Ever have trouble sleeping because you’re breathing cold air, even though your body is toasty warm in a sleeping bag? This hood utilizes climashield and mesh to create a super breathable tunnel around your face so that there is always a pocket that warms the air before you breathe it. The opening is adjustable so that you can adjust the rate of air exchange and even fold it back in if needed. The climashield/mesh is so breathable that you can even close it down and breathe right through it. Climashield is exceptional at dealing with moisture so that condensation from your breath will not cause the batting to lose loft. In the morning you just shake it out and it dries super fast. The body is built with 900fp Hyperdry DWR down in a box baffle construction. Box baffle construction is considerably warmer than sewn through construction, which is easier/faster to build. It is available in different lofts for light weight and small packed size.
The Waterbear can be used as head insulation during the day as well, providing an opportunity to lighten your load by using one piece of gear for two purposes. For ultimate modular adjustment bring a light Waterbear and a hat. This way you can adjust for different temperatures on the fly. For instance, hood/hat on cold nights and just the hat when active on cool days. For further explanation on non-integrated hoods see http://www.timmermade.com/non-integrated-hood-sleep-systems.html
Approximate weights
0 to 20f – 2.20oz
-10 to 10f – 3.01oz
-10 to really cold – 3.39oz
Keith –
I purchased a -10 to 10f waterbear and love it! It’s warmer than I expected and extremely light. The craftsmanship is wonderful. The opening can be adjusted to really small so it blocks out most light, folded back so there’s better peripheral vision, or anything in between. My only complaint is that I wish it had tabs for attaching underarm straps to hold it down on my neck. I thought I was crazy for spending $100+ for a balaclava, but so far I don’t regret my choice one bit.
Daniel –
I have used this for over 3 months in 2021. It’s one of the best purchases I’ve ever made. My -10F to 10F waterbear weighs 75g and as a cold sleeper I use it all the time starting at 40F and lower. My nose would get cold in mummy bags, my whole head was cold with quilts, now my head stays warm, my nose is warm and I sleep great in the cold, tested down to 10F. Dan was amazing to work with and I highly recommend this product.
Paul Spitalny –
Awesome hood! Let me put it this way: This hood allows us to go winter backpacking and sleep perfectly comfortably. Our noses don’t freeze at night, our cheeks don’t freeze, and the synthetic insulation “tunnel” keeps the condensation (from our breath) off of our faces. Hats off to Dan Timmerman for modifying my waterbear to fit better! This is a unique product, and it works perfectly!