Big Agnes Blackburn UL 0

Big Agnes Blackburn UL 0

Editor: Cory McLaughlin

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Just the facts:

Specs + Sizing

Features

Design improves connection between pad sleeve and bag providing a roomier sleeping space without adding bulk

Sculpted contour allows the bag to drape around you, increasing insulation performance

Free Range Hood design gives you the freedom to lift your head while snuggled in the hood

Low profile cordlock lets you un-cinch the hood with one hand

Stretch fabric panel beneath hood creates a designated pillow pocket

DownTek™ water repellent down repels water while maintaining insulating value

Zipper Garage

Mate together left and right zip bags within a series

No-draft collar, No-draft wedge, No-draft zipper

Interior fabric loops for sleeping bag liners

Exterior loops for hang drying or storage

Mesh storage sack & nylon stuff sack

Construction + Materials

Superlight Nylon rip-stop shell fabric with high tear strength and a water repellent finish

Nylon Taffeta lining

Insotect Flow™ construction

Tapered vaulted foot box creates wiggle room for your feet with out creating large cold air pockets

850 fill DownTek™ water repellent down

Integrated full pad sleeve

Rectangular shaped bag

70″ / 178cm YKK #5

My Story:

Who likes to be cold? I am going to go out on a limb and say nobody likes to be cold. I mean, that is the whole reason we sleep with blankets at home of sleeping bags in the field. Well, when the weather gets cold and nasty we don’t have time to mess with a sub-par sleep system. We need the write bag the first time because sleep is important and it’s hard to get it when you spend the night shivering.

I had an Idaho hunt planned for late October and while I knew that I would be staying in a tipi with a stove and later a wall tent with a stove that did not mean that I could go unprepared. I knew from past experience that the stove is nice but when it goes out the cold has a way of biting you and pulling you right out of a deeps slumber. I wanted to be prepared for that cold and I needed a new bag.

The Big Agnes name is a common one around my house and with the guys I hunt with. I have past experience with many of their products and the high quality that I have enjoyed from this great company is certainly why I knew they would be the first place I would look for a new sleep system. A quick search told me that the Blackburn UL 0 would fit exactly with my needs. As I’m sure you gathered I review products and so I made arrangements to test and review the Blackburn UL 0 during my hunt.

My first night in the wilds of Idaho was an exciting one indeed. I settled into my sleeping bag with my mind still racing about the success of that evening and the nice bull elk I had just harvested. I was flat out beat when I got into my sleeping bag. All I wanted to do was sleep but there was a problem. I had grossly miscalculated the temperature and when I returned to camp I was sweating under the exertion of packing out part of my bull. Thinking that it would get cold I started a fire. That was a mistake of epic proportions. My tipi heated up and all would have been well had it not been nearly 50 degrees outside. I had way to much bag for the first night and though I was able to find some sleep it was pretty difficult to regulate my temperature. This bag is one toasty little sleep system when paired with one of BA’s insulated sleeping pads.

I spent nights alternating between the two sleeping bags that I brought as the extremely unusually warm weather was just a bit too much for this bag. I think that 45-50 degree temps are a bit high for this bag and I found myself often feeling overheated.  Yes I was a bit too warm but what I wanted to test was how well this bag worked in cold temps and what I found was that it is so good that you probably only want to use it during that type of weather. I can control many things in life but the weather is not one of them. I can only plan for what I think may happen. This year I was way off, well, for the first part of the trip anyway. Luckily as mentioned above I cannot control the weather and I was graced with some cold temperatures near the end of the trip.

Part of my trip was spent at a base camp. This was a nice camp with more of the luxuries of home. I was able to sprawl out on a nice big cot and use both a pad and another sleeping back underneath for comfort. The temperatures ranged from super warm, when the fire was rolling, to super cold, when the fire went out. I found that my happy time was when the fire was out. That is when I felt very comfortable in this great bag. The Blackburn is most certainly best suited for cold weather!

So here is what I think about the bag overall. I love the space that it has and I did not find that there was empty pockets that I would want to be brought in. I love the fabric as it is very comfortable and the bag snugs up nicely. The insulation works, trust me on this! The regular size bag is just under 3lbs and that makes is a solid choice for a backcoutry adventure when you expect super cold weather. It looks super cool and it functions. What more could you want?

I do plan to test this out in the super cold even if that means an evening sleeping in the snow in the back yard. I plan to do whatever I have to do to get into some serious cold weather and see how she holds up. I’ll update this review once that is done. For now I cannot think of anything I would change about this bag as I truly think is just another fantastic product from a company that seems to make that it’s standard fare.

Find It Here:

https://www.bigagnes.com/Blackburn-UL-0

What can be done better?

Nothing at this point. I really feel this bag is a winner and after I get a chance to hit some really cold weather I will update this post if that opinion changes, though I high doubt it will.