We all had a sleeping bag when we were kids. For some of us it had our favorite superhero or cartoon character on it and for others it was a classic (see: older than dirt) version that belonged to our grandparents. Well, bags have come a long way and along with technological and design advancements, price has come a long way as well.
Sure, you can still get a bag for under $50 but you can also get bags for well over $1000 if you are so inclined. The bag we’re going to be looking at today is crazy feature-rich and comes with a price tag that is pretty tough to beat. Here’s our take on the Saker 0 (zero) from Peregrine Equipment.
Materials and Construction
The shell of the Saker 0 is made from a DWR treated, 30D 360T micro-ripstop nylon. This setup adds to the ability of the shell to insulate and to bead water keeping the inside comfortable and dry. To the touch, the shell is actually very soft with an almost combed cotton feel. The interior liner of the bag is made with the same fabric specifications though instead of being a micr-ripstop fabric, it’s smooth-weave nylon that feels fantastic, even against bare skin. The Saker 0’s insulation is a synthetic continuous fiber Perefill® (proprietary) and is very compressible.
The shape of the Saker 0 is a fairly standard mummy bag setup with the addition of an articulated foot box which I thought did a good job of letting my feet feel not so locked in place while still providing the advantage of close-quartered warmth. For the rest of moving through the bag’s construction, we’ll start at the top and work our way back down to the bottom:
The top/hood of the Saker 0 maintains the full insulation of the rest of the bag. It has a baffle that kind of looks like a big brim and aims to keep the face more protected from wind and cold. Within the baffle as well as on the bottom side of the hood opening there is a lockdown drawstring that can cinch the opening down until only your nose and mouth are open (for the record, it’s a good idea to keep your nose and mouth out of the inside of your bag unless you want a really steamy and damp environment!). Inside the hood there is also a full-circle neck baffle that separates the head from the rest of the body thus compartmentalizing warmth. This baffle is also able to be cinched down to the size of your neck with a drawstring for a more custom fit.
Coming to the full length, snag-free YKK zipper we find yet another fully insulated baffle which does a fantastic job of closing off any heat leakage that might occur through the zipper. Just in case you do want a bit of ventilation from the zipper, it is possible to unzip from the bottom or top depending on where you need it. Finally, and one of my favorite little features of the Saker 0 is the interior, zippered mesh pocket that sits right about at the chest. This is a fantastic spot for a flashlight, phone or whatever else you may want access to without having to get out of your sleeping bag and dig for in your pack.
Performance
The Saker 0 is – as the name would indicate – rated to 0° Fahrenheit. I’ve used the bag overnight in temperatures ranging from 10°f to -6°f. So how did it do? Well first, let’s talk about comfort; I found the fabric of the Saker 0 very soft and comfortable and it’s DWR finish preformed well where my breath – snoring – had laid down a fine mist during the night with no soaking at all. To me the neck baffle is a very nice tough and kept excess cold from sneaking down into the main compartment. On the right side of the neck baffle there is a hook-and-loop piece that finishes off the circle; while this was fine for most of the night(s), it did come apart a few times as I shifted in my sleep.
From a temperature point of view, the Saker 0 did very well. the one night I was out in -6°f (yes, I know it’s not rated for that) I was in a camping hammock and on a sleeping pad. During the night for whatever reason I kept sliding downward off of the sleeping pad so that my legs, from about the calf down, were not on the pad. Even in this temperature for which the bag is not rated, it did a good job with the exception of that part of my leg below the calf. To be fair, I was throwing a lot at it with no underneath insulation of anything and that part of my legs/feet were FREEZING by morning – but again, this is merely commentary and I don’t fault the Saker for that at all.
Overall
The Saker 0 comes in regular (86″x 32″x 20″) and long (92.5″ x 34″ x 22″) sizes – I have the long. It also comes with a seam taped ripstop nylon stuff sack for weather protection and a cotton storage bag for off-season preservation. While it’s not the lightest bag in the world, with the regular coming in at 4 lbs. 3 oz. (1891g) and the large at 4 lbs. 13 oz. (2191g), it is relatively lightweight and for a zero-degree bag brings a lot to the table. The biggest thing that stands out for me is the price tag. With some of its peers breaching the $1000 mark, the Peregrine Equipment Saker 0 is extremely well priced at $100.
This bag isn’t just about the bang for your buck though; this is a quality bag with a ton to offer and a great way for those who don’t want to spend a fortune to get into a legitimate cold-weather sleeping bag.
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