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Therm-A-Rest Questar HD Sleeping Bag review

Written by Fiona

November 27 2017

The Therm-A-Rest offers 540g of 650+ Fill Power Nikwax Hydrophobic Down. It weighs 1062g (regular size) and is rated as a three-season sleeping bag with a comfort rating of 0C and a limit of -6C.

Features of Therm-A-Rest Questar HD sleeping bag

650+ Nikwax Hydrophobic down. Dries 3 times faster than untreated down without using dangerous PFCs.

Range of sizes:

Small weighs: 946g. Fits 156-168cm. Fill weight 470g

Regular weighs: 1062g. Fits 170-183cm. Fill weight 540g

Long weighs: 1166g. Fits 185-198cm. Fill weight 610g

Comfort rating: 0°C; Comfort Limit rating: -6°C; Extreme rating: -23°C

SynergyLink system with removable elasticated straps so you can secure the bag to a sleeping mat.

ThermaCapture seams trap body heat.

Zoned insulation to maximise warm in the right places.

Toe-asis Foot Warmer Pocket

Heat-trapping draft collar

Full-length zipper draft tube

Snag-free zipper

Cinchable hood

External zip pocket.

Compression stuff bag reduces bag by about 50%

Price: RRP £199.99

Seen at £184.99 (FREE UK & EU Delivery) at Ultra Light Outdoor Gear

See Therm-A-Rest

On test: Therm-A-Rest Questar HD Sleeping Bag

The G-Force spotted this sleeping bag in my collection of “kit to test” and decided it would suit him perfectly for a few overnight trips in the Scottish Highlands.

G tested it while sleeping in the back of his estate car and in the pop-up roof area of a friend’s campervan. (Sometimes he does get to enjoy the luxury of my campervan but only when I am not using the van!)

G needed a sleeping bag that would cope with winter night-time temperatures. While he was not sleeping in a tent, the temperatures in the car and van roof did plummet close to 0C.

(See further down this blog for my own testing at a later date.)

G’s report on the sleeping bag:

High quality: The sleeping bag is very well made and has some nice features, such as the extra down pocket in the feet area, the loop system to allow the bag to be secured to a sleeping mat and the hood, which can be tightened a bit for a snug around-the-head fit.

The zips seem to be of good quality, too, and there was no slagging or fiddling around to make use of the zip.

The quality of the fabric and materials of this sleeping bag are great.

Warm even when damp: Condensation and body heat can create a lot of dampness. This is especially true for me. I usually find that my normal down filled bag ends up with clumped up down which renders the bag a bit useless.

If you sleep in a car or van you do end up creating a lot of interior condensation, too.

The Therm-A-Rest Questar HD Sleeping Bag with its Nikwax Hydrophobic down worked a treat. Even when damp the bag kept me mostly warm and cosy (see point below). The dampness did not make the down clump up but rather it remained fluffy. I was really impressed by this compared to my normal down sleeping bag.

Pack away: The bag stuffs into the small-ish carry bag to make it easy to transport. It’s not the smallest packed-away bag that I have come across but if you balance, price, warmth and quality it does pack down to an impressively small-ish size.

Temperature rating?: My only criticism is that while the bag is said to be a three season and should keep people comfortable to 0C and as cold as -6C I disagree. I found I ended up a bit chilly in the middle of the night as the temperature dropped towards freezing.

I don’t think the temperature went below 0C but rather it hovered above 0C.

At 5C and even down to 2C I stayed quite warm but any colder and I felt the chill while sleeping. I am not prone to being cold so this means that if you do feel the cold at night you might need to add a few clothing layers or reserve the sleeping bag for temperatures that are not as chilly. A Scottish winter’s night can be very cold.

My own testing of the Questar 10

I agree with a lot of what G has said and would add that I really like the warmth and puffy, lightweight feel of the sleeping bag. It is extremely comfortable to sleep in and very warm on a mild to chilly night. However, there is a negative to point out. I really did not like the SynergyLink system. I wanted the sleeping bag to stay on the Therm-a-rest (I usually end up slipping off the sleeping mat in the night) and so I went to the trouble (and it is fiddly) of adding the elasticated straps that wrap around the mat.

But with these in place you can’t curl up with the sleeping bag around you. This is a big flaw for me.I like to have the freedom to move around and curl up with the bag wrapped around me but with the straps in place you must stay lying straight out. I’ll not use these again. Why not just add some kind of grippy surface ti the top of the inflatable sleeping mat?

Conclusion: The Therm-A-Rest Questar HD Sleeping Bag is not the lightest three-season. I have seen lighter bags but the quality of warmth, even when damp, is good. For the price the bag is a good buy but it’s worth noting that the bag is best kept for nights when temperatures do not go as low as 0C. I was most impressed by the hydrophobic down and I will be looking out for other products made with this as it means that the down stays warm and fluffy even when damp. Don;t bother with the SynergyLink system unless you can sleep lying straight out all night.

 

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