Viewed from most angles, the Haven is a typical mummy bag, sans zipper. Flip the Haven over, however, and you're greeted by an elastic-edged opening that to me looks like a plant's stoma as viewed through a botany class microscope. This partial underside puts the Haven in the top-bag category, but the design seems unique (because it has a hood and doesn't open flat, the Haven is not a quilt). The opening extends from about the shoulders to mid-thigh and, as noted, is stretchy. Rather than use a fabric sleeve to attach a pad or mattress, the Haven has two straps that attach to strap loops at each end of the opening. Each 1-inch strap has an adjustable snap buckle closure and can be removed in seconds if not needed.
The full hood has a simple drawstring perimeter closure with thin cord and a tiny cord lock. A small snap-closure pocket, just below the hood opening to the right, is big enough for a watch, small flashlight, etc., but not glasses. With no zipper, there's no draft tube, nor is there a draft collar.
Haven specs list 11.6 oz (332 g) of 700 cubic inch goose down fill for the size long, 20 denier nylon ripstop shell with DWR finish and 30 denier calendared nylon taffeta lining. Heavier than some makers' 10 denier and 15 denier shells, the Haven shell is also less delicate. Therm-a-Rest calls the fabric's gray color "pewter" but in reality it's a lot darker than, well, pewter. Call it "ouzel" and know that with this bag you'll be able to blend invisibly with basalt should you so choose. While perhaps lacking a positive colorful impact on campsite cheer, it's hard to imagine a more dirt-concealing color.
The down chambers are fully baffled including side baffles, so there's no shifting the down between top and bottom to respond to the temperature (not too relevant in a top bag). The elastic around the bottom opening stretches wide, affording considerable mid-bag expandability.
The Haven's materials and design place it in the mid-grade down bag category, which the price basically reflects.
ARTICLE OUTLINE
- Design & Materials
- Fitting a Pad
- Performance
- Measurements
- Room and Comfort
- Fill and Temperature Rating
- Pads
- Ingress/Egress
- Sleeping in the Haven
- Fabrics & Wear Performance
- Market Comparisons
- Assessment
- Specifications
# WORDS: 2830
# PHOTOS: 9
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Discussion
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Companion forum thread to:
Therm-a-Rest Haven Down Top Bag Review
it needs 800 fill to show off its true weight advantage over mummy bags
what was the R value of you pads when testing … en rating assumes an R-value of 5 … which means 2 pads or a downmat
For those of us who answer the call to nature 1 or more times per night, it seems that this bag would be a difficult proposition; too bad the hood opening isn't a bit larger. That and 800 fill down could make it quite attractive, IMO.
Getting out of the Haven is actually really easy. I usually use it with a Prolite pad as, in my experience, offers easier entry and exit (the pad goes inside vs. being strapped to the outside). The idea of getting out of the bag is simply, while laying on your back and putting your hands up near your head, throwing the arms outward. As you do this, the bag flies off and allows easy exit. Conversely I usually struggle getting out of a bag with a zipper. I'm either laying on it, it sticks as I try to zip it off, or it has snagged some of the material close to the zipper.
I made a hoodless quilt with the same bottom elastic system a few years ago. It works great. It keeps itself tucked in like magic. It is faster to get in and out of than a regular bag. You can stick out an arm or leg anytime to cool off. It is very convenient to grab items outside the bag or keep both arms out & read. As soon as you pull an appendage in, the elastic snaps back under instantly – no zipper to fool with. It automatically compensates for the size & clothing level of the user. I hope this design becomes more popular since I can't get the best fabrics to make the ideal bag myself.
A hood on a top bag doesn't make sense unless you always sleep on your back. On your side, you would either have your face in the side of the hood or have your back exposed.
This bag seems to have baffels which trap down underneath you which is a waste. It should at least allow the down to move to a useful location. Mine has the last few inches around the hole as a single layer of fabric. This controls drafts at a low weight and doesn't waste insulation.
Eric, thanks for pointing that out. I suppose they made those baffles for customers that would never think about down shifting. Unfortunately that's frustrating for those of us that intentionally shift down to optimize performance.
I'm glad this was reviewed. I found out about this bag on another site and I was especially curious to find out more about how easy or difficult it is to get out of this bag quickly. This is definitely a bag I'll consider in the future.
"A hood on a top bag doesn't make sense unless you always sleep on your back. On your side, you would either have your face in the side of the hood or have your back exposed."
Glad I'm a back sleeper. I have been using WM PODS (30F and 15F) with modified bottoms for years. Both have zippers, hoods and 800-850 fp down. Unfortunately WM never sorted out their pad attachment system, so without modifications it was not appealing to many. Very warm, and with my modifications they both come in around 40 grams lighter than the off-the-shelf versions.
Lynn,
What were the modifications that you made to the WM Pod system?
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