The North Face Blue Kazoo Sleeping Bag – Reviewed & Tested 

Explorer Claire had accepted that cold feet were just part of the deal when camping on hikes. You win some, you lose some… sleep (and maybe toes). But The North Face’s Blue Kazoo sleeping bag changed all that.

Sleep is pretty important for fuelling us up on multi-day hikes, and I can honestly say, I’m usually running on empty. I don’t think I’ve ever had a really good sleep outdoors, and that’s usually due to being cold and not having the right gear. 

I’ve been able to slowly upgrade my sleep system recently, and now it’s time to see if The North Face Blue Kazoo can reward me with those honk-shoos. I took this sleeping bag to the coldest place I could find nearby – Kosciuszko National Park – and was pleasantly surprised.

Snug as a bug in a Blue Kazoo

Why am I the right person to do this review?

Over my hiking tenure (going on about ten years), I’ve been using a cheap hand-me-down sleeping bag with a comfort of 10°C, and a limit of ??°C, (it’s so old that most of the labels have worn off). Since I do overnight hikes primarily in winter, I’m definitely used to waking up hourly from ice block feet and using my emotional support Kindle to lull me back to slumber. 

The first time I ever slept in Kosciuszko National Park, I found out my mattress had a hole in it while 60km/h winds danced with a surprise dumping of snow outside the tent. The sleeping bag wasn’t doing much, and the emergency blankie did come out. I’ve. Been. Cold. I was very excited to see how this time at Kosci went with a much better sleep system. 

Yeah look out I’m testing stuff

Quick Specifications

Weight: 800g (regular)
Fill: 700 fill power recycled down
Size: Regular (comes in a long size as well)
Colour: Blue and light grey (accent colours also come in gold or green)
Temp rating: -7°C (comfort: 0°C, limit:- 6°C, extreme: -24°C)
RRP: $600

Packs into a somewhat weirdly-shaped bundle of joy

Performance

Holy moly, this thing is warm. The Blue Kazoo stays true to what it offers: a 700-fill down insulation that’s best suited for cooler conditions across three to four seasons. I’d definitely lean this towards three seasons, with summer being the odd one out rather than winter. I took it on my first (and probably last) summer overnight hike and ended up using it as a plush mattress topper. But hey, it would still be useful during summer in southern Australia.

On Kosci, temperatures on both nights bottomed out around 0°C-2°C, but I wouldn’t know. I was busy having the best sleep I’ve ever had outdoors. Yep, it’s official. I only woke up once or twice, and that was to check out the blazing shine of the moon. My feet were warm enough to discard my liner and, shockingly, socks. Is this how the other half live? 

I’d paired the bag with a quality Mont Moondance tent, which definitely helped, but it was still very pleasing to see that the ‘comfort’ rating of 0°C was accurate. It could have become a fair bit colder and I’d have been ok, especially with a liner and socks at my disposal.

Getting out to take this photo was tough enough

Durability

I’ve used this for a total of five nights now, across hiking and more leisurely camping. While not the longest duration, it’s still enough time to come into contact with dirt and late-night tea spills. The water-repellent fabric has been a godsend in defending against both. It still looks schmick, with no signs of rips or loose threads. I did notice a couple of feathers floating about, but that’s to be expected with down. All in all, The North Face Blue Kazoo is living up to the high-quality, well-constructed reputation from the brand. 

Comfort

Think hotel sheets are soft? Perhaps your coveted Bed Threads set? Think again. The Blue Kazoo is what I want clouds to feel like. The fabric has an ultra-plush satiny feel that’s cool to the touch – which was actually a nice experience, since I was always warm. Akin to the joy of flipping to the cold side of a pillow. 

The tapered shape still allowed great movement and didn’t feel claustrophobic. I had the regular length, which is the shortest of the two size options, and still had quite a bit of leg room. However, that didn’t counter the warmth distribution in the bag. 

Design

If you’re an ultralighter, The North Face Blue Kazoo probably isn’t going to be for you. The attractive blue and light grey sleeping bag is definitely on the luxurious side, not only when it comes to feel, but when it comes to weight and pack-down size. It’s around 800g at the regular length, and pushing 900g for a long size. 

This fluffy bag can pack away short, but it will pack wide. The stuff sack is a three-toggle design, not the typical four, and I think that’s could be what’s causing the wider size. In my backpack, I noticed it takes up a bit of space, but you can easily stuff items around it. It compresses quite well, just, oddly.

When using the Blue Kazoo, there were a couple of fun features that weren’t mentioned on The North Face’s website (humble!), and it was a delight to come across them over my nights spent with the bag. 

Glow in the Dark Zip

‘What the hell is that?’ I yelled one night. Oh, just a glow-in-the-dark toggle on the ⅔ side zip! Aside from the warmth, this is my favourite feature on the sleeping bag. If I needed to reach for water or let some air in, I always knew where to go. I hate feeling tangled up in a tight space, so this is a simple, thoughtful detail that adds massive peace of mind. There’s no glow-in-the-dark toggle on the cinch collar for the hood, and thank goodness, because that would be really annoying when trying to sleep. 

Internal Pocket

Yes! A place for my emotional support Kindle to live that’s not going to be annoying or require me to pat down the tent at night. There’s a small pocket that sits above the chest, which is also super handy for a phone or a watch. It really is all about the little things. 

Sustainability

I feel The North Face aren’t shouting their sustainability efforts from the rooftops, but they are definitely working on simultaneous commitments for their products. 

The Blue Kazoo features a non-PFC, durable water repellent finish. Which means the sleeping bag isn’t likely to leach forever chemicals into the environment or your body. 

Read more: How PFCs in Outdoor Gear are Harming the Planet

The fabric itself is made from recycled nylon, and the down it contains is also recycled! 

In 2014, The North Face announced that all the down for their products would meet Responsible Down Standard (RDS) certification, to improve animal welfare. No down is sourced from animals subjected to live plucking or force feeding. 

With the recycled down they’ve used in the Blue Kazoo, it’s been sorted for quality and cleaned just like virgin down would. 

You can check out The North Face’s sustainability commitments on their site and consumer sustainability rating site good on you gives them a rating of ‘good’, which is roughly ⅘. Nice! 

The two-thirds side zip saves weight and traps heat nicely in the footbox

Price

Honestly, if I weren’t given The North Face Blue Kazoo so that I could review it, I would 100% buy it. Especially after battling with the sleeping bag that I had previously for so long. 

It’s a worthwhile investment that I wouldn’t have to repurchase anytime soon. It ticks all the boxes for warmth, comfort, durability, and sustainability, so dropping the $600 feels justified for years of good sleep whilst adventuring. Especially for the very few cons I could find. 

The price point is comparable to others like it, such as the NEMO Kayu 15, so I don’t think the Blue Kazoo’s cost is an anomaly in the market. Down isnt’ cheap!

Read more: Best Winter Sleeping Bags Under $600

Final Thoughts

It’s safe to say I love The North Face Blue Kazoo. There’s not much I could fault it on. It’s truly the softest and warmest sleeping bag I’ve ever slept in (and perhaps, ever will sleep in?). It’s become something I’ll rave about to friends, and now to you fine folk on the internet. It’s guaranteed warmth for winter hikes.