Chill Out 450 Sleeping bag from Valandre – a test review

The Chill Out 450 is a two season down sleeping bag made from the outdoor french company Valandre. They are situated in Belcaire, a town situated in the middle of the french Pyranees. The perfect place to focus on the development of down isolation gears that works even for extreme mountaineering and expeditions.

Nothing outbeats the cold better than down. Down is the best isolation material when you aren’t moving around much in the cold. I have been using different down sleeping bags for as long as I can remember and have very good experiences with them, especially in winter. The only suboptimal conditions to use down is when your environment is mainly wet or humid.

Chill Out 450 sleeping bag

This 870 g Chill Out 450 sleeping bag is a lightweight, perfect when weight is a priority on chilly outdoor trips. Down is perfect for cold, dry nights. With a mixture of 90/10 (90 down/10 feathers) it has a fill power of 650+ cuin which makes it a superb choice of combination. The Chill Out 450 is a sleeping bag suited for 2 seasons or even 3 seasons if your winters aren’t very cold.

Important technical details:

• Good for: Camping, Trekking, (or as a back up for mountain huts or cold apartments)
• Temperature limit of comfort: -3,7°c
• Comfort: 1.8 c
• Extreme: -20°c
• Filling: 90/10 down from southern french Grey duck
• Cuin: 650 ++
• Outer fabric layer: 100% Polyamid, DWR treated
• Inner layer: 100% Polyamid, DWR treated
• Shape: 18 H shape baffles.

The Chill out test

With all these details in mind, my expectations were laid quite high when looking at this “thin” looking sleeping bag. It came together with a storage net and compression bag. Upon opening the bag, it was lofty and very soft to the touch.

The workmanship was neat and the quality of the used materials were durable and well chosen. 2 way YKK zippers ensure that opening and closing a sleeping bag does not hinder your actions when you want to come out fast, the draft tubes prevents warm air from escaping quickly. A neck baffle at the top keeps the neck and shoulders cosy and warm. This can be pulled together with a soft rubberized cord to ensure that warm air does not escape and thus preventing cold spots. Velcro fastening secures the sleeping bag together incase the zipper opens unintentionally in the night or when you want to stick

Comfort and design

The bag is mummy shaped and has anatomical shaped baffles that is close to the body so as to provide a high isolation with the least weight. There are 18 continuous compartments of H-box walls in this bag. As a rather restless sleeper in the night, I have been told that I have been seen fighting inside my sleeping bag every now and then. Whatever the cause, I woke up well slept and cosy warm in this bag. There’s sufficient space to turn without feeling like a sardine in a tin can. I had no problems especially at my feet (I tend to wake up with cold feet – this happens when the foot area is not isolated enough, or when the sleeping bag is just too long / big for you) The sleeping bag is quite tapered at the ends – comparing to other bags that I have used, the Chill Out 450 bag is the narrowest at the bottom. I find it quite important to wear the right clothing in the sleeping bag so as to find a comfortable climate throughout the night. The hood keeps the head warm, and you can pull on the elastic cord to make it a snug fit around the face.

What I liked

• Super light and lofty
• can be comprimized to a small size
• Polyamid materials for the intern warms you up almost immediately once you slip inside.
• Feathers collected from post mortem grey ducks, farmed in southern France

What could be better

• I am not a fan of cords that are hanging into my face, around the head area. This applies to all sleeping bags that are on the market at present. And I do wish that one day, there would be a better solution for this.

The Verdict

I am surprised with the high quality of materials used in the Chill Out 450 sleeping bag and would recommend this to anyone who is looking for a sleeping bag where weight pays a role, and when the trips aren’t too long. Valandre offers 2 other models that are even warmer for longer, outdoor trips: Chill Out 650 or the winter version Chill Out 850. The Chill Out 450 plays a good back up in chilly mountain huts or for use in accommodations when you are traveling in the winter time.

A down sleeping bag is always an expensive choice. Don’t conclude that a cheap down sleeping bag would give you the same quality of isolation, material and workmanship. If on a budget, a synthetic sleeping bag could perhaps provide a cheaper alternative to down. Find out here, if down or synthetic is the better choice for you.

The Chill Out 450 Sleeping bag costs 395 € and comes in S, M, L with zippers to the left or to the right.