OhGizmo! Review – Tauntaun Sleeping Bag

By Chris Scott Barr

You really have to hand it to the guys at ThinkGeek, they know how to do April Fool’s jokes. Google always puts on a good show as well, but there’s one very important difference between the two: ThinkGeek actually brings some of their gag products to life. My favorite of these is the Tauntaun Sleeping bag. While to most, the thought of curling up inside the carcass of an alien creature might be unappetizing, many geeks thought differently. So many, in fact, that this farce ended up becoming a reality.

Much to the excitement of Star Wars fans everywhere, the company got the go-ahead from Lucasfilm to produce the sleeping bag. For a cool hundred bucks, this functional piece of geeky culture could be yours. But the real question here is whether or not it was going to be quality. I mean, you don’t want to order something expecting the awesomeness of Yoda, only to find a Jar-Jar sitting in the box. Well that’s where I come in. I currently have one of these in my possession, and I’ve slept on it. Hit the jump and I’ll give you the full scoop.

Looks

Looks? It’s a friggin’ Tauntaun! It looks as good as they advertised, if not better in person. It’s a bit wrinkled from shipping at first, but the microfiber material doesn’t stay that way for too long. There are a lot of little details to be appreciated here. From the head, and saddle to the lightsaber zipper and intestine-printed inside. All of your friends will look upon it with envy. Unless they’re Trekkies, in which case you can simply tell them to get the hell off your land.

Comfort

When you’ve finished drooling over your latest piece of Star Wars memorabilia, you might actually want to consider sleeping on it. It is a sleeping bag after all. The Certificate of Authenticity that came in the box assures me that it is suitable for “surviving the harsh climate of the planet Hoth.” I was unable to test this out, as reliable transportation to the Outer Rim Territories is hard to come by.

The sleeping bag itself is rather comfortable to sleep in. The soft fabric provides a nice cushion, and it has its own built-in pillow. It kept me warm, but when you’re sleeping in a place that’s 70-ish degrees, that’s not exactly saying a lot. It will be fine for summer camping trips, but don’t expect to survive sub-zero temperatures.

It’s deliciously geeky, and it’s comfortable. There’s really little else to ask here. The material seems to be of good quality, so if you’re the kind of person that would actually buy a Tauntaun Sleeping Bag, then your $99 is well-invested.

[ ThinkGeek ]

And I thought they smelled bad….on the outside.

Note: Doesn’t actually smell bad on the outside, or inside.