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Western Mountaineering introduced the Summerlite sleeping bag to the US market in January 2006. With features focused on three-season performance and light weight, it instantly drew attention from ultralighters. The Summerlite is the lightest fully baffled bag in Western Mountaineering's lineup. It has a full-length zipper, insulated draft tube, 4 inches of double-layer loft and weighs 1 pound 3 ounces for the regular length. The long length bag has a specified weight of 1 pound 5 ounces (1 pound 5.4 ounces as measured). The Summerlite is part of the Extremelite series and uses a 0.9 oz/yd2 Extremelite shell fabric. In 2007, Western Mountaineering will offer a new short length version designed for people 5 feet 6 inches or less. This version will likely come in near a scant 1 pound 1 ounce. I used the Summerlite for 6 weeks on the Pacific Crest Trail this summer and have some strong opinions about its combination of features and performance.

ARTICLE OUTLINE

  • Introduction
  • What's Good
  • What's Not So Good
  • Specifications: Year/Model, Style, Fill, Measured Loft, Manufacturer, Weight, Sizes, Fabrics, Features, MSRP
  • Performance
  • What's Unique
  • Recommendations for Improvement

# WORDS: 1490
# PHOTOS: 6
# TABLES: 1

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