Australian Hiker | Sea to Summit Spark Women’s Down Sleeping Bag −9°C Regular

Weight (regular) 930 grams
Recommended Maximum User Height 170 cm
Comfort Rating - Women -9°C

Cost $799.90

Sea to Summit Spark Women’s Down Sleeping Bag −9°C Regular

Sleep Systems

Rating

Rating:	8.8 / 10
Weight	1.7 / 2
Value for Money	1.8 / 2
Durability	1.6 / 2
Warmth	1.9 / 2
Versatility	1.8 / 2

Sea to Summit Spark Women's Down Sleeping Bag −9°C Regular Review

If you’re looking for a sleeping bag that will keep you cosy when the temperature drops then the Sea to Summit Spark Women’s Down Sleeping Bag −9°C is for you.

I feel the cold so I’m always on the hunt for a warm sleeping bag. Up until now I have been using Sea to Summit’s Flame IV Women’s Sleeping Bag which is being replaced by the newer Spark range. With this change Sea to Summit is making a number of enhancements and also making it easier to pick the right bag for your needs by simplifying the naming. As the name suggests, the Spark −9°C Sleeping Bag will keep me warm down to temperatures of −9°C not that I deliberately seek out those extremes but it’s good to know. The new Spark range also comes in 7°C and −1°C versions so there’s plenty of scope to meet your needs.

Sea to Summit is one of a growing number of companies that use ‘ethical down’ which is a polite way of saying they don’t pluck down from living birds. This does increase the cost but is clearly a more a humane way of collecting the down. The down is also hydrophobic which means it repels water so if it gets wet, it will still keeps you warm. The Spark -9°C has 850+ ‘fillpower’ goose down that has a non-PFAS Ultra-Dry Down treatment to enhance thermal performance.

The Spark −9°C also has an ultralight, breathable 10 Denier nylon liner and a 10 Denier shell with PFAS-free DWR that ensures the hood and foot box are water resistant. However, if you are really rough with your gear then there is potential for you to damage the bag – this is not the bag you want loan to a novice hiker friend, or use as a hire bag.

The Women’s Spark −9°C is designed for women so is a little narrower at the shoulders but having said that I do have broad shoulders for my size and didn’t feel constrained by this bag. The women’s bags are also wider at the hips and knees which accommodates side sleepers, like me, very well! The hood on this bag can be adjusted close around your head and to be honest, I do find that all too much but then again, when it’s cold enough I appreciate the opportunity to snuggle down.

The length of the regular size is 170 cm which suits my 165 cm height well. The three temperature options of this bag also come in a ‘long’ version that is 185 cm.

I prefer a bag that weighs very little and packs down to almost nothing. This bag weighs 930 grams and Sea to Summit suggests it packs down to a compressed volume of 8L but you have to try really hard to get it that small. So while cosy and warm, the downsides are a bit more weight and bulk than I prefer. Its worth noting that the men’s equivalent, the Spark -9°C bag, weighs 200 grams less (apparently men feel the cold less).

The Spark has a grey and yellow outer colour with a grey lining – previous versions had a yellow inner which wasn’t the best colour to hide the dirt so its good see this change. I use a Sea to Summit Silk and Cotton Bag Liner so the inner colour is never an issue for me. Another change is that the shell isn’t as translucent as the previous Spark version. When I first got that bag out of the storage sack I thought there were stains on it but it was just that the shell was almost translucent and the darker colour down shows through.

Over the past few years Sea to Summit has included a design feature on all their higher end bags which is to have horizontal down baffles on the upper body and vertical down baffles on the lower body. This means the correct amount of down is kept on the specific area of the bag to keep you warm. Also, the zip arrangements are good and ensure the bag is easy to get into and out of in hurry when nature calls in the middle of the night.

There are few things to be mindful of with the Spark. The lightweight material used in the construction will require you to ‘handle with care.’ The fact that this bag is relatively compact and lightweight (the regular sized bag weighs in at 930 grams and the long is 1027 grams) also means that it is not cheap. The RRP is around AUD $799.00 (Regular) and while similar to previous versions, it’s still a lot of money but Sea to Summit does offer a lifetime guarantee which says a lot about the confidence in this bag to perform.

The Spark has a lot of warmth and length options and for me, the Spark Women’s -9°C Sleeping Bag Regular is the perfect fit for my needs!

We Like

RDS-certified, 850+ fillpower goose down with a non-PFAS Ultra-Dry Down treatment for maximum thermal performance
Ultralight, breathable 10 Denier nylon liner and a 10 Denier shell with PFAS-free DWR keeps the hood and foot box highly water resistant
YKK #5 zippers with zipper plow provide reliable, snag-free operation
Women’s specific fit
Technical hood and anatomically-shaped footbox provide excellent warmth retention
Full box baffles for maximum warmth (-9°C | 15°F)
Sea to Summit Guarantee is offered for the Lifetime of this product
Couples can connect bags together using the Quilt Lock

We Don't Like

Take care of your bag given the 10 Denier fabric
The price! This isn’t a cheap bag but then you get what you pay for

Best Uses

The perfect bag for ightweight hikers who want maximum warmth, minimum weight and that right size in their sleeping bag

Buy One

You can purchase the Sea to Summit Spark Women’s Down Sleeping Bag −9°C Regular from Snowys, or from Wildfire Sports

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