bag. It was about 28 degrees
Fahrenheit(5 degrees above its rating- 23F= -5C), dry and slightly
breezy. I slept on a Prolite 4 sleeping pad and work my nylon trail
pants, a micro-fleece long sleeved shirt, and for the first few
minutes I wore insulated booties with no socks.

I was very warm, and after a few minutes I took off the booties
because my feet were too hot. The only part of me that was cold was my
nose and whatever part of my face was exposed after I cinched down the
hood to a small hole(eventually I covered my face with a bandanna,
which helped). The hood and draft collar worked well and I was able to
get them both very small. I didn't expect to fall asleep, with the
bright streetlight, occasional car driving past, and noisy wind chime,
but I did end up falling asleep for few hours, and I was still nice
and warm when I woke up. I also noticed the bag was very roomy,
especially at the feet. If I'm over cold I'll probably fill in some of
that space with extra clothing. The only think that I dislike about
the bag is that the draft collar around the neck closes with velcro,
which is slightly annoying, I would have preferred a pair of snaps.

Overall I'm very impressed, and I can easily believe that it would
keep me warm down to -5C/23F, the listed comfort rating. I had doubts
at first because the bag didn't seem that big, but I'm a believer in
down now. I tend to be a cold sleeper, so if it keeps me warm, I think
it will keep most people warm. It is true that both me and the bag
were pre-warmed by being inside, but I was also more exposed to the
wind than I would be in a tent.

I still need to field test it, but so far it seems like a pretty good
bag and I would recommend it.