Coleman Big Basin Extreme Weather Sleeping Bag Review

Coleman has been a provider of quality products for over 100 years. I'm glad to see that things haven't changed. If you are looking for a quality product at a good price, it's easy to look to Coleman. Up for review today is one of their mummy style sleeping bags, the Big Basin Extreme Weather Sleeping Bag.

Features and specs:

For temperatures 0⁰ F to 20⁰ F (-17.78⁰ C to -6.67⁰ C)

Big and tall design for heights up to 6 ft. 6 in. (1.98 m)

Diamond ripstop polyester cover and polyester liner

Wide bottom for room to move your legs

Semi-sculpted hood helps lock in heat

Quilting construction eliminates potential cold spots

Thermolock™ full-length draft tube prevents heat loss through the zipper

Two-way no-snag patented zipper plows fabric away from the zipper

Unzip the bottom for extra ventilation on warmer nights

Stuff sack for quick and easy storage

Two way zipper for maximum ventilation

Stuff sack included

Dimensions: 39 in. x 92 in. (99.1 cm x 233.7 cm)

Five year limited warranty

The Coleman Big Basin Extreme Weather Sleeping Bag came in a nice looking color printed box with images of the product as well as it's features and specs. Opening the box revealed a sleeping bag, stuffed in it's stuff sack. Pulling out the sleeping bag revealed a large sized, mummy style sleeping bag. The Coleman Big Basin is designed for the big and tall person. At it's 39" wide and 92" long it will fit a larger or taller person. However, it can be used by anyone. While I am neither big or tall, I like room to move and the Coleman Big Basin provided that perfectly. I did not feel as confined as in a traditional mummy, yet at the same time I had some nicer features that are typically found in the mummy bags like the drawstring hood to keep the cold air out. Zippers were of good quality and sewn in well. The nylon construction appears highly durable and the fill showed no signs of clumping. The draw string worked well. Overall the fit and finish as well as the quality of construction and materials used were quite good. At this point I was anxious to see just how well it would perform.

Taking the Coleman Big Basin on an overnight campout, I was cozy warm. The Big Basin is rated at 0-20 degrees. 0 degrees being on the low side of the comfort range and 20 degrees being on the high side. It's easy for manufactures to sometimes fudge on these numbers, but the Coleman rating seemed fairly acurrate to me. While the temperature didn't get down to 0 degrees, it did get down to around 25-30 degrees. And I slept very warm and comfortable without being too hot or too cold. The stuff sack is also the right size. Whether being rolled up and put in the bag or just stuffed in, the included stuff sack worked well with both. I also really liked the built in baffle to keep out cold air along the zipper. The built in pocket also proved handy for small items such as wallet, keys or glasses.

The Coleman Big Basin Extreme Weather Sleeping Bag proved to be a high quality product that was very comfortable to sleep in with an accurate tempurature rating. The quality of materials and construction were also very high. I would have no problem recommending this product to anyone that does both a lot of camping and are hard on their gear, such as Boy Scouts. As a assistant scoutmaster, not only would it do well for a scout, it will do well for anyone. It is a bit on the bulky side as well as a bit on the heavy side, so it is not recommended for a backpacking bag. Based on it's design, features, qualtiy and performance, it has earned our Recomended Award. We will continue to update this review as to it's performance in colder weather as winter approaches. For more informantion and complete specs check out their website at
www.coleman.com.