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8th North Rim sleeping bag prototype completed

4/30/2013

We are very proud to announce that we've completed our 8th prototype for the North Rim series of sleeping bags.

The American-made North Rim series sleeping bags have been meticulously designed for the adventure backpacker who demands a comfortable and cozy night of sleep no matter where they end up.

We expect to have the North Rim series of sleeping bags ready for sale beginning June 1st. for $440.00 USD. They will feature right and left zip models in medium and tall sizes.

(beta) Specifications:

comfortable to 35°F
1lb. 8oz. (680g)
made with Primaloft One™ insulation and 1.1 oz. ripstop nylons

Key design elements:

insulation eliminated from bottom of bag; bag mates with sleeping pads
engineered for side, knee-up, or belly sleeping
mates to other North Rim series bags
exclusive Ardeth-designed Omni Battens
exclusive Snufflelufugus shoulder cargo baffle
1/4 zipper, in addition to full zipper expands temperature range
intended to mate with any 20" wide sleeping pad
HotBox compatible, creating a super-warm den for users with especially cold feet
designed and made in the USA

Sleep comfortably on your side, with a knee up, or on your belly.

Ardeth's exclusive Omni Battens allow layering of a Cathedral Quilt or clothing, integrating them into your sleep system.

A second, chest length zipper expands the North Rim comfort range

Our Snufflelufugus shoulder baffle also holds and small gear you'd like to keep at hand

Ardeth designed our miniature Omni Battens to be ultralight and indestructible, but still easy to use in the middle of the night

Keep even warmer without the added weight by attaching a rain jacket with our Omni Battens

Primaloft One™ insulation offers exceptional drape, reducing cold pockets of air in the bag

Snug up with our hood drawcord

warm, lightweight and highly compressible - and this is only a stuff sack

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6th and 7th North Rim sleeping bag prototypes completed.

12/6/2012

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We're happy to announce that we've completed two more prototypes for our North Rim series of sleeping bags. As we continue to refine our design elements and features, we move closer to have sleeping bags ready to sell. We proud to see our sleeping bag development distill into highly refined products for the backcountry traveler. We are testing our bags with a variety of materials and methods, hoping to provide the best American-made products available.

A few photos of the P6 construction and field test:

And a few of the P7:

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Fifth prototype sleeping bag completed.

5/17/2012

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We're happy to announce that the fifth prototype for our North Rim sleeping bag series is complete.
In this latest design, we've enhanced the signature features and versatility of the North Rim series to create a bag that is useful in a wide range of temperatures but maintains the light weight and low bulk that keep it in step with long-distance backpacking ethos.
The bag is still being tested in Yosemite National Park and on the Pacific Crest Trail, but preliminary data suggest that it will be comfortable to 30°F. It weighs just 23.5 oz. (1 lb. 7.5 oz., or 667 g). The insulation in the sleeping bag is PrimaLoft One, and the lightweight 1.1-oz. ripstop nylon is water repellent and durable.

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A better way to test sleeping bags than the EN 13537

3/30/2012

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The patent pending test uses credit card sized dataloggers.

When I started building sleeping bags, I found that I could not use the EN 13537 sleeping bag test standard - it was cost prohibitive and provided me with too little data. So, I started reading everything I could get my hand on about how humans generate and retain warmth. I started finding out that the EN 13537 standard just wasn't good enough. I needed something better.

I came to realize that testing a manikin in a laboratory would not provide anywhere near the results that I would get if I tested real people in the real world -- during real backpacking trips. Manikins are nothing like real people; we move, we perspire and, well, we're human -- we get up and down during the night, put on and take off clothing, and adjust our gear for comfort. So I set out to find a test method that would work, and what I found was a relatively simple, inexpensive, and repeatable method that will help us to build -- and buy -- sleeping bags.

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Our 4th prototype sleeping bag is complete!

3/16/2012

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    We are very happy to announce that Ardeth's 4th prototype for the North Rim sleeping bag series is complete. This sleeping bag series is intended for the lightweight backpacker who is looking for a bag that is more versatile than a strictly ultralight bag. The North Rim series has a greater width (32") along the torso and hips to allow for ease of movement for side sleepers, or someone who likes to sleep with one knee up, and those who tend to toss about in their sleep. The North Rim series has no insulation on the bottom of the bag, saving weight and bulk. Instead, it uses integral straps to secure it to a wide range of sleeping pads.
    Using 3 oz. Primaloft One insulation and 1.1 oz. ripstop nylon fabric, this 6' 6" long bag weighs 1 lb. 3.75 oz. and compresses down below 9" x 9" x 7". It is intended to comfortable down to about 30°F. Test results from our patent-pending sleeping bag test protocol will help us to establish the true temperature limitations of this bag.
    We hope to have testing completed by May 2012 and have this sleeping bag ready for market by June 2012.
    Ardeth sleeping bags are vegan and are handmade in America.
-Jason

Please click on any photo to enlarge

Primaloft One's excellent drape settles nicely around the sleeper, reducing dead air space.

In repose with one knee up.

Side sleeping.

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Why I like my GSI Bugaboo mess kit so very much

1/16/2012

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Properly executed backcountry vegan biscuits and gravy for two in the GSI Bugaboo.

I've had my aluminum Bugaboo mess kit for more than a decade. After I bought it, I used it for a bunch of years, and then it sat idle after I bought a titanium cookset. I set it aside in favor of a 5" SnowPeak 900 (30 fl. oz. at 6.2 oz.), which was perfectly suited for a lonely man of the mountains.

This cookset was also set aside in time because it was too small once I started backpacking frequently with a partner. Nancy and I initially carried the 5.75" SnowPeak 1400 cookset (47 fl. oz. at 7.4 oz.; MSRP $55.99), which is sized just right for two (don't forget the additional 14 fl. oz. in the lid/pan!), but we found it limiting—namely, it wasn't good for baking. And baking in the backcountry is something that we came to embrace with zeal.

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8th North Rim sleeping bag prototype completed

6th and 7th North Rim sleeping bag prototypes completed.

Fifth prototype sleeping bag completed.

A better way to test sleeping bags than the EN 13537

Our 4th prototype sleeping bag is complete!

Why I like my GSI Bugaboo mess kit so very much

The Tardigrade Outdoors blog

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