The first thing that caught my eye about the Coleman Kompact Sleeping Bag was: no PFAs! When everything out there seems to have hidden PFAs in it, it’s a relief to be able to source safer materials for my family. This is a really great initiative, and I hope many other companies start offering PFAs-free products too.
The box it arrives in is small at 9½ “ x 9½” x 16”. The sleeping bag roll itself is only 10” wide x15” long. So it really is compact, as promised.
I noticed many thoughtful touches. The fabric outside is slick and smooth, but the fabric inside is soft and cozy. The fabric and fiberfill on the inside extend an inch past the zipper on one side, creating a small flap to prevent drafts. There are little toggles and loops on the outside, to help keep it folded when rolling up. The zipper pull on the inside is big and easy to grab. They’ve added a big red plastic nubbin to the top of the zipper pull, to prevent fabric from being caught in the zipper when closing.
We don’t have any camping trips this month, so I tried it out inside. I can’t speak to how it performs in cold weather, but I can tell you that in a 70 degree house, the zipped-up sleeping bag is toasty. However, it is only a 30 degree bag– and when I held it up to a bright light I could see light through the fiberfill– so if I were using this in cold weather, I’d add a blanket or tarp on top to increase the heat trapping.
The stuff sack has a fabric cap (like a rain fly) at one end that covers the top hole of the stuff sack, and that cap connects with a built-in fabric cap at the other end via two cinch straps. The cinch straps make convenient handles for carrying or for tying on to a backpack. However, at both ends are round circles of a somewhat noisy and crinkly material that has sales information printed on it: “Coleman Kompact 30* SLEEPING BAG, COLETHERM MAX, Premium & Lightweight Fill with Superior Heat Retention, COMPRESSIBLE STUFF SACK For Optimal Storage…” etc. along with a picture of the sleeping bag, warranty info, and bar code. Essentially, the ends of the stuff sack have all the shelf data. This is unpleasant; when I go on vacation, I don’t want to take advertising into the wilderness with me. And it creates visual clutter when hiking.
Coleman uses a string system called “Quick Cord” to bundle up the sleeping bag. When the sleeping bag is rolled up, a sewn-in string loop at the foot of one half is caught and pulled by a string-and-clip on the other half. It’s clever, but it doesn't seem safe to have a cord loop built in. If I had young kids, I would clip the loop on one side and just tie up the bag normally.
Overall, this is a nice lightweight sleeping bag that was thoughtfully designed. And no PFAs!