Sierra Designs Zissou 23 Sleeping Bag, 1st use…..cold…keep or return?

I would return it. A couple extra ounces of down would do a lot more than a liner.

Personally I would aim for 10F lower rating than my lowest expected temp or more if you’re a cold sleeper.  E.G. Whenever I bring my EE quilt to its rating temp (30F) I have to wear my down hoody; if I was consistently expecting 30F I would want a 20-10F quilt.

At 35 degrees you are right at the limit of the EN comfort rating of this bag. The EN lower limit is 23, which is where it will keep most people from going hypothermic. You might not be cozy, but you should live through the night.

That being said, if you plan on sleeping in mid to low 30’s often then you should either plan on layering up when sleeping for extra warmth or return that bag and find something more suited for that temp range.

Thank you. If I return the Zissou 23, then I would look at….

North Face Blue Kazoo

https://www.rei.com/product/103295/the-north-face-blue-kazoo-20-sleeping-bag

Sierra Designs Zissou 3S which is about 4 oz heavier than the

Kazoo. https://www.rei.com/product/896280/sierra-designs-zissou-3s-plus-sleeping-bag

Thoughts on those 2 compared? (I would get the Long)

Why not just add a liner?

Liners are a PITA if you are an active rotisserie style sleeper. And they rarely offer the claimed temperature boost. Consider a genuine 20F bag from a reputable company, and an R5 pad, or a second layer to boost your 3 season pad, such as 1/8″ thick evolite.

At 32F many would feel cold on an R 3.3 mat if using a sleeping bag rated for that temp.

Your SB does look thin for the 15oz or so of down is meant to have.

Hahahahahahah rotisserie sleeper

I ordered today the Zissou 23 which is 27/15. I know they are delicious to be inside bc I have tried them at store.

The Zissou i reported on does feel and look thin though its nice and light and would fare well as a summer bag….

perhaps keep both? But when you keep both, on any given trip there will be that decision to make: warm or cold bag?  Thats kinda of a PITA….

The only way to accurately compare the warmth of sleeping bags is to measure the loft. You should measure the loft of your SD bag. Now that you know your SD bag doesn’t keep you warm enough, you should be looking for a bag with more inches of loft. Temperatures are so dependent on the individual and how warm/cold they sleep and differing fill power makes comparing fill weights difficult.

Sleeping bag liners are not a weight efficient way of adding warmth. You are better off wearing down or synthetic poof clothing to add warmth.

The north face has been known for making poor quality products.

Which spec indicates loft?

I’m a little bit of a cold sleeper, but I know I would be cold on a 3.3 R pad at 32-35f, so I think Franco is right about your pad.

You want to lay the sleeping bag on the ground and measure the loft with a ruler. Some companies don’t list loft so you would need to email them.

Loft comparison is a misdirect. It’s about fill power, fill weight and fit.

How is loft comparison a misdirect? The measured loft is directly related to the insulative value of the sleeping bag.

No it isn’t,  if the shape/design/fabric used isn’t the same.

Take the exact same design and specs, apart from using heavier fabric in one and you will have the same insulation except that the one with heavier fabric will have less loft.

In fact there is a good chance that the heavier fabric will keep more warm air inside therefore it could be warmer too.

There are other factors, for example how much dead space there is and how much ,because of the design, warm air is pushed out every time you turn.

But that is just my opinion.

Humour me…… Which brand/type specs of liner I could get for the 34/23 Sierra sleeping bag? In the low 30s I was not warm but not freezing as long as I kept limbs close to my body. I didnt dress super heavy, my pad was 3.3R