This review is going to be done in two parts. The first part is the condensed Cliff’s Notes version with simple bullet point facts and thoughts. The second is the full, long winded, story. Read both if you want a full picture of the weekend, or if you are distracted by shiny objects, stick to the cliffs.
Cliff Notes
Temperatures and Weather
- The temperatures dipped down to the mid twenties, or 63 degrees if you ask Walter’s (Weisenber) left wrist
- It snowed for most of the night, there was a solid covering on the ground and my tarp when I woke up
All Insulation Used
- Winter Yeti 2/3 length UQ
- GG Thinlite ¼” pad folded over under feet/legs
- Mountain Hardwear Ultra Lamina 15 degree sleeping bag
Clothing Worn
- Synthetic Thermal Pants
- SmartWool Thermal Shirt
- Fleece Lined Rain Pants
- Wind Proof Fleece Shirt
- Balaclava on my head
Note: I had more than this initially, but had to shed layers because I was hot.
Pros of Winter Yeti
- Very, very, very well made – feels solid
- Incredibly easy to setup – Almost idiot proof (too many good idiots in the world)
- Keeps you warm – I fell asleep in it accidentally while testing
Cons of the Winter Yeti
- It slipped off my left shoulder a couple of the times I woke up to roll over/readjust
- The stuff sack is too small for my hand to fit in making stuffing a bit of a challenge at times
Final thought(s)
- Brandon makes remarkable products and the Winter Yeti is no exception
- If I could find something else that is not a pad for under my feet, I’d be in heaven.
Me Being Long Winded
I just got back from my first winter hang this weekend, and with it come my initial thoughts of the Winter Yeti. The trip itself was nothing too special, a single overnight trip with my hiking group, The Great Smokies Hiking and Adventure Group. We travelled to Virgin Falls in Crossevill, TN. This was the 4th in a series of backpacks I did to Virgin Falls which I named “4 Seasons at Virgin Falls.” It’s best not to ask why, how, or where I come up with these things. Just smile and nod!
The weather for the trip was quite enjoyable. During the hike the temps hovered in the mid-thirties most of the day. I stayed warm with just a base layer and windproof fleece on. The temperature at night sunk down into the mid twenties at the coldest. Our camp was at the base of the 40’ Big Laurel Falls. The falls were in rare form with much more volume flowing than the previous three times I had been to them. As such there was a great deal of spray coming off the falls. Fortunately I found some nice trees a distance away and didn’t have to worry about it. It started snowing about 6pm and continued to snow for most of the night. It wasn’t a heavy snow, but enough to give the ground a solid covering. Okay, enough about the weather and the camp, on to the topic at hand: The Winter Yeti.[
I was very skeptical when I purchased the Winter Yeti. Not because I thought it would be a bad product, but because I was breaking one of my cardinal rules: don’t buy something unless you’ve laid your hands on it! This is actually the second time I’ve broken this rule for Brandon, and I can say I intend to break it again, and again. When I took the Winter Yeti out of the box I was absolutely amazed at how solid it felt. It didn’t feel fragile at all. I was very, very, impressed by this. The amount of fill in the WY was quite exceptional, and I just knew it would keep me warm down to the lower temperatures. It wasn’t until I got out into the field I realized just how nice a piece of gear this is.
Setup for the WY was a breeze. In fact I would rank it very highly just for how absolutely idiot proof the thing is. If you can tell the difference between a white snap and a black snap, then you can probably set this thing up correctly, and I only say “probably” because I’ve met a lot of really dumb people. There’s no worrying about sag or hang because the differential baffles ensure you won’t compress your down when you lay on top of it, and this means there’s really nothing more to do with it than put the shockcord loops over the gathering at the ends of the hammock. I’m a big fan of easy setup simply because after a long day of hiking the last thing I want to do is worry about using brain cells to hang my insulation properly.
So it’s easy to setup, but how well does it keep you warm? Well, my first experience sleeping in it was absolutely inadvertent. I setup the hammock, WY, and put the ¼” GG Thinlite sleeping pad under my feet. Then I laid down in it to test the hang and make sure everything was good. I hadn’t gotten my top insulation out, and still managed to fall asleep for a good 30 minute power nap. The only clothes I was wearing were thermal pants and shirt, fleece rain pants, and a fleece wind shirt. I was quite surprised that I’d managed to doze off and that I managed to sleep that long when the temps were in the mid thirties. For the night I used my Mountain Hardwear UltraLamina sleeping bag (yes, sleeping bag, I’m not made of money).
The combination of these things kept me warm the entire night and the only time I was really woke up was when I got up to answer the call of nature. Occasionally I would wake up to roll over or readjust at which point I would check my setup to make sure everything was still good. I woke up the next morning after sleeping from 6:30pm-8:00am. Yes, for almost 14 hours I slept. I hadn’t felt that comfortable and that cozy ever in the back country.
A couple of potential downsides I noticed. Sometimes when rolling over or readjusting I’d stick my hand out to see if everything was okay and to make sure I hadn’t slipped down to the ground. A couple of those times the WY had come out from over my left shoulder. I sleep on a VERY wide diagonal, so this wasn’t that surprising. Additionally, and this is a very minor thing, the stuff sack for the WY is difficult to get my hand in making it a little harder to stuff the thing. Another inch diameter would have been great! It’s a small thing, but the small things count for something. Now if I could just find something to put under my feet that is not a bulky sleeping pad…
Overall this product is absolutely wonderful, and I’m glad I bought it. I fully intend to keep a close eye on any other innovations Brandon comes up with. Below are some pictures. Feel free to ask any questions you may have.
edit: I just realized that the pictures of the quilt itself turned out like crap. Many apologies...
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