Sierra Designs' head of global sales Bill Conradt explains the company's approach

A sleeping bag you can walk around in; an upside-down tent design and waterproof chaps to keep your legs dry: welcome to the world of Sierra Designs.

The American brand launched into the UK recently, with new products on show at the Outdoor Trade Show.

Its gear ploughs a different furrow to many mainstream items familiar to outdoor enthusiasts.

Vice-president Bill Conradt flew in to Warwickshire from his Seattle home to demonstrate some of the innovative clothing and equipment on offer from the Boulder, Colorado, company.

Sierra Designs waterproofs don’t look like the norm you’re likely to see on the British hills. The company says: think umbrella, not plastic bag.

“Effective rainwear keeps out the rain, but no membrane breathes well enough to keep up with the rate at which your body creates heat and sweat during exertion,” it said.

Steady on chaps! Bill Conradt unveils a different approach to keeping your legs dry

Bill Conradt said its hip-length tops are designed to be used with its bottoms, which feature breathable uppers. The jackets are made with backpackers in mind, with hip-belt vents that allow belts to pass inside the waterproof outer.

Armpit awnings offer ventilation, and pockets are always placed above hip-belt locations.

The Elite Cagoule, on show at the Stoneleigh gathering, is a lightweight, 170g jacket with a waterproof, breathable membrane, with ratings of 7,300mm and 6,700g respectively. It will retail at a penny short of £100 and comes in sizes from XS to XXL.

The Elite Rain Chaps slip on over trousers or shorts and are secured with hook and loop tabs. The chaps have knee articulation and there’s extra waterproofing in the knee area, with the rating bumped up there from 7,300mm to 12,600mm.

The chaps can be used with any trousers or shorts that have pockets or belt loops and retail at £49.99, with a weight of 113g – about the same as a quarter of Midget Gems.

Sierra Designs also offer sleeping bags that differ from the norm. Visitors to the Outdoor Trade Show saw a demonstration of the Backcountry Bed, a two-part sleeping bag that accommodates the movements of those who like to sleep on their side or belly.

The ‘bed-style’ sleeping bag has a sewn-in inner ‘comforter’ inside a wide-opening outer, which means you can comfortably turn without the whole bag turning with you. The Backcountry Bed also has a foot vent to regulate temperature, with the feet out during warm nights, or tucked in when cold. The upper section, which has flaps into which the hands can by tucked, can used either inside the bag or opened out for ventilation.

The bag comes with a variety of fills, including the brand’s own DriDown hydrophilic down, and synthetic polyester.

The Backcountry Bed has an inner 'comforter' to keep you warm

The 600-fill two-season ranges from £229.99 for the regular, with a longer version at £249.99 and women’s version at £259.99. Three-season versions are £289.99, £309.99 and £319.99 respectively.

Using the same fills, but a different approach, the Mobile Mummy is a ‘garment-style’ bag that stays in position if you want to sit up before going to sleep or when you’ve awoken.

So if you fancy warming up with a hot drink on the hill, you can ‘wear’ the sleeping bag, which has armholes and a footbox that tucks up out of the way to enable you to walk around.

Three-season 600-fill DriDown prices are £289.99 for regular and £309.99 for both the long and the women’s versions.

Sierra Designs’ Tensegrity Tents differ in that they get wider towards their peak rather than the more conventional narrowing.

The Tensegrity 2 Elite has 104cm of headroom

The design uses walking poles in place of tent poles, so if you don’t use walking poles, it’s not for you.

Poles of lengths between 120cm and 145cm can be used, and the tent has one small rear tent pole that forms a hoop at the foot end.

Maximum headroom of 112cm for the one-person and 104cm for the two-person version means it should easily accommodate a sitting camper or two.

A tarp front, which can be rolled back in good weather, forms what Sierra Designs calls the gear closet, positioned away from doors, which are on the sides of the tent.

The waterproof sidewalls can be zipped open in good weather for better views or ventilation, and there is no guyline over the door.

Fancy a walk? The Mobile Mummy in action

The one-person Tensegrity 1FL weighs 1.05kg and comes in 15 denier nylon mesh with a 20 denier polyester fly, retailing at £300 (you’ll get a penny change).

The lighter Tensegrity 1 Elite has silicone fabric and lacks taped seams and consequently weighs 0.91kg. It will sell at £379.99.

The two-person versions weigh 1.33kg and 1.13kg for the FL and Elite, and are in the shops at £329.99 and £449.99 respectively. All have 30D nylon groundsheets.

The Sierra Designs range also includes more conventional outdoor gear, including trail skirts and shorts retailing at £47.99, as well as hoodies, windjackets, shirts and insulated jackets.

More details are on the Sierra Designs website.