So I took the DU poncho liner out instead of a sleeping bag this summer to see how it worked. I have taken an old liner out before but I would always end up outside of it. Which is one of the main things that drew me to the Dragoon Unlimited liners was the inclusion of a zipper around the edge.

I forgot to take some glamor shots of it on the backpacking trip so I had to wait to take some on a hike (which took way longer than I expected).

On the backpacking trip the weather was exceptionally mild. So not the most intense test. But the liner worked great. And the little pillow actually worked better than I assumed it would. I am glad I took that instead of another sleeping bag as it saved me a ton of space. And it was plenty warm. So much so that I had to have it unzipped most of the way and still only wearing some briefs and a T-shirt I was hot. So while I wouldn’t take this for a trip with freezing temps with most locales and seasons it is perfect.

I took it out again for the family trip. This time was early September. And I froze by butt off even in a trailer. Turns out that since it is constructed like a sleeping bag leaving it in the stuff sack flattens out the loft. So I recommend storing it loose in a large bag so the loft keeps. Which maintains the warmth. Part of the problem was the windows on the trailer were jammed open and we couldn’t figure out the heater. (it was a weird control where you sort of had to click the one button the right number of times to get it to heat. If you didn’t then it was AC or fan). And since I was expecting a warm trailer I didn’t really bring anything warm. I think the temps at night were in the 40s if I remember correctly. So the liner didn’t quite do the trick that time. But I think if I keep it in loose sack to keep the loft up. But the 40’s is really lower than something like this is meant for.

In conclusions I’m very happy with it and would not hesitate to recommend it. The zipper really does and extra functionality to the liner. For mild weather I really like the smaller volume and lower weight. As well the water resistance is really handy if using it when its damp. For the photos I took the grass was wet and the boys were able to lay on it and stay dry. And when I picked it up to put back in the backpack it just shook the water and debris right off. If you want your own here’s the link to their store. They do have a solid OD version now which I like, as camo can give off the wrong vibe for some people or areas. I’m not sure if its the water resistant version or regular though.