Articles (2020)

Introduction

Formerly called the Zip, the current Exodus backpack is a larger volume (59 L) frameless backpack suitable for week-long trips using ultralight gear. It has volume reduction clips and loops at the bottom of the pack to reduce volume, making it usable for smaller loads and shorter duration trips. And numerous options are available to customize the pack to your heart’s content. So, how versatile is the Exodus?

Specifications

Description

The Mountain Laurel Designs Exodus is a typical design for a top-loading frameless backpack, it has a drawcord and rolltop closure with top strap and mesh pockets on the front and sides. What is different about the Exodus (and the other three packs in the series) is: 1) they are constructed of high quality and durable fabrics and mesh, 2) the pack design gets the details just right, 3) they are exceptionally well made with plenty of reinforcements at stress points, and 4) a variety of options is offered so you can configure a pack just the way you want it.

Performance

To be frank, I struggled with the high volume of the Exodus pack. In fact, I violated one of the key considerations when choosing a frameless backpack: choose a pack with a volume capacity that matches the usual volume of your gear kit. The reason for this is that a fully expanded frameless backpack is firmer, so it transfers weight and carries better than a partially filled pack. If I had followed that rule, I would have chosen the Prophet instead of the Exodus, but I reviewed the Prophet a few years ago (when it was a silnylon pack with a different design). Most of the time while I tested the Exodus, the pack had 50% more volume than I needed. So much of my testing focused on different approaches to fill up the extra volume.

As part of the Frameless Backpack State of the Market Report I am currently working on, I measured the actual volume of the Exodus and found it to be a whopping 550 cubic inches (9 L) larger than specified. Rather than 3500 cubic inches (57 L), the Exodus is 4050 cubic inches (66 L)! That explains the problems I was having with my gear disappearing inside the Exodus, and revives old memories of my first frameless backpack, the Gossamer Gear G4. The problem with these large volume frameless backpacks is that it’s hard to fill them with gear to create a fully extended pack with a “virtual frame” to transfer weight to the hips. If I did fill up all that volume with backpacking gear and food, the pack weight would far exceed its comfortable carrying capacity. Bottom line, MLD needs to take some volume out of the Exodus and design it to accept removable contoured stays to assist with pack stiffening and weight transfer.

The Exodus is capable of carrying a heavier load if a stiff folded closed cell foam pad is placed against the backpanel or coiled inside the pack. However, without the extra stiffening, the Exodus is like most frameless packs – the normal comfortable load carrying capacity is around 20 pounds (9.1 kg), or a little more if you have a strong back.

I found the MLD pack accessories to be very useful. The top cover attaches easily, adds an extra pocket on top, makes the pack look more attractive, and helps to shed showers. I especially like the well-designed shoulder strap mounted water bottle pocket for backpacking in the mountains where water is plentiful. Likewise, the shoulder strap gear pouch is nice if you use a GPS a lot or carry a MP3 player. I tested the hydration sleeve, and it works very well, but I find it more convenient to carry a partially filled hydration system in a side pocket because it’s easier to refill (and for that reason I wish one of the side pockets were taller). Finally the mesh internal stow pocket is nice for secure storage, and it uses the same clips as the hydration sleeve. The beauty of these pack accessories is they are all removable, so you can choose the options you want for each trip.

Comparisons

Comparative specifications can be found in my Frameless Backpack State of the Market Report 2011 (coming soon), and will not be repeated here. The packs most comparable to the MLD Exodus are the Z-Packs Dyneema X, Six Moon Designs Swift, ULA CDT, and Gossamer Gear Mariposa Plus. However, the Exodus is larger.

Assessment

There are lighter frameless backpacks available, made of lighter, less durable fabrics. For example, the Z-Pack Dyneema X 32 pack can be had in Cuben Fiber, with a weight savings of 6.8 ounces (193 g), and at the same cost as the Dyneema X fabric (the weight saving for the same pack made of silnylon is about half of that). So, the weight difference is substantial, but the durability difference is substantial too. Dyneema X is a superb fabric for backpacks, so purchasing a backpack made with this fabric is an investment in longevity. Further, Mountain Laurel Designs’ construction is superb. In their own words: “the seams are double stitched, felled, and we use many bartacks – more than 2X the seam stitching versus other budget packs.” So, if your preference is for a more durable, long-lasting frameless backpack, this is one to consider.

I didn’t compare the MLD Exodus with backpacks that have removable stays because that’s a different breed of pack that I discuss separately in the Frameless Backpack State of the Market Report. For a larger frameless pack like the Exodus and Ark, it would be nice if MLD would offer removable contoured stays as an option; there are times when everyone needs to carry a heavier load, like a week-long trip or after a re-supply, and the stays would help to transfer some weight. Removable stays do not convert a frameless pack into a full-fledged internal frame backpack, but they do assist with pack stiffening and load transfer, so a pack like the Exodus could carry a 25-pound (11.3-kg) load more comfortably.

As with any pack, it’s important to choose the proper torso size for a good fit, and in a frameless pack to select a pack with a volume capacity to match your backpacking kit. MLD makes the same pack design in four different volumes, so it’s easy to find a good match. Realistically, it’s best to choose a pack with a bit larger volume than your gear kit.

Overall, the Exodus is an exceptionally well designed and constructed frameless backpack. The components are meticulously sourced. MLD offers all the options a la carte when you purchase a pack, and they are all removable so you can configure the pack for each trip. It all comes together as one of the very best frameless backpacks on the market.

What’s Good

• Volume reduction system
• Three torso lengths (plus custom sizes) to fit most hikers
• Four pack models with different volume capacities
• Removable accessories
• Durable fabrics and mesh
• Large mesh front pocket for convenient access to items needed on the trail
• Very sturdily built, with adequate reinforcements
• Fits well (if you choose the correct size)
• Comfortably carries moderate loads

What’s Not So Good

• Durable fabric and mesh add weight
• Removable stays not offered as an option

Recommendations For Improvement

• Make one of the mesh side pockets taller

Disclosure: The manufacturer provided this product to the author and/or Backpacking Light at no charge, and it is owned by the author/BPL. The author/Backpacking Light has no obligation to review this product to the manufacturer under the terms of this agreement.

Introduction

First thing first: It’s a $100.00 DOWN sleeping bag.

A hundred bucks for a down bag?! The skeptic in my head immediately said “Yeah, it’ll weigh five pounds and be good for 60 F (16 C).” But the sleeping bag only weighs two and a half pounds, and it’s been EN tested for 20 F / -7 C. Well, that clinched my curiosity. Is the Kelty Cosmic Down 20 a true bargain, or should backpackers on a budget save for a more expensive bag?

The Lowdown

I guess you could say I went into this evaluation with high hopes and low expectations. I’m accustomed to sleeping bags more in the price range of $400, and while the idea of saving $300 was awesome, I didn’t really think the Cosmic Down 20 would keep me warm. How could it? It weighs maybe 12 to 16 ounces more than a bag that costs nearly four times as much… and the Cosmic Down 20 is only using 550 fill down! For such a cheap bag, could the shell material really be light enough to offset the extra weight of 550 fill? As I waited for what I was sure would be an overweight package, I psyched myself up for some very cold nights.

The box that arrived at my doorstep was surprisingly small and light. “Huh,” I thought. “That actually feels about right.” Out of the box and onto the scale: my size regular Cosmic Down 20 weighs 2 pounds 9.6 ounces, 1.6 ounces over spec, but hey, that’s still pretty good. I had imagined wrestling a behemoth into a stuff sack, but it easily stuffed into a 10 liter dry sack. “Huh,” I thought again. “This thing might actually be legitimate.” I shook my head. “Nah, it won’t loft for beans.”

I’m not gonna lie: It isn’t a sexy bag. The 50 denier polyester taffeta shell fabric is not inspiring. The loft of the sleeping bag is… not bad. It does not have the distinctly reassuring appearance of, say, Western Mountaineering bags and their slightly overstuffed baffles. Maybe it looks a little lumpy? But the Cosmic Down 20 lofts well enough, even better than many. Down distribution in the baffles is more adequate than some $200 down bags I’ve handled. There are definitely some thinner spots in loft, particularly on the bottom of the bag, but overall I’m pretty pleased.

The hood has a reasonable amount of depth and shape, and has been cut to allow a bit of an insulated ruff around the top of the opening. Although I can fluff the hood to get some more down into the area, the neck region of the hood habitually shifts down out of the neck region and toward the head. The bag should really have some more down in that area, or use an additional baffle. There is a passive top draft collar in the Cosmic Down 20, an insulated tube that hangs from the top of the bag to block air movement. The draft tube is not circumferential, nor can you cinch it down, but the passive top collar does help keep the bag warmer.

The zipper draft tube is surprisingly well filled, and the zipper runs freely. The Cosmic Down 20 uses a three-quarter-length zipper, but it’s a three-quarter-length zipper that I’ve found eminently functional. Most partial zips don’t go down far enough to be useful for venting, but this one hits me just below the knee. They could have extended the zipper another foot for about an ounce, but oh well.

There are two large loops sewn onto the footbox for hanging, and a number of small loops along the sides so you could secure a pad underneath the bag. I’ve never found the need to do that, but they’re there if you’re so inclined.

Now that you’ve had the full tour, let’s take a look at some real-world performance. Does the bag do what it’s supposed to do?

Performance

I’m not a huge fan of equipment surprises when I’m in the backcountry, so I first test almost all new equipment in the backyard. Walking from my back door to the tent on a night in the high 30s I shivered a little, and thought to myself that I’d probably be headed back for the house halfway through the night. Instead I woke up warm, cozy, and smiling somewhat late the next morning. Huh! Yet another pleasant surprise from the Cosmic Down 20.

That’s not to say I trusted the rating yet, but the bag kept me warm on progressively cooler nights, including one that dipped into the twenties. The forecast for an upcoming weekend trip was for lows in the teens; I considered bringing a different sleeping bag, but decided to just bring an extra down layer and warmer pants to complement the Cosmic Down 20 if needed. Despite temps bottoming out in the low twenties, I slept warm and cozy for that weekend and the next. A night in the hammock (with a DownMat under me) down to the mid twenties found me, yet again, warm and toasty.

I’ve found that using pads with barely adequate insulation can dramatically decrease the performance of a bag, therefore I used pads with R-values ranging from 5 to 8 (yeah, I know the 8 is high, but I have the pad, it’s comfy, and I love it) for all my field evaluations. Although I normally roll over with the bag (kind of wearing it as I roll over to sleep on my side), I found myself turning inside the Cosmic Down 20 to keep the bottom surface down. I didn’t have much faith in the ability of its underside insulation.

A late fall/early winter overnighter was forecasted with single-digit temperatures. Although I was game to experiment and had gained healthy respect for the Cosmic Down 20, I took along a 0 F / -18 C bag as a backup. That night only dropped to about 15 F / -9 C, but I woke up perhaps five hours into the night, feeling particularly cold. I didn’t want to start from scratch warming up the zero degree bag, so I pulled it over me quilt-style and hunkered down for the rest of the night. It wasn’t until that morning when I got up and moved around for awhile that I really warmed up.

I was a bit perplexed. That night wasn’t significantly colder than several others, when I had been warm using the same pad and clothing combo. At first I dismissed it as a fluke, perhaps a hydration problem I wasn’t aware of, maybe a slight cold, or a light dinner… but all factors struck me as being completely normal. Then I realized that what had changed wasn’t so much the low temperature, but the high temperature of the day.

My previous experiences with the bag had all been during warm days, with highs perhaps in the forties and bottoming out in the twenties in the middle of the night. The night I slept cold had been in the mid twenties all day and dropped even lower that night. I had essentially been coasting through the previous lows on the borrowed heat of the day.

If I were headed on a trip and expected a narrow range of temperature variation, hovering around 20 F / -7 C, the Cosmic Down 20 isn’t the bag I would take. However, if I were looking for a decent three-season bag and typical temperature swing, this bag could be a good choice. Trips with days in the 40s or 50s F and nights in the 20s or 30s F would be fine with the Cosmic Down 20, and frankly those are conditions most backpackers are more likely to encounter.

Conclusion

The real question, then, “Should everyone buy this bag?”

No.

If you’re counting ounces, you could save three-quarters of a pound by going to an 850-fill bag. If you want and expect greatness from your equipment, this isn’t your bag. The Cosmic Down 20 is for those seeking a serviceable sleeping bag that gets pretty small, is reasonably light, and will do the trick for most three-season conditions. I see the bag working particularly well for those who would benefit from other gear upgrades… perhaps the $300 “savings” of the Cosmic D could be put toward a new backpack or tent that would save a few pounds.

Who should buy the Cosmic Down 20? Anyone on a limited budget who’s in the market for a good all ‘round sleeping bag. If someone’s new to backpacking and trying to put together their whole kit, this sleeping bag is a good bargain. Note that when I say “bargain,” I don’t mean cheap… I mean a good value. College students or Scouts might want to take a look at the Cosmic Down 20. If you want a spare bag, or even if you’ll be spending more time afield, this would be a durable option for the same price as value-priced synthetic bags. If someone wants to get into backpacking, but doesn’t want to make a large equipment investment, this bag could be just the ticket. There is nothing outwardly impressive about this bag in appearance, but it works. It’s a much better sleeping bag than I imagined.

Disclosure: The manufacturer provided this product to the author and/or Backpacking Light at no charge, and it is owned by the author/BPL. The author/Backpacking Light has no obligation to review this product to the manufacturer under the terms of this agreement.

Introduction

PHD (Peter Hutchinson Designs) Mountain Software is a small company in Stalybridge, UK that manufactures sleeping bags and garments “from the lightest in the world to the ultimate in extreme expedition protection.” Many of their garments are offered in standard sizes, or custom sizing, added fill, or custom features at additional cost. All products are sewn in their small factory after the order is placed.

This review covers their baffled Yukon Down Pullover (also available as a jacket with a full-height front zipper), which is designed to provide maximum warmth with minimal weight. Is this the ultimate ultralight down garment for cold weather pursuits?

Description

The PHD Yukon Down Pullover features 900 fill-power down, which PHD tests on-site to be sure it meets or exceeds their specifications. One ounce of down of this quality expands to 900 cubic inches (14.7 liters), so a relatively small weight of down produces a very puffy jacket. The jacket has box wall baffled construction and 4-inch (10-cm) down chambers. PHD does not disclose the amount of down fill in the jacket. I measured the jacket’s average double layer loft at 3.75 inches (9.5 cm).

The outer shell is PHD’s Drishell fabric, which is 1.68 oz/yd² (57 g/m²) ripstop nylon with DWR, claimed to provide “total wind resistance, high breathability, and effective water resistance”. Its functionality is similar to shell fabrics used in the Western Mountaineering Flash XR Jacket and the Montane Anti-Freeze Jacket. The lining is PHD’s MX Microfiber nylon ripstop which, at 0.88 oz/yd² (30 g/m²), is one of the lightest downproof fabrics currently available. MX is calendared on both sides (more on the inside) to increase strength, wind resistance, and downproofness.

The Yukon Down Pullover is featured for lightweight four-season use, i.e., it adds some essentials for cold weather comfort and convenience. It has a detachable hood (1.8 oz/51 g) that attaches with five snaps. The front zipper is a 12-inch (30-cm) YKK #5CN coil zipper, rather than the #3 zipper found on the three-season PHD Ultra Down Pullover. The hood and cuffs have a simple elastic binding, but the hem has an elastic drawcord with two adjustors to seal out drafts. There is one large reach-through front pocket, with zippered openings, that provides loads of room inside to hold an assortment of items.

Performance

I tested the PHD Yukon Down Pullover on a number of fall backpacks in the southern Colorado Rockies, plus winter skiing and snowshoeing (even ice fishing) over a five-month period. Temperatures ranged from +30 to -15 F (-1 to -26 C). I typically wore the pullover in camp, in my sleeping bag on cold nights, and while hiking or skiing on frigid days.

I normally wear a men’s size Large and found the sizing of the Yukon Down Pullover to be perfect. It’s roomy enough inside to wear over a baselayer plus a thin insulating layer, and the sleeves are extra long. The fit around the face, at the neck, and at the wrists is snug but not tight; the hem is snugged with a drawcord. The dropped tail covers the butt somewhat (see photos above) but the garment is not extra long in the body. I personally like a pullover style, but I must admit it is not as convenient to put on as a jacket style. The Yukon Jacket version of this garment has a full-height front zipper and weighs 1.1 ounces (30 g) more, and many users will feel that it is worth the extra weight.

For cold weather camping, the PHD Yukon Down Pullover paired with the PHD Minimus Down Trouser (8 oz/227 g) is a warm and lightweight combination, weighing about 1.5 pounds (680 g), providing plenty of comfort in camp, and extending the warmth of an ultralight sleeping bag by 10-15 F (6 to 8 C). I have found that wearing an ultralight rain jacket and pants over my insulating layers noticeably increases their warmth in camp, and have been known to wear my raingear inside my sleeping bag on really cold nights to stay warm.

PHD claims a comfort temperature for the Yukon Pullover of +5 F (-15 C). I found that to be accurate when physically active, but, for inactive conditions, I needed a couple of layers under it and a shell over it to stay warm. For skiing or snowshoeing, the jacket is simply too warm to wear while climbing, but it’s perfect to wear during breaks and downhill runs on frigid days.

In wind and snow, I found the Yukon provided superb protection from the elements. While skiing on frigid days with a biting wind, the Yukon kept me toasty warm. I deliberately wore it as an outer layer on snowy and rainy days to test its water resistance; it stayed completely dry inside, and the shell fabric did not wet out.

Unfortunately, PHD’s Drishell at 1.68 oz/yd² (57 g/m²) is not very light. It weighs more than twice as much as the new Pertex Quantum GL (about 0.7 oz/y2/27 g/m²), which is considered to be the current state-of-the-art material for lightweight shell fabric (MontBell’s 7 denier Ballistic Airlight fabric is equal in light weight and quality). While Drishell is heavier, it is also clearly more durable and weather-resistant. The fabric itself contributes significantly to the garment’s warmth and dryness, which should not be discounted.

Comparisons

The following table compares specifications of jackets similar to the PHD Yukon Down Pullover. All jackets have lightweight shell fabric, premium down insulation, and baffled construction. Manufacturer data for size Medium are shown.

For light weight, the hooded Nunatak Skaha Plus is hard to beat at 10.5 ounces (298 g), but the cost is about US$100 more. The Skaha Plus apparently attains its lighter weight by using lighter shell fabric, a lighter front zipper, and no pocket zippers. In defense of their using “only” 800 fill down, Nunatak stresses that down quality varies a lot by source, and they use the highest quality down available.

Other than the manufacturer data presented in the table, I have no additional information (such as fill weight and loft) to compare the garments. I have not personally tested any of the other garments in the table, so I can’t comment any further on how well they compare.

Assessment

Without data on fill weight and loft, it is difficult to compare the warmth of the PHD Yukon Down Pullover (or jacket) with the Nunatak Skaha Plus. There are a limited number of lightweight baffled down jackets on the market, and their weights vary over a fairly wide range. And the lightest jacket isn’t necessarily the warmest. Warmth ultimately depends on the amount and quality of down in the jacket; and light weight comes from high lofting down and minimalist fabrics and features. The Nunatak Skaha Plus seems to be the most minimalistic, but the down fill-power, by the numbers, does not compare well. PHD verifies the fill-power of their down, but they do not disclose the amount of down in the jacket. My double layer loft measurement of 3.75 inches (9.5 cm) is good, and my personal testing of the Yukon Pullover verifies that it is quite warm.

All of the jackets listed in the table are high-end baffled jackets with premium down and cost in the US$350-425 range. An alternative is to look at premium stitched-through jackets, such as the Rab Infinity Jacket and GoLite Bitteroot Jacket. Both have 850 fill down, a Pertex Quantun GL shell and lining, and attached hood. The Rab Infinity weighs 18 ounces (510 g), contains 7.4 ounces (210 g) of down, and sells for US$280 (that’s a great value); the GoLite Bitterroot (fall 2011) will weigh 13.1 ounces (371 g), contains 5.3 ounces (150 g) of down, and will sell for US$375. Another notable stitch-through jacket is the Western Mountaineering Meltdown (850+ down/17 oz/482 g/US$340), which has a microfiber shell. And of course there is the WM Flight Jacket (4.7 ounces/133g of 850+ down/10.5 oz/ 298g/US$250). Although these stitched-through jackets are not directly comparable to the jackets in the table, some of them are a lower cost alternative, and their warmth can be comparable to a baffled jacket if you wear a shell over them (for details read my article Lightweight 3-Season Down Jackets State of the Market Report). The referenced article also provides fill weight, loft, and other data for a large number of ultralight down jackets.

Overall, the PHD Yukon Down Pullover (and jacket) appears to be in the ball park for weight, warmth, and pricing for a baffled garment. It could be made a bit lighter by offering a lighter shell fabric, using a #3 zipper on the front, eliminating the pocket zippers, and lightening the hem drawcord. That would eliminate 2-3 ounces (57-85 g), but would make the jacket more fragile for four-season use. The Yukon is a balancing act of durability, functionality, warmth, fit, and weather resistance. From our perspective, it’s not as lightweight as it could be; but from a mountaineer’s perspective, it is spot on. Perhaps PHD should offer an ultralight version of this pullover, and perhaps they should consider using Pertex Quantum GL fabric. As it is, the Yukon does not stand out from a lightweight perspective.

Specifications and Features

Disclosure: The manufacturer provided this product to the author and/or Backpacking Light at no charge, and it is owned by the author/BPL. The author/Backpacking Light has no obligation to review this product to the manufacturer under the terms of this agreement.

Introduction

Katabatic Gear is a small cottage industry set up ‘to build the finest ultralight sleeping bags available,’ and the Sawatch 15 is their middle offering (they are working on a quilt for even colder conditions). While rated to 15 F (-9 C), they only call it their ‘three season workhorse.’ This has got to be different from some other bag manufacturers who notoriously hype their offerings to temperature extremes. The Crestone hood is described as ‘our warmest lightweight hood, ideal when extra head insulation is needed.’

Neither of these items feature any of the usual mass-market gimmicks, but the quilt does have an interesting method of stopping drafts from getting in at the sides: it has (patent pending) clips to hold the sides down onto strings tied around your air mat. Yes, they assume you will be using an air mat at the temperatures this quilt is designed for.

I field tested the Sawatch 15 and the Crestone Hood on a couple of trips in the Australian Alps during the winter and early spring. Unfortunately both trips had to be aborted part-way through, before I had done any serious photography, so many of the photos used in this review are derived from the Katabatic Gear website. Those photos have ‘KG’ in the corner. (The first ski trip was aborted as I needed stitches in my knee. The second trip was aborted as we could not cross the flooded rivers.)

We do not award the Highly Recommended rating lightly: gear needs to be very good to get this rating. However, you should remember that ‘highly recommended’ does not mean ‘perfect’ – no gear is ever perfect. I have commented on some fringe features, but commentary is not the same as criticism.

Technical Details – Sawatch Quilt

The fabric used in the quilt and hood is Pertex Quantum: none of your cheap Asian taffeta here. Trust me, it feels very nice. The goose down is rated at 850 loft on the enhanced IDFL USA scale, or 750 – 800 on the more realistic European scale. (The enhanced IDFL scale relies on an unrealistic conditioning process to get a higher score, principally for marketing purposes. Neither the birds nor the down has really changed, however.)

The quilt is made with proper internal baffles and a differential cut. The foot end is closed into a footbox, which is really the only way to keep the bottom end of a quilt under control. They claim to have ‘overstuffed’ the tubes around the footbox so your feet are toasty, but I don’t think this is the best way to keep your feet warm. However, the weight of the extra down used is probably barely measurable, and perhaps it will help people with poor circulation.

Beyond the foot box (going towards the neck) the quilt opens up in the usual quilt manner, and a short way up there’s an adjustable webbing across the gap (yellow line at left). Personally, I think the buckle could be dispensed with, as I cannot see anyone doing much adjustment. The design simply does not allow for much sensible adjustment, but this does not affect the quilt.

Further up the sides again there are two sets of small plastic clips (red lines): these form the patent pending attachment which is meant to hold the edges of the quilt down to the mat. The picture helps tell the story. The idea is that these clips will hold the edges of the quilt down against the mat to prevent drafts. Since mats don’t provide anything to attach to, the quilt comes with two sets of string (one set is a spare) which you tie around the mat to make the anchorages. It is an innovative idea.

In addition, there are extra clips on the outside (top side) of the quilt in just a bit from the edge (green lines). The idea here is that if you are still getting drafts when using the clips on the edge of the quilt, you should switch to using the outer clips, leaving a sort of ‘baffle’ along the edge to block the drafts. Doing so reduces the width of the quilt a fair bit.

You might ask why not use tapes under the mat to hold the edges of the quilt down? Katabatic claim that using tapes under the mat leaves an air gap down the sides of the quilt which can let drafts in: ‘Your precious body heat is spent trying to warm this draft tunnel, which leaves less body heat for you.’ Instead, the clips allow the quilt to be tucked in much closer to your body. I’ll disagree with part of this: the energy required to heat the small volume of air is utterly trivial. However, if you toss and turn a bit, any air space could definitely be conducive to drafts. At -10 C (14 F), drafts are definitely to be avoided. On the second trip to the mountains, I did not always bother with the strings around the mat, relying instead on my experience with a quilt to avoid getting drafts at the sides. That made it easier to get under the quilt, as seen in the first photo below. More on this in a moment.

Katabatic also claim that tapes under the mat ‘can also cause compressed insulation at your shoulder and hip. All this conspires to leave you cold.’ That is because the tapes tend to stretch a narrow quilt across your body. I will only partly go along with this idea: the use of a differential cut should prevent any squashing of the down over the high point of your body. However, quite often ‘should’ does not work too well in the middle of the night when the quilt is only just wide enough. What may be more important here is that this quilt is wide enough to avoid drafts.

I have to mention here that my normal three-season quilt is much wider than this one, so the problems described don’t happen with it. Frankly, I think that you might get more joy from adding 6 inches of extra width to your quilt than any fancy methods of holding the edges down. Having a wide quilt means I can drape it partly over my wife when the nights are very cold and share warmth with her. Of course, such extra width does mean extra weight, so things are not that simple, and the Katabatic solution does work. Please note that I am not implying that this quilt is too narrow: that is not part of my field observations.

The top end of the quilt has two interesting features. The first is that the corners of the quilt can be connected under your neck to bring the quilt around your neck and shoulders. That gives it a ‘bag’ type of neck. You can see the single snap used in the above photo. There is also a draw cord around the neck which can be tightened once the snap has been done up. The second feature is based on the first: there is a down baffle or ‘neck muff’ around the neck to block drafts. This would be relatively useless if the top was just open like a quilt on a bed, but we all know that neck muffs are quite popular on warmer sleeping bags. It works fine here.

The Sawatch 15 does not have an attached hood. Personally, I like an attached or integral hood on my quilt: my head goes under it and I can manipulate it however I want. Instead, Katabatic offer the Crestone hood or the Windom hood. How well this works is discussed later.

Finally, in a very nice touch, the quilt comes with its own large cotton storage sack, to keep it clean at home.

Technical Details – Crestone Hood

The Crestone hood is the top of the Katabatic line of hoods, with almost double the amount of down compared to the Windom. It looks just like a conventional balaclava with a longish neck region, but with a rather small opening for the face. It has a draw-cord around the face and two detachable loops of light cord going from the front to the back. These hook under your arms to keep the hood on your head.

Katabatic do make a ‘lighter’ hood with a larger opening for the face. I mention this here for reasons which will soon become apparent.

Field Assessment – Sawatch

Frankly, hauling the Sawatch out of the stuff sack I was using for it each evening was a pleasure. It feels nice, and I knew I would be warm under it.

The overstuffed footbox worked fine, although I have a bit of a bias against believing the usual footbox marketing spin. My experience has always been that having a good dinner, a good mat under me, a warm head and no restrictions around my legs is usually quite enough. Yes, I have tried breaking each of those rules, and I regretted it every time. But anyhow, under the Sawatch, my feet were always warm with or without socks. The photo here was taken early in the morning in a mountain hut: nice morning sun, but those metal huts do get cold overnight!

The tape across the gap worked fine. As mentioned above, it does not seem to warrant the buckle for adjustment. But of course, it works with no attention.

I am in two minds about the clips which fasten onto the string around the mat. Yes, I found that they do work to keep the edge of the quilt down, but… First of all, with both sets (call them top and middle) done up, it is a bit hard to sit up. The top clips drag the mat up as well. Also, once or twice I did notice the clips under me. I am not sure why, because with a bit of a shove and a wiggle the clips ceased to be noticeable.

Second, doing up the clips was always a bit of a hassle at the last minute. There I am, lying down in the dark, and I have to hook the clips onto the string – if I can find the clips and the string. First find a clip, then find the opening in the clip, then find the string. Sometimes I succeeded, sometimes I just didn’t bother, as shown in the previous photo. My wife reckons I fall asleep very quickly in the evening.

I am sure the top clips came undone from the string a couple of times. I thought I had done them up before going to sleep, but at least one of them was undone in the morning. Eventually I reached a compromise with the clips when I used them: I did up the bottom clips before I lay down but not the top clips. This seemed to work fine.

It is worth emphasising a point here: even without the clips the quilt was wide enough to keep me nicely warm. That means that the ‘system’ is not critically dependent on the clips. I doubt very much that the clips would break under normal field use: the plastic is of a high quality. But even if one did break, it would not be a disaster. In addition, as mentioned below, the latest model of the Sawatch has a backup for the clips.

I mentioned the width of the quilt above. With the clips all done up I didn’t experience any draft, so I didn’t need to resort to the outer set of clips (the ones with the green pointers). Personally, I doubt they are needed – at least for someone as slim as me (62 kg). And yes, I did find the quilt wide enough that I didn’t have any problems with drafts when I turned over – even without the clips. Mind you, I am not a ‘clutcher’ – when I turn over, I do so under the quilt, leaving it in place. It’s practice: you wake up about 10% and turn over, then relax back to sleep.

The neck opening on the unit I had for testing proved less successful. It was very nice when done up around my neck, with the baffle stopping drafts, but the snap came undone rather easily. Doing the snap up in the middle of the night was never easy. I found this a bit frustrating, but see below for what Katabatic have done to fix this.

So a preliminary assessment is that the quilt is very nice and warm, but the technical features didn’t seem entirely successful on the unit I tested. However, Katabatic were aware of these problems and the company sent me an update, which I will quote in full. The new features should be current by the time you read this.

• Elastic binding around the bottom opening prevents possible gaps and drafts and stabilizes the cord clips, keeping them more securely attached to the cord.
• Webbing straps and attachment loops in addition to the cord clip attachment system allows bag to be used like a traditional quilt-style bag and allows the option of being used without a sleeping pad.
• Two snaps at neck closure with reinforced material [see photo to right] provides more overlap for a better sealing collar and improves long term durability in this high strain area.

Total increase in weight for all this was estimated by Katabatic at about 0.5 ounce. I am not sure about the need for the first two modifications, but the double snaps will definitely give an improvement in holding power. (Double snaps seem to give more than just twice the holding power – something to do with how the pull is aligned with the snaps.) I think the double snaps solve the only significant criticism I had, and they are responsible for changing my initial rating from ‘Recommended’ to ‘Highly Recommended’.

Field Assessment – Crestone

There is no question that the Crestone hood is suitable for very cold weather. But therein lies a problem: it is sometimes too hot and sometimes the wrong shape.

Above about -10 C (14 F), I found it rather too warm. This created two problems in the field. The first was that face opening is fixed and not large. There is no way to vent this hood. The second is that this warmth means I need to carry a lighter hood or head covering as well, for those nights or times when the Crestone is too hot, but going bare-headed is too cold.

A subsidiary problem is that the face opening is small. I tried to eat dinner with this hood on, but the risks were just too high. I did not want stew all over the hood (from dripping off the under-side of the spoon!). This is another reason why this hood alone is not enough kit even in fairly cold weather: it may be good for sleeping, but not for dinner time.

Unfortunately the seam is at the back, or I might have unpicked it and added some Velcro to make a closure. It would still be possible to do this if you are willing to cut the fabric and handle the down. There’s lots of it in there!

I had no problems with the loops under the arms. They seemed a bit strange at first, but I think I forgot all about them five minutes later. I also tried sleeping without putting the loops under my arms, and that worked as well. The shape of the hood meant it did stay aligned with my head when I turned over. I didn’t need to adjust the lengths of the under-arm draw-cords: I left them at full length. I didn’t find any need to tighten the face draw-cord either, although I did not get down to extremely cold conditions.

The above might sound like criticisms of the hood, but really they are more comments about the philosophy of ‘flexibility.’ The reality is that you cannot expect to use the same gear over the full range from -30 C to 10 C (-22 F to 50 F). The Crestone is a lovely hood for really cold weather, but most people just won’t need it. Frankly, I would suggest that most people would be better served by the lighter Windom hood with its larger face opening. It would be warm enough. In mild conditions a fleece hat might do well enough, but that is outside the scope of this review.

I do suggest that Katabatic should consider making the front of their hoods openable under the chin, or perhaps offer a similar model which does open under the chin. That would solve a lot of problems.

Summary

This is all high-class gear. The version of the Sawatch 15F which I field tested had one minor nit (the snap) which needed fixing, but the nit seems to be largely fixed in later models. The Crestone hood is hot, and you should seriously consider whether you need something that warm. If you do, then no question! A model with an opening under the chin would be nice, and yes, I will be using these items on snow trips in the future.

The Sawatch may be compared to the GoLite UltraLite 3-Season quilt or the Nunatak Arc Alpinist. The figures quoted here for the latter two are from their websites and are for the Regular/Medium sizes, to match the Sawatch tested. Exact matches between brands are never possible, of course.

None of the companies state on their websites how the temperature rating for their quilts have been tested: to the reliable EN13537 standard or to some other standard.

The Sawatch is narrower than the other two, but the patent pending clip system used on it seems to be very capable of stopping any side drafts. The difference in width is not great, in any case.

Technical Details

Disclosure: The manufacturer provided this product to the author and/or Backpacking Light at no charge, and it is owned by the author/BPL. The author/Backpacking Light has no obligation to review this product to the manufacturer under the terms of this agreement.