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Nanok Performance -5 first
look
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Price: £100.00
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Weight: 1690 grammes (including stuff
sac)
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Features: 100
per-cent heat-retaining fibre with no glue,
three-dimensional construction with MDI boxed quilting,
iridescent fabric on top of bag, base uses tougher 210T
Nylon, 120gms per square metre fill weight, person length
195cm, mummy shaped with neck baffle, adjustable hood, zip
baffle. Comfort rating -5C. Extreme rating: -12C.
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Fantastic attention to detail, realistic temperature
ratings.
Not the lightest bags around.
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The Concept Nanok are a new specialist sleeping bag brand from
Norway - you might have guessed at the Scandinavian connection from
the name - with the two founders having worked for Ajungilak and
other sleeping bag manufacturers for years.
In short, they're aiming to produce highly efficient sleeping bags
by looking at every aspect of the bag's construction and making small
gains everywhere, which should add up to a significant overall
improvement.
The Performance bags - there are four of them rated for comfort
from +10 to -10 C - are designed for active backpacking and climbing
use, there's also a 'Comfort' range aimed at car and base campers
with less emphasis on weight and bulk and more, on , well, comfort,
an 'Endurance ' range which is heavier than the Performance and a
top-end White Goose Down selection of three bags with 800+ fill power
down.
Features Nanok have incorporated all the obvious features
you'd expect from a quality sleeping bag like: adjustable hood,
shoulder, double-ended, full-length zip and zip baffles. The really
clever stuff though is invisible, unlike the spingly, spangly
irrisicent fabric used for the top of the bag...
First, the synthetic filling, a mix of different fibres, have no
glue in them. The glue is usually added to fillings before use for
ease of transportation, but means less loft. As a result, the Nanok
fill should loft better. Golite uses a similar principle.
Next, Nanok use what they call MDI or Multi Directional
Insulation. Effectively it's box quilting, but with the channels
running at right angles to each other to eliminate the cold spots that are formed when channels overlaying each other (but in the same orientation) are mis-stitched.
Finally, there's a 3D element to the construction with stiffer
fibres used in the sidewalls of the bag to stop the bag lying flat
and forming cold spots around the side of the body. Nanok borrowed
this design from top-end down bags and say it's a first for a
synthetic bag.
In Action The first thing that strikes you about the Nanok bag
is the mad, shiny, irridescent fabric used for the upper shell. Not
for shrinking violets - you'll either love it or hate it - it makes
the bag stand out, which is the general idea.
Weight of 1,690 grammes including stuff sac isn't feather light,
but then we reckon that the temperature ratings Nanok used are more
realistic than most and this bag really will keep you warm in
sub-zero conditions. We like the stuff sac too, it incorporates
compression straps and a squared-off base and top makes the packed
sac a near rectangular block that's easy to pack.
Although we haven't had the opportunity to use the Nanok in
sub-zero conditions, when we have used it, it's proved to be
generally good - warm, comfortable, roomy for our average height and
build, and mostly well designed.
The 3D business with the raised sidewalls really does seem to work
for a neat fit, there's plenty of foot room and the hood cinches down
well. One nice touch here is that the elastic shock cord used means
you can pull the hood down then back up over your head without having
to re-adjust the hood. Neat.
Our only real quibble is that the main zip baffle is unstiffened,
which meant it occasionally caught in the zip slider, but that's
hardly going to stop you sleeping.
This is a 'first look' rather than a full test simply because we
haven't been able to use the bag in the sub-zero conditions it's
rated for. Based on the general warmth and loft of the bag though,
we'd say the temperature comfort ratings are realistic.
Build quality and materials both feel first class and the cunning
construction techniques appear to offer genuine advantages. Not least
a great fit. The snazzy looks won't appeal to everyone, but
horizontal disco divas will swoon at that shiny fabric.
At 100 quid, you're getting a lot of bag for your money and we
reckon Nanok are a serious contender for your nocturnal cash.
Know more or want to?
If you'd like to add your own experiences of this product check
out our user review system and post your opinions to the world. If
you have questions you can mail
us direct, ask
Richard Gear or try a posting to our gear
forum.
