Nunatak Arc Ghost Sleeping Bag REVIEW

The Arc Ghost looks very interesting. Am I the only side sleeper in the field? What are the experiences with a top quilt for those that are side sleepers? Is the variable girth idea only for those that can sleep comfortably on their back or stomach?
Thanks

I usually sleep on my side and I have an Arc Special (like the Ghost but wider, as wide as the Arc Alpinist) and I’m fine. I’ve noticed that turning inside the thing without inducing drafts starts being tricky when the bag is cinched tight (because the bag tends to move with the sleeper). I don’t know if I’d be confortable with the Ghost’s girth. There’s a reader’s review on this one you may find useful where the girth issue is addressed.
I can understand it’s better suited for those who sleep on their back or belly but I think it’s fine for side sleepers too.

I have this bag and it works great in a hammock. I used it this spring in a tent and was quite cold. I had a lot of trouble with drafts as I tend to roll around a lot. This isn’t a big problem in the hammock, as you can’t really roll too much, and the sides of the hammock serve to keep the bag tucked in.

The straps are very fragile. One of the buckles broke the first time I used it. One of the straps is now ripped out; I think the cleaning lady got it with the vacuum cleaner (I keep it under a bed). This isn’t a big deal to me as I don’t use the straps in a hammock.

The neck closure works very well.

Doug

I am a side sleeper. I haven’t had problems with drafts. I had had slight problems with my hip creating a cold spot when I am at the comfortable limit of the quilt. Redistributing the down, or placing some clothing item on my hip takes care of the problem.

I colder weather I typically run the straps under my sleeping pad, so when I move and shift I am typically not generating a draft.

–Mark

Phil,
I am a stomach/side sleeper. I own an arc-x, which is basically a ghost but dimensioned like and arc alpinist. (It has a girth of 55 inches vs the ~45 inches of the ghost). I have no problems side sleeping with this bag.

I also have an old Golite fur 1 quilt, which is a synthetic quilt with footpocket very similar to the nunatak bags. This quilt has a girth of about 46 inches and while it works for side sleeping it is a little more difficult to prevent drafts with this bag when side sleeping.

My advice, if you wanted to get a ghost would be to specify some additional girth to the bag. Nunatak bags are pretty much custom bags anyways. Adding 10 inches of girth at the shoulders would add minimal weight to the bag but make it much more useable.

Dan

It seems possible to use this to extend the temperature range of an existing bag. Does anybody do this? Does the top bag go inside or outside (inside looks better to me)? How much would it add to the range? Unless it’s at least 25 F, this probably isn’t a cost-effective approach.

As I said in the reader reviews

Pros: Lots of loft for the 400 grams of total weight. More than a WM Highlight for instance.

Cons: Too narrow. Way too narrow to sleep in for me and I like sleeping bags people normally say are too narrow. When you roll the bag “follows you”, exposes the base and in comes the draft.

I also have the Arc Alpinist but the Ghost is a very different bag. It is MUCH narrower. I agree with Ryans rating, with overfill, the Alpinist is a 4 and the Ghost is a 2. It is useable, but very uncomfortable. I would also rate the bag to 40, not 32, but I do that with every bag.

I just got mine a few weeks ago and haven’t gotten the chance to test it to the limits of the temperature range, but I feel like I’ve gotten a good sense for the bag.

-It’s WARM. It easily has more than 2 inches of loft and the footbox seems to have more poof to it than comparable bags. Since the baffles are continuous, you can scoot the down to the top or bottom of the footbox where you need it. This makes it better for sleeping with your feet hanging off of a UL-cut sleeping pad.

-My custom shorter-than-medium (I’m 65in tall) is long enough for me to point my toes and still have sleeping bag over the back of my head or up to my nose, depending on position.

-I can put on my poofiest jacket and still be able to cinch the straps all the way down without any apparent compression of loft. It’s wide enough to serve as a bag for two very cozy people in an emergency (think puppy pile- one laying on stomach and the other angled and somewhat over them).

-I don’t get sweaty because I can shove whichever body parts are too warm out without waking up. I like the economy of getting one bag that will carry me through four seasons in the south.

-Can be worn as a cape with the neck tightened and the straps around the body- order it in red to be a lobster for halloween.

You cinch up the quilt “just so” where there is 0 airspace but you haven’t compressed the loft.

I own a semi-custom medium (cut for 67″ stature) in microlight and 0.85. I’ve taken the bag down to 28 F in combination with other sleeping system items. This weekend the bag went down to 30 F using this combination:

1. Quilt
2. Montbell UL Breeze Dry-tec overbag
3. BMW Vapr Bivy

I was very cozy and my feet took no time to warm up at all. Best of all, in the morning I observed that the dewpoint was at the sil-nylon bottom (and to a minor extent on the quantum top) of the bivy and the interior of the overbag managed to stay completely condensation free (no clammy feeling on the PE membrane).

When I ordered the bag last year Tom Halpin @ Nunatak informed me that it had a standard 2″ baffle height with no differential cut. This seems to work in most situations but a differential cut would’ve been useful for staying warm in my hammock last week. That said, you can probably spec a differential cut on on the Ghost with the quantum fabric outer without weight penalty but it will cost.

John.

Tom Halpin of Nunatak believes that a differential cut is wasted on the very light bags–you would have to talk to him about why.

The differential cut debate has always been there. Holubar down sleeping bags did not have a differential cut, but no one ever complained about getting cold in one. In fact the classic Holubar Expedition sleeping bag that I have in mint condition has just as much loft even today as a Westerm Mountaineering Bison or Marmot CWM etc. It is just a lot heavier because it is stuffed to the gills with 550 goose down which was the best available way back then.

I would be more worried about the width of the bag. Sounds like the extra money should be spent on widening the bag so it will cover you properly.