Just the Facts:

 

Why Choose OneTigris ROC Poncho Sleeping Bag?

 

A cloak sleeping bag can be one of the most versatile piece of kit on your gear shelf. This one functions primarily as an insulated winter cloak for the day and windproof sleeping bag for the night, with extra large pockets for toasting your hands and keeping your belongings secure, and a cordstopped hood for extra windy weather. It’s made from the same material as our camping quilts with SEE® polyester filling and can be spread out as a camping blanket or configured into a hammock under-quilt. For campers slightly above average height, it measures at 6.8ft by 5.2ft when spread out, and it’s small and compact when rolled up into its own stuff sack for easy carry.

 

l 210T plaid dacron shell, 210T polyester pongee lining, and layered SEE® Polyester Filling for extra warmth

l Multiple uses as an insulated cloak, sleeping bag, camping blanket and hammock under-quilt

l Large utility pockets to keep your phone, hat and other items secure when worn as a cloak

l Hood can be fastened via bungee paracord to keep the cold and wind out

l Snag-free YKK® zippers with dual zipper pulls for heightened convenience and quality use

l Extra wide 31.5” width when used as a sleeping bag with configurable footbox via bungee paracords

l Measures at 6.8ft by 5.2ft when spread out as an outdoor quilt

l Suitable for 59°F -68°F (15-20°C) temperatures


 

 

 

My Story:

 

I love a piece of gear that serves more than one use. Especially one that is lightweight and compact that can be used in a variety of situations and in a wide range of weather conditions. This is the kind of thing that finds its way to the front of my closet, and the top of my gear pile whenever I venture out. The ROC Poncho Sleeping bag by OneTigris fits this bill. It has so many uses designed into it that you can’t help but take it with you because you will use it. If you look for gear that you will use no matter what the season or situation you need to check out the ROC Poncho Sleeping Bag.

 

When I first heard about the ROC I was intrigued. Here was a poncho that could also be used as a sleeping bag. I will be honest the first thing that came to my mind was the woobie from my days in the infantry. To this day it is one of my favorite things every created. I got on OneTigris’ website and started reading about the ROC. Not only did it serve as a poncho for cold weather, a sleeping bag in warmer weather, but it is also set up to be used a sleeping quilt, and my personal favorite usage, as an under quilt for a hammock. Hammock camping happens to be one of my guilty pleasures, so now I was hooked. The versatility of the ROC had me really excited to get my hands on one and check it out.

 

My first trip out with the ROC was an elk shed hunting trip up into the mountains in early spring. I headed out of town with a buddy and our dogs to spend a weekend hiking the hills and enjoying social distancing the best way, in the great outdoors. It just so happened that this trip also happened to involve another incredible piece of gear from OneTigris, the Iron Wall Tent. When we were packing for the trip in early April I wasn’t sure exactly how to pack so I brought stuff for just about every weather situation. The weather all week was approaching 70°F, but the weekend was looking to be a bit cooler with some cloud coverage. As it turned out the weather did not disappoint, the night before our trip it snowed about 3-4 inches in the higher elevations we were planning to camp. We got to our spot Friday after work. I set up the Iron Wall Tent with a wood stove, collected up some dry wood I could find, laid out my ground cloth, sleeping pad and ROC. I have used a tipi with a wood stove a number of times on past trips and fully expected to be more than comfortable with the warmth no matter how much snow was on the ground around me. The ROC would be perfect to sleep with the additional wood heat. With camp set up we headed out for a couple hours of hiking and glassing before dark.

 

 

With no luck that evening we headed back to camp to sit around the campfire, cook some food and settle in for the night. It did not take long sitting by the fire in the cold wind waiting for our food to cook and I was grabbing the ROC poncho. I unzipped it, slipped my head through the hole and tried to figure out exactly how the straps were supposed to be used to give you a sleeve and keep the ROC near your body. This is where I failed. I could not find a comfortable way to use the side straps no matter how I tried. If I put them the way it looked like the pictures showed it being used, they restricted my movement and made it hard to reach forward. If I ran them around the front, now it opened up the sides to make them more substile to the wind. After a few minutes of fumbling without success I gave up, let the straps dangle at my sides and just let the poncho do its thing. Happy to have my upper body and legs covered and protected from the wind while watching my friend inch closer to the fire for warmth I knew this was going to become a favorite of mine.

 

After dinner we sat around for a little bit discussing the plan for the next day before calling it a night. I wandered back to the Iron Wall tipi, lit the stove and worked on getting it adjusted right before getting my dog set up with her bed and zipping the ROC back up and pulling the synch cords at the bottom to turn it back into a sleeping bag. I was right this bag was the perfect rating to be sleeping in a tent with wood heat. I didn’t want a 0°F bag, although I brought one with me, in a tipi that was somewhere between 70°F and 90°F ambient temperature at any given time. I dozed off into dream land and slept comfortably for the first half the night waking up every hour or two to add more wood to the stove. Somewhere around 2 am the fire in the stove completely went out before I woke to restock it. The temperature in the tent had tipped to around freezing which is what woke me. I was getting a bit of a chill, although I wasn’t freezing myself it was just bordering between being cold and being ok. I was over the convenience of the wood stove and having to keep loading it every so often. So I must admit at this point I took the ROC unzipped it and made it into a quilt, draped it over my dog to give her some warmth and climbed into the 0° sleeping bag I had brought to get through the rest of the night.

 

When I sleep in the outdoors, I cannot sleep in. I never can understand people that can. I am up with the sun. I wake to the light coming through the tent and the birds chirping every time. I actually enjoy it. It usually means I get an hour or two to myself to just enjoy the peace and beauty of my surroundings uninterrupted by another human. Well this morning I woke as usual but was unwilling to crawl out of my sleeping bag into the cold. I started the fire in my wood stove and lay there for a while just enjoying the heat before I decided to crawl out, put on my clothes and go start a fire in the fire pit so my friend could enjoy some warmth when he had to crawl out of his cold tent. Putting the ROC poncho back on I chopped up some kindling, started a fire and heated some water for coffee. Soon enough my friend joined me woken by the crunching of snow under my feet as I wandered around looking for dry wood. Although he appreciated the fire, he was a bit jealous of the ROC and the extra insulation it provided on this crisp morning. After downing some liquid energy, and food I put the ROC back in the Iron Wall grabbed my pack and headed out for a fun day’s hike hoping to find some elusive sheds.

 

 

This was the first experience out with the ROC and it did not disappoint. It was the perfect piece of gear to take on this trip. It kept me comfortable during the nights and provided the extra warmth to take the edge off the crisp weather when up and around camp. The ROC has found its way on a few trips since. One trip hammock camping, where as a reviewer I completely failed and didn’t get a single picture of the ROC being used as an under quilt. And it has also been of a few trips with a good friend and her son.

 

As soon as I pulled the ROC while camping with the two of them, they immediately starting laying claims to it. Every trip with them has gone the same. I bring the ROC and then get to sit by and watch as one of the two of them always has it in use during the most opportune times. Its usually a pretty comical battle as the two of them “fight” over who gets to use it with the 8-year-old typically winning. At this rate I am going to need to get at least one more so that I may get the opportunity to use one when camping with them.

 

The ROC is a great piece of gear that will be loved by everyone and will have a place on any and all camping trips that you find yourself on. OneTigris has one of the most versatile items that you never knew you needed, but once you discover it you will be thankful you made the best decision to own.  

 

 


 

 

Find it here: https://www.onetigris.com/roc-poncho-sleeping-bag.html

 


 

What Could Be Done Better:

 

The only thing I would like to see different would be the side straps when used as a poncho. It may just be complete user error, but I would almost prefer some simple snaps or straps another configuration of the straps that still provided for full mobility. Other than that, I have nothing I would want to see any different with the ROC.

 

 

Credit: ireviewgear.com

 

 


 

 

About Johnny LeMaster

 

Johnny is a life long enthusiast of the outdoors. His passion and background have lead him to experience the outdoors from a multitude of adventures. You will typically find him hunting, fishing, backpacking, or hiking somewhere in the world unspoiled.

(Read original article here)