Budget Gear Review: Coleman Crescent 15 Degree Sleeping Bag

The Coleman Crescent is a 15 degree synthetic sleeping bag that you can pick up on Amazon.com for $54.99, and was the first sleeping bag I purchased when I started backpacking. It's still in my gear collection, and it still gets used. I've grown very fond of this bag over the years. 

The first thing I noticed when I pulled it out of the box is how sharp it looks. It's just a nice looking bag. I love the blue and black color scheme, and the Coleman lantern logo in the center. In fact, one of the reasons I bought this bag was because it was a Coleman. At the time, before I ever heard of Marmot or Big Agnes or Western Mountaineering, I thought Coleman was the top-of-the-line maker of sleeping bags. But unlike other budget gear I've purchased, the Coleman Crescent did not disappoint at all.

The best part about this bag is that it's warm. I can't say if it's true to the 15 degree rating or not, but I can say that I've never been cold in this bag. The first year I had it, I used it a lot for backpacking in the summer and fall in Washington and north Idaho, but since then I mostly use it for car camping, and it always keeps me warm. I've even lent it out to friends on the rare occasion I could convince them to go backpacking with me, and even they comment on it's warmth. The coldest conditions It's been used in were in the Washington Cascades in Spring, on snow at about 6,000 feet. I can't say for certain how cold it got at night but I'm guessing in the 20's, since I was chilled in my 20 degree North Face Orion, while my brother stayed warm in the Coleman Crescent. But it's not just warm, it's comfortable too. It seems roomier than my other sleeping bags, and I tend to sleep better when I use it. It's made well too. I've had it since 2008 and it's still in great shape. You can tell by the feel of it, and by the look of it, that it's designed and built very well.

My bro staying warm in the mountains

One of my favorite things about this bag is the zipper guard, which is a plastic "case' that fits over the zipper to prevent snags, and it actually works. Nothing is more irritating then snagged zippers, and with my other sleeping bags it's a constant problem, but with the Coleman Crescent it's a non-issue.

The only gripe I have about this big is that it's big and heavy. It does not compact very well. This sleeping bag will probably only fit inside an 80 liter plus backpack. Otherwise you would have to strap it on the outside. I never tried it with a compression sack, but I'm sure you would be able to cut down on that bulk if you used one. On my scale the bag weighed in at 3pounds 8 ounces, which is lighter than the 5.2 pound listed weight on Amazon, but still on the heavy side.

Summary: 

This is a nice sleeping bag, and $50.00 is a good deal. Sure it's big and heavy (what do you expect for that price?), but it does what it's supposed to do: keep you warm. With the proper care it will last for years. If you're on a budget, or a beginning backpacker, or both, I highly recommend this sleeping bag for your all-around 3 season bag, especially if you live up north.

I know I just posted this pic on my last blog but it's in the only shot I got of the zipper guard. Check it out.

Gear Review: Big Agnes Insulated Air Core

What I love the most about this pad is that it's so comfortable. Despite my 230 pound frame, the 2.5 inch thickness ensured I never touched the ground. Even on rocky or hard ground this pad will ensure a comfortable night's sleep. My girlfriend has been using this pad lately and she sleeps like a baby on it. Other hikers I know who own one all rant and rave about how comfortable it is. The insulation seems to work well too. It keeps me warmer than other pads that I've tried, even on snow or frozen ground.

Inflating the pad is pretty easy, once you get the hang of how the valve works. At first it can be a bit tricky, but once you get the hang of it, the pad blows up in just a couple minutes. It packs up very small too. Certainly much smaller than a self-inflating or foam pad. With that being said, on long multi-day backpacking trips I have found inflating the pad everyday annoying, and prefer the simplicity of a foam pad.

Another reason I would chose foam on a long trip, is that I'm not convinced of this pads durability. I've had mine for 3 years now and have used it regularly, for both backpacking and car camping. This year however I was waking up in the middle of the night with a flat pad. At first I thought it was a valve issue. Maybe I wasn't tightening it enough. But after I ruled that out I submerged the pad in a bath tub to check for holes, there were none. Instead I found that the seam that holds the top and bottom together had failed, and air was leaking from dozens of holes in that seam, a spot entirely un-fixable with a patch kit. Needless to say, I'm taking mine back to REI, and have yet to decide if I'll buy a new one, or go an entirely different direction. I've heard nothing but good things about the Big Agnes Air Core, so it could be that I just bought a faulty one.

Summary: This bag offers the best comfort in backcountry camping, and is particularly good in the cold, and on rocky/hard ground. The problem is that because it's an air mattress, it's only a matter of time before it develops holes.

UPDATE 1 /26/15

I returned the pad for another Big Agnes Insulated Air Core. My new one went flat the first time out with it. Thinking I punctured it somehow I submerged it in the bathtub to find the leak, there were none in the pad. Instead, the valve itself had a slow leak. I contacted Big Agnes for repair and still have not heard back from them. When inflated properly, the Insulated Air Core is a very comfortable pad, but between the seem and the valve failing on two different pads, and the abysmal customer service I have received, I cannot recommend this pad. Do yourself a favor and look at Thermarest, REI, or NEMO instead.