Okay, I know many of you are asking, “Why would I need a sleeping bag in warm weather?” To which I would respond; you have a valid point. If you have ever camped in the deep south during the summer months, let me tell you, it’s warm. I’m talking about 80 degrees at 2 a.m.
However, for those of us who have been camping all along the Pacific Coast Highway during Summer, the Besteam SA-77 ultra-light sleeping bag works great as the temperature can still dip quite a bit overnight.
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- Besteam SA-77 Ultra-light Sleeping Bag: Check Price
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Table Of Contents
Warm Weather Construction
The secret to this super light sleeping bag lies in its construction. Made with a nylon shell and a pongee polyester liner, this remarkably lightweight bag is filled with 100% polyester to keep you and your favorite teddy bear cozy-warm in temperatures hovering around the 48-degree mark.
I admit, I thought Pongee was one of the 101 Dalmatians when I first heard the name. As it turns out, it’s actually an incredibly tough and finely woven polyester thread. This gives the final product a silk-like feel. The SA-77 has a durable, super comfortable, and lightweight profile while keeping you surprisingly warm.
Measuring just over 6′ L X 2′ W, this bag gives the average size person plenty of room from head to toe. However, it might leave you feeling a little claustrophobic as it does run a little narrow.
Weighing in at around 1.5 lbs, and compressing to roughly half of its stored size, this compact companion will certainly earn its place among your Summer gear. I even turned the carry pouch inside out and padded it with a few clothing items to create a makeshift pillow.
Build Quality
It’s tough to believe that something this lightweight can actually perform the way it’s supposed to. Thanks to the nylon outer shell, the SA-77 does an excellent job of keeping you dry from tent moisture build-up.
The zipper is quality enough for a lightweight bag. However, it does tend to get caught in the fabric every now and then. As thin and durable as the material is, it’s usually not an issue to back out the zipper and give it another go.
Another thing about the zipper, it does not fully close at the foot of the sleeping bag. There is a small gap where the zipper stops short. Now, I’m not sure but I think this may have something to do with the fact that the bag will completely open up and lay perfectly flat.
Not only does it function like a blanket very well, but this feature will allow you to zip two sleeping bags together to form a single large sleeping bag or a large blanket-type covering.
At the top of the sleeping bag, there is a hook-and-loop patch with badging on a flap. This is a zipper keep to make sure you don’t unintentionally unzip yourself during the night. A nice touch.
This bag does an amazing job of keeping you pleasantly warm on an otherwise chilly night.
Travel-size For Convenience
Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty. The other superpower of the Besteam SA-77 is its compact size. The storage bag allows it to compress down to an advertised 7″ L X 5″ W. Seeing as how this “champion-of-chill” unfurls into a full-sized sleeping bag, its ability to store easily in your 4Runner’s glove box or snugly into the storage compartment at the rear of your rig is very impressive.
I was able to use the built-in compression straps on the storage bag to cinch my SA-77 to about 10″ X 6.5″. Not quite the advertised size, but impressive just the same.
Storage
Rolling up the SA-77 is easy, however, getting it back into the carry pouch can be a task. The technique I’ve found to work best is to lay the pouch at one end of the sleeping bag, to start. I’ll do this as a visual reference so I can see how small I need to roll the bag up in order to fit into the pouch.
I’ll fold the sleeping bag long way, over on itself, in a triple-fold style. This should be the same width as the carry pouch.
From here, I start with the feet side and roll tightly towards the open end of the bag. I don’t think it matters which way you roll it up, so long as you keep it tight and on track.
As you roll them up, most sleeping bags will start to drift to one side or become uneven, like my 5th-grade haircut. This one is no exception. Stay tight. Stay on track. That’s the secret.
Once you’ve got it sized perfectly, fit the sleeping bag into the carry pouch by loosening the drawstring toggle all the way. It’s worth noting that the compression straps might also come undone but that’s okay here. You’ll want every bit of “give” you can get at this point. They’re easy enough to refit once you’re done.
After you’ve finished shoving the SA-77 into its carry pouch, pull that drawstring nice and snug to prevent it from escaping. If the compression straps along the outside of the carry pouch have come undone, don’t lose your cool, I’ve got you.
Take the loose side of the strap, slide it under the strap buckle, and up through the rear slot. Now, bring that loose end down through the other slot in the buckle. Give it a little pull to create resistance.
I recommend waiting until you have all four sides in this “ready” position before you begin compression. Otherwise, you could add too much tension to the bag to get the other buckles set.
Hidden Feature
There’s a cool little feature on the carry pouch, that I have found to be quite useful. On the bottom of the pouch, where the straps cross, the outer strap is folded and stitched to form a grab handle. Having this handle makes the SA-77 very easy to clip to the outside of a backpack, or hang from a MOLLE panel.
Final Thoughts
I have used this sleeping bag quite a few times so far. I can honestly say that it does a great job of keeping me perfectly warm on those chilly nights along the West Coast. Usually sleeping in not much more than boxers and maybe a t-shirt, the Besteam SA-77 ultra-light sleeping bag has not let me down in providing a warm and lightweight option among my travel gear.
Due to its compact size and lightweight build, I will sometimes toss it in a duffle or store it in my truck as a backup option, even when I plan on staying in hotels. Some of those rooms have been questionable.
The feature of being able to fully open the sleeping bag to lay flat served us well. While on a camping trip to Lake Nacimiento in California, my wife and I had set up our air mattress in the tent and just used the fully opened SA-77 as a blanket covering that kept us warm all night.
To pack it all up, The Besteam SA-77 has proved to be a durable, lightweight, and compact option for Summer camping. Or, even Spring and early Autumn. It takes up very little space and adds hardly any weight to your gear. It’s ideal for backpackers and campers as well. The open flat and zip-two-together feature works great for when your kids’ friends come by for a sleepover. Add it to your gear and share how it works for you in the comments!
