Listening to the howling wind whip across the roof of our canvas wall tent I knew it was going to be a long, cold night. A spilled water jug during the rough ride to camp left part of my down sleeping bag soaked, forcing me to sleep with my waterproof coat on just to stay dry, but certainly not warm. The camp proprietor religiously stoked the fire in the stove every couple hours during the night, an effort much appreciated, yet providing little relief to me at the other end of the tent.

I spent the night cursing the wind and freezing temperatures of late-season elk hunts and vowed that next year would be different. Next year I would spend my nights sleeping in a bag that was meant to be at elk camp, a bag designed for a hunter.

When I returned home, I began a diligent search for a new sleeping bag. After doing some research on insulation I still was debating on which type of insulation to use. Down compacts extremely tight and is warm, but becomes worthless when wet. Synthetics maintain their warmth when wet, but aren't as compactable or as warm as down. I needed the best of both worlds, unfortunately it didn't exist.

I found several bags in the Cabela's catalog that might work, but decided to wait to see the new designs for this year. During a visit to our camping purchasing department earlier this summer, I noticed a prototype for the new Alaskan Guide sleeping bag. Knowing that the Alaskan Guide name is only used for equipment designed for the most extreme conditions, I had to stop and take a look.

Within a few minutes, I knew that my sleepless nights spent in cold, wet sleeping bags were nothing more than a fading memory. Cabela's spared no cost when building this bag, because everything from the heavy-duty YKK® zipper to the water-resistant shell is of the finest quality materials you can find.

The designers of the Alaskan Guide sleeping bag must have spent a few nights like mine before they designed this bag. Everything that would have made my night warm and comfortable was included in this bag, starting with the DuPont Thermolite® Extreme insulation placed on the bottom layer. DuPont Thermolite® Extreme insulation is one of the best synthetic insulations available because in maintains its warmth even when wet, perfect for those times when a leaky tent lets rain and melted snow seep through and drench the bottom of an otherwise dry bag. The other great benefit to having this insulation on the bottom is that, unlike down, Thermolite® works well under the compression of body weight, making it a better insulator against the cold ground.

Down is by far the best insulator around, synthetic or natural, and works best when it is allowed to loft. The top layer of the Alaskan Guide sleeping bag is stuffed with 650 fill-power goose down which has a very high loft for lots of air-trapping warmth. Having that much down in the top of the bag and with the high-quality Thermolite Extreme on the bottom, I found the combination I was looking for. With that kind of insulation it is easy to see how Cabela's could make this bag with models rated down to the - 40-degree category.

The insulation isn't the only place where the bag is built for rugged conditions. For an outer shell, the bag has Pertex® ripstop nylon fabric that is highly water-resistant and down-proof, yet also very breathable for when the nights don't get as cold as you expected. The Pertex® ripstop shell is soft and pliable, but is also very durable and resistant to wear and tear. The shell will withstand the rigors of any traveling conditions as well as countless nights on the hard, rocky ground.

When I slipped into the bag I was amazed at how comfortable the poly/cotton 300T liner fabric was. I felt like I was laying in-between my flannel sheets at home. The innovative 3-D design with sidewalls increased the height of the bag, which gave me a lot of additional room for my legs and shoulders, and won't create any cold spots. For even more room, the Alaskan Guide bags come in a rectangular model as well as the mummy-style. Both bags have the 3-D design and a fully-enclosed hood to prevent heat loss on those really cold nights.

To protect against the cold even further, the bag has huge draft tubes that run along the zipper to keep out the cold air that can creep in through the zipper. Additional draft tubes run along the chest and shoulder areas to prevent the cold air from entering through the top of the bag. In the dark, Nightsight™ draw cords are easy to use and let you cinch the fully enclosed hood around your head and neck. Independent draw cords on the chest draft tubes let you tighten them around your shoulders for additional protection against the cold. Every ounce of prevention against the cold has been accounted for in this bag.

I've never had a sleeping bag with a zipper that worked properly. With that in mind, I took a close look at what the Alaskan Guide bag had to offer. The No. 10 YKK® zipper flowed easily up and down the teeth, never catching or binding. To protect the draft tubes, which have inevitably been caught by the zipper on all my other bags, a strip of extra-wide ZipGlide™ fabric runs the length of the zipper and prevents any snagging or tearing of the material. The full-length also allows for additional ventilation when the bag gets too warm.

One of the greatest features of the Alaskan Guide sleeping bag isn't even on the bag. Each bag comes with a 100% waterproof compression stuff sack for storage and travel. These stuff sacks are made of the same material as Cabela's dry bags, which I have used often on float trips to protect my gear from the occasional dunking. The sack has a built in one way air valve that allows air to escape when you are packing it, which allows you to stuff the sleeping bag into a very compact size. Without much effort, I could get the sleeping bag into a size that would easily strap to an external frame backpack or pack into an internal frame for my trips into the high country. And because the stuff sack is waterproof, I don't have to worry about the rain or snow while backpacking, or if it falls out of a canoe or a jug of water is spilled in a truck. As long as the bag is stored in the stuff sack, I know I will have a dry and warm night's rest.

So let the wind howl, the temperatures drop and the snow fly this year. I will be comfortably asleep in my new Alaskan Guide sleeping bag. With comfort ratings of 0, -20 and -40 degrees, there will be no more teeth-chattering nights, frozen toes and frost on my hair. Finally somebody has developed a sleeping bag that is designed specifically for the hunter, a bag worthy its weight in gold.

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