If they wanted to skimp on fabric, it should have been used on the outside and bottom of the bag! On the Pacific Crest Trail, I learned the importance of a GPS satellite communicator, and it’s been a trail companion ever since. I’ve upgraded my Garmin InReach Mini to the Mini 2 to take advantage of the longer battery life and improved satellite acquisition time. And it pairs nicely with the Garmin Explore and Messenger phone apps for expanded functionality. First-aid kit contents get used or go missing over time, so I like to replace mine every so often. Armed with the knowledge and skills from umpteen Wilderness First-Aid courses over many years, I tend to carry a lot less, so the Medical Kit 0.5 from Adventure Medical Kits (3.6 ounces, $23) fills the bill, with a few extras tucked in.
Ear buds, compliments of Delta Airlines, complete the package. An emergency rain poncho from Walmart (Ozark Trail, 1.4 ounces, $3) lives in my day pack, so on those days when you leave the house without a rain jacket, well, at least you’re covered. Ben’s (maker of the ultimate bug repellent) Invisinet does the trick (1 ounce, $12); it resides in the pack during bug ozark trail canopy season. I do a lot of winter backpacking and needed a bag for my big, but short haired, canine companion. I picked this up at Walmart one day and have had it for two years it has withstood 4 continuous months of winter backpacking the AT. This involved a big dog crawling in an out of it every night for a third of a year and never once tearing it with his claws.
If I could change anything…maybe make it just a tad wider for us big guys. Nonetheless, I was still comfy and warm, and that’s what the bag is designed to do. The facts of its weight and price are huge added bonuses in my book.
To my surprise (shock actually) the Ozark Trail Cocoon 200 down sleeping-bag I got from Walmart early last year gave me more than what I paid for…and in all truth…it is the best entry-level sleeping bag I have come across in over twenty years. Find the best sleeping bag/pad for your next outdoor adventure using our independent reviews and ratings. A small belt pack serves as a wallet and place to stash incidental stuff that you want to keep handy. Bean’s Stowaway Hip Pack (4 ounces, $30), my go-to, has three compartments and a key fob.
I imagine it would hold up for a while with only a person using it. In addition…the bag was also subjected to three days and two nights of biblical proportion rainstorms during the month of October 2013. There is a lot of truth to the old adage…you get what you pay for…though many times you do not get what you pay for…and only rarely do you ever get more than what you pay for.
The Ozark Trail Cocoon 200 comes with a large zipper that is available in both a left and right option. The large zippers are a bit of overkill in my opinion…but for folks who like to pull their way out of a difficult situation when it comes to zippers…the overly-robust zipper should prevent some unpleasant mishaps resulting from unwarranted zipper pulling. As unimaginable as it is…the following is a highly favorable review of a wonderful piece of kit manufactured by a company that has a less than perfect reputation. I think the expensive bags are just marketing and overengineering, unless you are going to the arctic. You can buy an expensive bag if you think it will make you more hardcore, but I will gladly tell everyone how hardcore you are if you pay me to do so. I was on a budget so I figured I would go with a less expensive bag.
I can’t say I was warm, but I wasn’t shivering, freezing, or cold either, although I did wear 2 layers of clothing. I won’t ever buy an expensive sleeping bag after carrying this cheapo, unless I can find a cheap bag that weighs a lot less. Along the zipper a grosgrain zipper-stiffener and a pleasantly over-sized draft tube runs the entire length of the bag…features one comes to expect of high-end bags to be sure…but not something I would necessarily expect from an $80 sleeping-bag. I have never really had the problems with zippers that others complain about…but in the year of testing I have subjected this bag to I was always easily able to zip the bag open and closed using a single hand…and the draft tubes kept that cold zipper and drafts on the other side of my warm pocket of air.
The hood also includes a full-collar with shock-cord pulls to cinch it snugly around the head and neck preventing the loss of precious heat. Browse Ozark Trail’s top-rated sleeping bags and pads and more. Backpacking Light community posts are moderated and here to foster helpful and positive discussions about lightweight backpacking. Please be mindful of our values and boundaries and review our Community Guidelines prior to posting. We woke in our tent to low to mid 30s for four nights and we felt absolutely frozen every night, particularly our feet. Our torsos were warm enough by wearing ALL our clothes and pulling the hood all the way down over our faces allowing no cold air, but our feet were in danger of damage, even with two pairs of wool socks.
The zipper broke on my warm weather bag on the second night out. Too bad too because overall I’ve had good luck with Ozark Trail stuff. Too bad the buyer at Walmart has gone to sleep on quality control on this product. Tent stakes seem to go missing in the field like socks disappear in the dryer at home. MSR sells the Mini Groundhog in a six-pack (0.35 ounces each, includes the all-important pull loop) for $30. With a spool of generic 2-millimeter window shade lift cord ($8), I was able to tie lines from loop to loop throughout my tent interior to use for hanging my sweaty socks, damp shirt and such for drying overnight.