Brother Finbar McMullen sporting the Finbar Hood Designed for cold weather sleeping comfort in a mummy sleeping bag. Endorsed by Paul Schurke, Co-leader of the Steger North Pole Expedition and Bering Bridge Expedition. Endorsed by Ann E. Bancroft, leader of the American Women's Trans-Antarctic Expedition Two layers of 3M LITE-LOFT TM insulation plus a layer of polyester fiberfill provide heat retention around the head. The Cord Holes are reinforced with metal eyelets. The removable liner lets you add or subtract layers to adjust for different temperatures. The arm straps keep the hood in place as you roll around. The inner shell is made of supplex nylon with a soft feel, but does not readily absorb moisture. The opening provides unrestricted breathing no matter how tightly it is pulled. When reduced to the size of a racquet ball, it will still be in front of the nose and mouth. Cold air is not drawn into the bag through the opening as you move around at night as long as the drawstring of the bag is pulled snugly around your neck. Being able to roll around freely at night translates into a better sleep. When your "down" side gets cold, just roll over and go back to sleep.   Since many users of the Hood want to wear it around the camp, it now comes fitted with an additional drawstring between the two shells that controls the size of the face opening. Without this extra drawstring, the Hood is too loose, flops around, and lets in too much cold air. The face opening can be adjusted so that the only part of the face exposed is from the nose to above the eyes, while still allowing complete peripheral vision. If someone who has the previous model wants to install the second drawstring (a simple task) send $1 for a kit and instructions. SASE appreciated. This feature of the Hood makes it useful to hunters and fishermen, also. When used for hiking, eye glasses can fog up, depending on wind direction. If you can keep the head warm, keeping the rest of the bodywarm is so much easier. Here's what others had to say about the Finbar Hood: Dear Brother Finbar: The best part about the hoods other than a warm and therefore rested sleep, is that instead of getting moisture in the bag, it goes in the hood. It's a lot easier to dry out the hood than the entire bag. I can't imagine traveling in the winter without the hood as part of standard gear to be packed, no matter which end of the globe it is at. "What a great piece of equipment! I'll never leave home without it!"   Fondly, Ann E. Bancroft "This wonderful accessory has thoroughly proven itself on the dog sled & ski camping programs that I operate in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area from our Wintergreen Lodge near Ely, Minnesota. The Finbar hoods crunch down to almost nothing in our backpacks during the day. Yet each night it fluffs out to offer welcome assurance of a great night's sleep no matter what the thermometer dips down to." Paul Schurke Co-leader, Steger North Pole Expedition & Bering Bridge Expedition Director, Wintergreen Dog Sled Adventures

Additional testimonials can be viewed at
BackpackGearTest.org Guide to Innovations by Finbar
Here you can view many positive testimonials from serious backpackers who put the Finbar Hood to the true test. Includes Initial Reports, Field Reports, and Long Term Reports--all very detailed and thorough.
Includes a link back to this site after you've read the reports.