» Lippi Selk' Bag 2

Lippi Selk' Bag 2 Reviews

Customer Rating:
Summary: Not for below 30F
Comment: First outing. Tent. 15F with 2 thermal layers.....brrrrrr!!!!
Head covering does not stay on. Must wear a cap. Inner hand zippers are useless.
This bag is rated 15F survival rating. I wouldn't survive. However above 30F should be bearable.
Bottom line...wear a snow suit gloves and a hat=Selk' Bag-2.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Not Just a Novelty
Comment: When I decided to get this bag, I was apprehensive. I consider myself an outdoors-man, and sometimes I camp out when it's really cold. I was worried BEFOREHAND that:

A) The quality of the product would not match the quality of something that I would buy at REI or Moosejaw, etc.
B) Having my appendages separated would be completely inefficient and I'd end up freezing to death. (ie. Selk Bag is to mummy bag as gloves are to mittens)
C) It would be too bulky with all the extra material to pack down like a mummy bag of equivalent rating.

However, I was pleased to find after owning it for about half a year now (and especially now that it's getting REALLY cold at night) that:

A) Aside from a few loose threads here and there, the workmanship is great, and shows few signs of wear after a number of trips. I would say the quality is on par with any bag you'd pick up at REI.
B) This bag is (generally) well rated. It stands up very well to cold weather, and I think that it's baggy enough that there is still a column of air being heated inside the bag. I don't know if I'd call it a +15 bag, but it does pretty well in +20 conditions (without having to have layers on).
C) It is a tad on the bulky/heavy side, but still manages to pack down pretty easily and well. The compression sack that they ship it in is AWFUL, but you can pick a good one up for $20-$25 without a problem, and this, I've found, helps a lot.

In my opinion, the added bulk/weight of the bag is more than balanced by how great it is to be able to stay warm while moving around a cold campsite before going to bed and when waking up in the morning. Something I hadn't considered, but that turned out to be a great blessing for someone like me who likes to sleep face-down, is that it completely frees me to sleep how I like. In my old mummy bag, it was always kind of awkward to sleep on my side or stomach, especially when trying to attach it to a sleeping pad. In the Selk Bag, my sleeping pad just becomes my bed, and keeping myself on it is easy.

The only real complaint I have with the bag is this: NO FOOT VENTILATION. There are leg vents around the knee, but I've found that even when it's absolutely FREEZING out, as soon as I start to warm up, my feet start sweating, and pretty soon I feel like I'm kicking at sticky sheets that won't come off me. Wearing socks is pretty much a must, even if you want to sleep naked in it. The rest of the bag seems to air our pretty well if you need it to, but it's just impossible to get air to circulate down to your feet. Another small complaint is the sizing. I'm 6' 2" and 160 lbs, and the larger size is just too big to stand in. For lying down, it's acceptable, but when I stand up and try to walk, I start pulling the bag away from my feet with every step. I've solved this problem by keeping a belt nearby that I can throw on when I need to, but it'd be great if it had draw cords on it to cinch it down at key places (knees, waist, shoulders, etc.), but it could at least have belt loops around the waist for those tall, skinny people. If you're not sure about the sizing, take into account that unless you're like 6' 5", the large size will probably feel too big on you (although I've not tried on the smaller one to compare, so take that with a grain of salt).

Anyway, taking into account that this bag will only really be comfortable in a pretty cold environment (cold enough to want to wear a sweatshirt, at least), it's great for camping, or for just loafing around the house with the heating off. I haven't tried driving in it yet, but I've thought it would be a fun way to do a road trip in the winter. If you're not interested in camping in it, or live in a warmer part of the world, I'd recommend checking out the Selk Bag 1. I've not had a chance to use one, but you definitely won't be happy with how warm this one will get you for loafing around in a air conditioned house or if the nights only get down to 30*F.

Happy Trails!

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