Gear Review: The North Face Furnace 35

I have had a few sleeping bags in my lifetime. I haven't been a big backpacker so I haven't ever had the need for a lightweight sleeping bag. That being said, all my bags have been heavy, synthetic bags. Recently I have taken up backpacking and gotten into cutting weight down tremendously. The last time I lugged my synthetic bag out into the woods for an overnight trip, I vowed that I would never again carry a sleeping bag over 3 pounds with a temperature rating above 35º.  I knew I could cut a lot of weight, considering my bag weighed 44 oz., and the time had come to make a change.

I picked up The North Face Furnace 35º down bag on backcountry.com. They were having a sale and I couldn't resist the bargain at $130. Finally, I have a 35º bag that weighs in at just 27oz. I know that's not "ULTRALIGHT" but it's definitely an upgrade for me. Just having a down bag is an upgrade. To Hell with synthetic bags. Never again. It's like I have been living in some cruel world where I can only freeze to death in my tent on nights where I should be super warm. Even with a thermal liner in my old sleeping bag, I would still freeze in the high 30s wearing layers of clothing and thick socks.

This past week I took my new bag out for a test drive and, let me tell you... it was AWESOME.

The Furnace is a great sleeping bag. The fact that it's down allows you to shove it in your bag and make room for important stuff and, because it's a relatively light 3-season bag, the down springs back really quickly and gives you plenty of loft. The comfort limit is 43º but the temps dropped into the high 30s overnight and I still woke up feeling a little warm. I found myself able to wear only a pair of nylon shorts and a nylon shirt to bed. No socks! How awesome is that? Temps in the 30s and here I am wearing shorts and a t-shirt to sleep. It didn't hurt that I drug my Alps Mountaineering self-inflating foam pad out for this trip but I doubt there would be a difference between that and my Klymit X-frame considering how warm this thing is. 

My Klymit X-frame fits perfectly into this baby.

The limits of this bag are pretty accurate.

The only thing bad I can say about this bag is that the stuff sack is kind of a waste of space. It adds weight and because it isn't a compression sack or waterproof, I just stuck it in the top of my closet. I'm going to get a compression dry sack for it in the future. It will add some weight but I think it would be worth it if I encountered some wet weather. For now, I just shove it in my pack.

I would definitely recommend this bag because the build quality is high and it seems like you get exactly what you pay for. Are there nicer bags out there with similar features and ratings? Certainly, but if you're like me and you want to watch your wallet, this is the bag for you. In fact, I would almost recommend their 20º or even 5º Furnace if you live in a cooler climate. They're not much heavier at around 35 and 48 oz respectively. If you're willing to throw the extra cash at either of them, I don't think you'd be disappointed. 

Really impressed so far.

Garnet Peak and Mt. Laguna

Since my last backpacking adventure into Nobel Canyon, I have done nothing but dream about my next hike. The conditions here in San Diego have been nothing short of ridiculous. It's been hazy and "partly sunny" for over a month. I guess they call it "May Gray" and "June Gloom" for a reason. Fortunately, if I want a bit of sunshine, I only need drive an hour away to Cleveland National Forest.

I decided to do an overnight and try out El Prado/Laguna Campground located off Sunrise Highway (S1) about 50 miles East of San Diego via I-8. The campground is near the top of Mt. Laguna, a 6000' mountain within Cleveland Natioal Forest. 

The recreation.gov website, being completely useless most of the time, wouldn't allow me to book a last minute trip so I elected to try out the first-come-fist-serve option. (For some reason most of the parks and forest services just can't seem to catch up with the 21st century.)

I arrived at about 8:30, picked a campsite, filled in the register and dropped my money/registration form into the drop box. Pretty simple. Luckily it was Thursday so I didn't have to fight for a spot. If this was a Friday adventure, I would have been BONED. I didn't bother setting up camp just yet. I grabbed my day pack and headed for the trail. At this point, I still hadn't made a plan. I knew I had enough food and water to hike all day if I wanted to. That's about it.

I hiked out of Laguna Campground down to an overlook and hit the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). I hadn't taken a single step on this trail up to this point in my life; from the moment I did, I was hooked. It is a particularly easy section of the trail running about 2 miles to Garnet Peak Trail. The views alone are worth the walk. When I got to the crossroad, I decided to give Garnet Peak a try. I figured that the climb would be very rewarding and give me a better vantage point- I wasn't wrong.

Garnet Peak is accessible from S1 directly. It's a 4 mile round trip with a pretty decent bit of elevation gain. The route I took was slightly longer because I used the PCT to access it. Whichever way you decide to get there, it is worth the effort. You can actually make this hike as hard or easy as you like because there are several places on S1 that afford you the ability to stretch or shorten this relatively easy peak. The scramble to the top at the end can be a bit precarious but, as long as you are watching each step and being very careful, you shouldn't have a problem. At about 5900', it's one of the highest points of Cleveland National Forest and gives you spectacular views of Anza Borrego Desert to the East (maybe even the Arizona Mountains on a very clear day); San Jacinto and San Gorgonio Mountains to the Northwest; Cuyamaca Peak almost due West and even a glimpse of the Slaton Sea to the Southeast. It's an amazing little spot. 

Once I was done taking pictures and eating a light lunch, I headed back down the trail. My site in Laguna was really nice. I found a pretty shady spot and settled in for a nice night. The squirrels and chipmunks in the area are fearless. One of the little beggars came about a foot from my feet looking for hand outs. :/ I have mixed feelings about that. While it's nice that wildlife is drawn to my magnetic personality, I think it's messed up that people feed them so they can have a cool Instagram picture.

Takeaways:  1) I really want to hike the entire PCT, even if I have to section hike it over the next few years. 2) I will do this hike, or a variation thereof, in the near future or possibly in the fall. 3) I think I can make my pack lighter if I force myself to leave some frivolous things behind and just concentrate on water and food. It's just too tempting to grab something extra that I will probably not need. 4) Laguna Campground is okay but at $22/night, I expected more. The sites are kind of small and uneven.

Enjoy the pictures!