Voited Slumber Jacket: is it jacket or is it a sleeping bag? It’s both!

Coziness is king for Voited, a US-based, eco-conscious brand specializing in blankets, wearable robes, hammocks, slippers and storage solutions for travellers. The featured hashtag on its website is Step Into Comfort and its associated imagery is all life on the road and golden sands. However, it’s clear that mountain-loving nations are digging its toasty offerings, with Austria, Switzerland and Germany its best performing markets in Europe, along with the UK.

The Slumber Jacket is an intriguing part of the brand’s Camping Companions collection. Coined a Convertible Sleep Walker, in effect it’s a wearable sleeping bag with arms and a convertible bottom that can be opened for strolling around or closed for drinking mulled wine in your camping chair or for a bit of shut eye. It’s not the kind of puffer jacket you’d pack for a hiking adventure – though I can imagine various use cases beyond camping, such as for warming up after a wild swim or surf, watching your kids play soccer on a blustery January morning, a winter stroll along the beach or even just getting very cozy for a Ben & Jerry’s (other non-UPF snacks are available) fuelled Netflix binge (other streaming services are also available).

First impressions

To look at, the design is serious rather than playful. This is a jacket that suggests outdoor elegance and premium quality rather than multi-colored, music festival headiness – though I can well imagine the Slumber Jacket being a worthy companion at Glastonbury or Coachella. It’s lovely to wear and perhaps not quite as warm as I was anticipating. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing – with a long jacket like this I’d prefer a subtle toastiness to something that gets stuffy once you start walking. And then I put my hands in the fleece-lined handwarmer pockets and I was in heaven. Sold!

It didn’t take long to figure out how to convert the jacket into a sleeping bag and back again. Its simple, zippered design makes for a quick and straightforward transformation. Fit wise, it was pretty much spot on as a jacket, though I feel it could have been a little longer as a sleeping bag. I found that my toes were right up against the end of the foot compartment when lying flat and it felt a little restrictive. However, I was a little comfier lying on my side with a bend at my knees, though there was still a little tension.

Sustainable materials

Voited makes use of a few external providers to create the Slumber Jacket: PrimaLoft, REPREVE, Rudolf Group and YKK have all brought something to the party, and usually with an eye on sustainability.

The Slumber Jacket uses PrimaLoft polyester microfibers to achieve its insulating qualities. Synthetic fill has the benefit that no geese or ducks were exploited in the creation of the jacket, as well as the fact that it maintains its insulating ability when wet. In this case, it’s PrimaLoft’s RISE that provides the warmth. Features that set RISE apart from some of the competition are its ability to recover from compression, as well as its high levels of durability. The former is important here, as the Slumber Jacket arrives in a stuff sack and, when unfurled, it’s a bit of a beast to store and transport. So, I can well imagine it spending a good portion of its life packed into its sack – though hanging is always preferable for this kind of product.

RISE is created from post-consumer recycled materials, so gets something of a tick in the sustainability stakes. However, we’re still talking about polyester microfibers here, so there’s still the issue that these kinds of non-biodegradable microplastics can and do end up in our oceans. The only answer here is to try not to wash the jacket too often, as the microplastics will leach out. Nevertheless, some will see the fact that it is indeed machine washable as a strength – not all wearable robe-style jackets are.

The insulation leads to a comfort rating of 11°C (52°F), a limit rating of 7°C (45°F) and an extreme rating of -5°C (23°F). If used as a sleeping bag, this puts it in the 2-season category – one for camping during the warmer summer nights. As a jacket for beach strolls and the like, it’ll form a great team with your radiated body heat throughout the year.

The outer shell features 50-denier REPREVE polyester. REPREEVE is a sustainable manufacturer of performance fibers and resin, crafted from recycled materials such as plastic bottles and fabric and yarn waste. The interior polyester lining is also woven from recycled materials. Meanwhile, the shell’s polyester is treated with a fluorine-free water repellent, BIONIC-FINISH ECO, to provide a protective layer against wet weather. This treatment, created by Rudolf Group, is made from up to 90% bio-based, raw materials. Voited states a 13,000mm hydrostatic head rating, which adds up to a decent level of protection from precipitation but not enough to keep you dry for extended periods in heavy rain.

Features

The obvious USP of the Slumber Jacket is the way it converts between a puffer and a sleeping bag. A zippered compartment tidily houses the retractable feet section, which pulls out and is closed up using another zipper – a clever design. The zipper leaves two gaps at either end of the teeth, which does allow a certain amount of heat to escape, though this is covered loosely by the fabric hem at the bottom of the jacket.

As you’d expect for such a premium product, there are a few nice touches. The hood is 3-way adjustable, allowing you to tailor the fit to the conditions. The sleeve boasts a hand gaiter with a thumb loop for a nice bit of additional warmth, while the cuffs can be tightened via Velcro tabs. Gloved hands have been considered with the ring pull on the main YKK zipper and in the button openings on the handwarmer pockets. Speaking of which…

I’m a big fan of lovely handwarmer pockets and these are some of the best I’ve ever had the pleasure of dipping my digits into. The backhand side of the pocket is lined with a heavenly fleece panel that’s luxurious to the touch and nicely warming. Voited has opted for a button closure rather than a zipper, which I think is a good choice – running your hand across a zipper’s teeth when you go to nest it in the pocket doesn’t quite convey comfort. These aren’t pockets for a phone or keys – these are very much designed for your hands.

The large stuff sack features a drawcord closure and there are no compression straps – clearly Voited isn’t too concerned about compact packability. There's also a handy length of fabric on the bottom of the sack that you can grab when pulling the jacket out through the other side.

There are four colorways on offer and, in the States, you can currently get a better price of $159.20 on the Dessert / Black / Navy and Cardinal / Navy / Black options.

In the field

I tested the Slumber Jacket over the winter season, where it saw plenty of use as a jacket on wintry strolls but not a great deal of use as a sleeping bag, given that it’s rated for summer camping use. I'm looking forward to seeing how it fares on summer camping trips, but we've got a couple of months before this becomes a possibility. However, I did use the Slumber Jacket as a sleeping bag for a stay in my mountaineering club's hut and, for the purposes of testing, in my own bed!

Let's start with it as a jacket, which I imagine is how the majority of folk will get the most use out of it. First things first, I found the Slumber Jacket to be wonderfully comfortable and a great option for everything from winter beach days and casual dog walks to touring the neighborhood checking out everyone's Christmas lights.

When folded away, the extra material of the sleeping bag's foot compartment is held at the bottom of the jacket, in the back. This extra weight and bulk is admittedly noticeable when walking but not to the point where it becomes much of an issue. As a bonus, the additional material acts as a sort of cushion when sitting down.

Of course, as with all of these kinds of jackets, freedom of movement is a little restricted around the knees, making it one for strolls and ambles rather than determined power walking. I wouldn't want to be late for a meeting while wearing the Slumber Jacket! Its plush insulation makes it less suited to swim hikes than something like Finisterre's relatively light and packable Tego changing robe.

The stuff sack isn't designed to be particularly compact. There are no compression straps and the sack is generous when it comes to the amount of space for stuffing the jacketed inside. Packed down, I measured it at 37 x 25 x 20cm, which is relatively big were you wanting to put it in a backpack. This all points to a a jacket at home on car camping adventures and beach days, rather than for more dynamic pursuits. It's a luxurious product to relax in, rather than a functional piece to take with you on active adventures.

And so to its use as a sleeping bag. As mentioned earlier, I feel that the sizing isn't quite right. I'm 5 foot 8 inches tall and always a small when it comes to jackets. Indeed, as a jacket, the Slumber fits me very well. However, when transformed into a sleeping bag it all feels a bit tight. Its lack of length meant my toes were right up against the fabric of the footbed, which created a claustrophobic feeling tension throughout. This was exacerbated if I put the hood on too.

I'd say go a size up, but then you might end up with a sleeping bag that's more comfortable but a jacket that's too big. This is my main gripe with this otherwise great piece of kit as, all in all, it's a great, premium feeling jacket for relaxed time in the great outdoors. It's just a shame that it's restrictive as a sleeping bag.

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