North Face Snowshoe Sleeping Bag Review
Amidst frigid winds and a steadily dropping
temperature, the last thing one expects to get on an unforgiving night in
the mountains is a good night’s rest.
It is for this need to sleep, even in harsh surroundings, that the
North Face created the Snowshoe, a heavy duty mummy-style sleeping bag that
promises to keep you snug in the middle of a blizzard.
Its 0 degree temperature rating has been put to the test by many
consumers, who have generally expressed their satisfaction with this tough
sleeping bag’s performance.
The impressive qualities of the Snowshoe are attributed
to several layers of heat-inducing quality.
Firstly, its overlapping shingle design spreads out the insulation
evenly throughout the bag, so the user doesn’t suffer from patches of cold
spots while tucked inside.
Secondly, it sports the North Face trademarked Climashield Prism synthetic
insulation system, which is optimized to keep the temperature constant
inside the bag. The Snowshoe
also comes with a Firestorm topshell for head retention and a nylon padding
underneath that helps to ward off dampness and abrasion.
Likewise, an efficient foot box at the end of the bag dispenses with
the need to wear boots for warmth.
Lastly, for the best comfort, the Snowshoe is lined from within with
soft, airy silk.
Customer comments about the Snowshoe are fairly
unanimous with regard to the ability of the bag to keep them warm, although
some admit that they have not been able to test the bag at extreme
temperatures. For the average
chilly night, amounting to about 20 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit, the Snowshoe
has held up well. Some users
report actually feeling a little too warm, and having to remove some of
their clothing layers to reach comfortable sleeping conditions.
The mummy hood seals the user in an envelope of heat, which may turn
off adventurers who appreciate a roomier sleeping bag experience.
However, this is more a quirk of the mummy bag design in general than
of any particular trait of the Snowshoe.
Not all the chatter about the Snowshoe is praise,
however. Some users complain
that the bag is a bit heavy, weighing in at almost 4 pounds, and can be
rather cumbersome to carry around while backpacking.
The draft collar used to shut out gusts of air is sealed using
Velcro, and as such, doesn’t close around as tightly as some would like.
The biggest complaint about the Snowshoe is that it doesn’t compress
very well, making it hard to pack up, and when you do, you’ll find that it
has eaten away most of your pack space.
Moreover, the bag that it comes with, while durable, isn’t
waterproof, so you may have to do a bit of extra shopping to purchase a bag
that can handle both the Snowshoe and inclement environmental conditions.
If you can overcome the space constraints, though,
you'll find that the Snowshoe is an ideal sleeping bag selection for
enduring the bitter snap of frost and snow, in winter or on the side of a
mountain, and waking up with a smile on your reddened face.
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