Review: The North Face Blue Kazoo Sleeping Bag

- product provided for the purpose of review, with thanks to outdoorkit.co.uk -

Making the most out of the good days in winter sometimes means spending a night out wild camping or on a commercial campsite, if you want to be able to perform at your best the next day then you need a good night's sleep, for a good night's sleep you need a good sleeping bag and this is where I found myself lacking. 

Weighing in at 1.12kg, with an RRP of £250 and regular height of 183cm it's all round average 3 season sleeping bag. 

Not the most expensive, heaviest or longest.

Manufacturer's description:

• The North Face Blue Kazoo is a fully featured technical sleeping bag for three season use stuffed with 650+ Hungarian goose down.

Technical features:

• Comfort temperature -2
• Limit temperature -9
• Packing size of 16.5cm x 53cm  
• 650 fill goose down
• DWR finish
• Climashield™ Prism thermal pads
• Internal draft tube pockets
• Lightweight compression stuffsack

Feature breakdown:

The Blue Kazoo's -2 rating makes this a three season bag, remember to take sleeping bag ratings with a pinch of salt as they're often a degree or two off depending on how warm an individual sleeps and the type of sleeping mat used. The packing size seems large to begin with but this is uncompressed and one of the big benefits of down is how small you can squish it. The 650 fill goose down is pretty standard for sleeping bags, providing good warmth for weight and cost. The DWR finish will be crucial to the down bag's success when it starts raining, down is famous for failing as soon as it's wet so the DWR will have to keep all the moisture out or the bag's ability to insulate will fall. The Climashield Prism thermal pads are areas of synthetic insulation which provide better insulation under compression, stopping cold spots from forming.  

Now let's see how well these features perform when the sun goes down!

Field testing:

Dartmoor is a beautiful place during the winter and early spring, cold and crisp mornings with blues skies - if you're lucky! It's been a while since I last went camping so it was great to have an excuse to get out on the Moors and do some wild camping. 

The Blue Kazoo compresses really well, the large packing size which they include in the feature list just doesn't do it justice. The sleeping bag fits easily into the stuffsack which then rolls down before you clip straps around it and really squeeze the air out. I was really impressed how small the bag went compared to a synthetic bag with the same comfort rating. 

Left: uncompressed stuff sack. Above: fully compressed.

The bag lofts quickly once removed from the stuff sack, it's ready to use in no time - great if the temperature's dropping quickly. The 650 fill goose down provides a good level of warmth to weight, it's positioned well throughout the bag, there's definitely more on top where it's free to loft to its full potential. The footbox felt a little chilly and could probably do with a little bit more down, something for The North Face to think about if they make any changes to this bag next year.

The different features worked well, and there were some subtle features which I really appreciated. The zip pull glows in the dark, something I'd never think of including on a sleeping bag but great when it's pitch black and you need to escape the bag. There's something about the construction of the bag which makes it want to be the right way round, I've used sleeping bags in the past which move around a lot but the Blue Kazoo stays in the right position with the down on top. 

Glow in the dark zip pull.

Apart from the footbox, the Blue Kazoo is a really warm bag - it easily lived up to the -2 comfort rating for me, I was using my Thermarest Pro regular mat with the bag and had some really comfortable nights on the Moor. Easily compressed, loft quickly and weighing in at just over a kilo makes this a great 3 season bag. Impressive stuff from TNF.

Long-term use:

As we slowly move out of winter and into spring the Blue Kazoo is becoming too warm to sleep in, I've begun opening it up otherwise I risk overheating during the night. Not bad when the night temperature is still only a couple of degrees. The bag is holding its down well, with very little making its way out of the bag. 

The DWR coating is still strong, keeping moisture away from the down, it beads well and water runs off the bag easily with no wetting out. 

I've been thoroughly impressed with the Blue Kazoo and it's definitely got a place in my gear cupboard, I'm even looking forward to the cold weather coming back! 

------------

Thanks for reading, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank outdoorkit.co.uk once again for providing the Blue Kazoo for review. If you'd like any more information about the sleeping bag then please click here to go to the product page. 

If you have any questions about the TNF Blue Kazoo sleeping bag you can ask me or contact outdoorkit.co.uk through their Facebook or Twitter.

Review: Mountain Equipment Integrity Hooded Zip-T

- Product provided for the purpose of review, thanks to Cotswold Outdoor -

I don't know about you but I love wearing a hoodie, they're warm, comfortable and casual but they're also bulky and come with a low warmth-to-weight ratio. The Integrity Hooded Zip-T aims to dispel the negatives and offer a warm, low weight option for use out in the hills. 

Coming in with an RRP of £90, this jacket offers something between a fleece, softshell and baselayer - taking the best of each and combining to create a great all rounder. 

The Jacket: 

• The Men's Integrity Hooded Zip-T from Mountain Equipment is a close fitting, super stretchy, low bulk hoodie that will keep you feeling comfortable and dry for longer during your favourite activities.

Features:

• 100% Polyester
• Delta high density stretch knit fabric
• Low bulk
• Rapid moisture transfer
• Excellent abrasion resistance 
• Low profile relaxed hood
• Zipped chest pocket
• Flat locked seams throughout 
• Lycra bound hood, hems and cuffs
• Active fit

Breakdown: 

A hoodie made entirely from man-made materials, with lycra around the wrists and hood to stop any wind getting in. Similar to a baselayer in terms of rapid moisture transfer, low bulk and the flat locked seams but the hood, chest pocket and high density fabric make this a much warmer, standalone piece of equipment for dry, cool days or part of a layering system when the temperature drops or the weather moves in. 

Field Testing:

As winter (slowly) becomes spring, the need for a jacket like the Integrity becomes greater. A few climbing trips and some walking on the South West Coast Path meant excuses to use the hoodie came thick and fast, intense hill sections on the coast and belaying on Dartmoor gave me a good scope of what the Integrity can do. 

The lycra cuffs help keep the sleeves in a comfortable position.

I'll start with the performance while climbing. Long periods of being stationary then bursts of energy, sweat and movement can push top of the range jackets but the Integrity handled it well, the close fitting aspect of the hoodie helps with heat retention, the high density fabric provides some great insulation for its weight and the rapid moisture transfer handled my sweaty climbing with ease. The length of the arms stop the jacket from riding up, although they seem long to begin with the lycra cuffs keep the sleeves from covering my hands, they also help keep the wind out by keeping the Integrity tight to my skin. A mix of features makes this a really useful piece of kit for climbing in - very impressive stuff.

The chest pocket - perfect for a compass or snack while walking.

Over to the South West Coast Path, I tend to generate a lot of warmth when walking which can cause problems with kit that isn't breathable enough. The Integrity however did well, as a midlayer it could have easily picked up a lot of moisture but it shifted it well and kept me dry under my hardshell. The comfort of the hoodie was great, along with the fit and cut too - things which can cause issues over a full day of walking. 







Each feature of the jacket works well, from the subtle zip guard on the chin to the fabric and how soft it is next to my skin. I really liked how tight fitting the jacket was while still keeping true to its sizing. By having the fabric come right next to my skin it minimises big pockets of air which can keep you colder for longer. 

The bottom hem of the Integrity is stitched with lycra too, this works with the extra length they've put in the back to keep the Integrity down around the bum, stopping it from riding up and letting wind or rain in. I like the yellow line detail too, it's a small way of keeping a clean theme throughout the Integrity. 

Long-term use:

As time wearing the Integrity goes on I've begun to really fall in love with this piece of kit, it's comfortable and warm, lightweight and packable, it's become a go-to piece of kit for the majority of the activities I do. 

The perfect mix of style and efficiency - Mountain Equipment have ticked all the boxes with the Integrity.

I'd definitely recommend the Integrity Hooded Zipped-T to a friend!

-----------


I'd like to thank Cotswold Outdoor once again for providing the Integrity for review, to check out the product on their website click here. 
If you've got any questions about the Mountain Equipment Integrity Hooded Zipped-T then please feel free to ask me or contact Cotswold Outdoor through their Twitter or Facebook.