Mont Bell vs. Western Mountaineering

I'd go with the summerlite (32F not 35F).

Main advantage being that you get a full length zipper — very handy in summer if you get some warmer nights and want to unzip it and use it as a quilt. I always avoid bags with a half-zip like the highlite because it limits my options for cooling off when conditions are warmer than expected. If you are a really serious gram-weenie then you'll prefer the highlite because it's lighter, but personally I don't think the tradeoff is worth it.

Yea I'm going to go to the store to check out the sizing. If I think the 59" shoulder width is fine I'll go for that and bring along the VBL for warmth on cold nights

Definitely a good idea to check it out in person. I'm 6'1" and 165 pounds and have the WM ultralite (same cut as the summerlite). I find I've got plenty of room. You're lucky that you are 5'10"… probably the ideal height for a regular sized WM bag. I don't see how anyone who is actually 6 foot could fit into a 6' WM bag.

If you find the summerlite too small, check out the WM megalite… but it weighs quite a bit more for a similar temperature rating. And if you start looking at the wider WM bags (such as the megalite) then you should definitely consider Montbell too… they are certainly no heavier than the wider WM bags. In fact, I think the montbell #3 (rated 30F?) is lighter than the WM megalite. So do check out Montbell's range more closely if you find the summerlite is too constricting.

ps. I believe Montbell is coming out with a new range of bags next year, which will be lighter (but less stretchy) than their current SS bags

I can't help but wonder if all the negative posts are from actual MontBell owners or are they just repeating hearsay? I have both and couldn't be happier with my MB bags, which include a down SS #5 (1,4) that I've used in the winter even though it's rated to 43F (comfortable) to 28F (usable), and a down Thermal Sheet (14 oz) rated to 50F for warmer weather, though I have used it down to the upper 30s. The advantage of the MB is that the stretch system eleminates dead air spaces for a greater thermodynamic efficiency compared to the WM Mitylite (1,10) at a less weight. The trick to using a lighter bag in cold weather is a VBL and some synthetic insulation that can be worn inside the liner such as the cocoon pullover and pants or fleece/merino. At any rate, both companies make sterling gear and I've found no problem with either. Happy trails!

While you're at it, you might want to check out the WM Ultralite. It weighs 1# 10 oz and is rated, accurately, at 20 degrees. You can also get it with 2 oz of overfill, which will take it down to at least 15 degrees, lower if you dress accordingly. A great all around bag, IMO. I own both a Summerlite for summer and early fall trips, and an Ultralite with overfill for later in the fall or spring. Both are great bags, but if I had to choose one bag, it would be the Ultralite.

I was wondering if anyone was aware if WM bags are tested in accordance with the European standard. I'm thinking of getting a Versalite and am trying to assess it against a few others. I reckon the ratings quoted by WM are close to the mark (I have a Summerlite), but was interested in an objective rating.

By the way…i'm really happy with the Summerlite.

Cheers
David

I have a semi-rec Aspen MF from WM. I can not tell you how much I like this bag. It is usable as a quilt or a as a bag.

I have a WM Summerlite and an Ultralite and love both bags. I know there are other good bag manufactures out there, FF, Mont-Bell, Marmot, Mountain Hardwear, etc, but none of them make a better bag than WM and you can feel good about buying something made in the USA. I do have a few pieces of Mont-Bell gear (clothing not sleeping bags) and they are all well made and well designed, so I am sure you wouldn't be unhappy with one of their bags. It is really just a personal thing.

I have owned and used many bags in my backpacking years, I currently have three Integral Designs, one FF, one WM, one Exped and a Valandre Shocking Blue, which is about the best of all.

For what you want, while I have and like Montbell insulated clothing, I would choose the WM, without a second thought. My WM is the Alpenlite Super and it is good for BC trekking until mid-October. It weighs 1lb-15oz. and is a superb bag.

The finest bags I have ever seen and I worked in the industry, are WM, the fabulous Integral down bags and the Valandre SB. Valandre is bringing out a lighter model of this design, the " Bloody Mary" and it should be about perfect for an "all around" bag in much of North America.

I don't really trust the elastic panels in the MB bags over the long haul, but, that is a subjective judgement, YMMV.

I have had trouble staying warm the last few years having gone lightweight and using tarps and tarptents. Awhile back I purchased a Versalite as a backlash to waking up cold. This bag was a little warm for August nights in the Sierras so I augmented my equipment with a Megalite. Although rated to 30º it has kept me warm in the high, above treeline elevations waking up with significant ice in my water bottles. I believe I am a low normal to a slightly cool sleeper as a point of reference for anyone in the decision mode and about to purchase.

Dewey, you have a bag collection that would make the most rabid gearhound proud!

As to MB's stretch panel robustness, I've not read any accounts of failures, but it's an interesting question. Down gear's life is best measured in decades, and one hopes that the stretchy material and the related stitching are sufficiently stable to perform over an equally long period. I suppose we'll just have to harvest field data the next several years to see (but personally I'm not too concerned).

In my view the larger issue with stretch bags is insulation gaps created when the bags are expanded. With mine (SS#5) significant gaps form–easy to see when backlit. This might be the reason it doesn't meet its temp ratings. I'll give them the benefit of a doubt and presume the colder range bags have enough insulation and baffle thickness/overlap to not have this problem, but I'd definitely do a test before buying one (not easy, since no store in my area carries the line).

By contrast, I have a Mountain Hardware "Crazy Legs" synthetic bag with stretch panels in the leg area (pulled from the market after MB sued them for patent infringement) and the batting-style insulation maintains complete coverage even when stretched to the limit. Might stretch technology be better suited to synthetic insulation?

I bought and used a WM Alpenlite Super a couple of years ago. Any WM narrower was too tight, but this bag felt too loose (6'1" 190#) and too long. I bought a MB DownHugger SS and finally had the perfect fit. I ended up buying two more MB's in different temperature ranges and have been completely happy with them. I've been able to sleep in shorts and a T shirt to 10 degrees lower than each bags rating. In the end I sold the WM.

I think that WM makes a really great bag, but can't seem to find a range that fits me. Since I need a long, I have 5" of wasted foot room. The WM's have very little middle ground and are either too tight or too loose a fit for me.

Rick makes an excellent point about down distribution in bag with variable girth, such as the Mont Bell bags. If the loft of a bag is X at a girth of Y, how can the loft be the same when the girth is expanded to Z, when Z is greater than Y?

It is a mathematical certainty that if you are taking full advantage of Montbell's Super Stretch system you are losing loft and very possibly creating cold spots in the bag by separating the down. I think this is exacerbated by the fact that the Montbell stretch bands give their stretch bags an almost sewn-thru characteristic.

My wife uses a MB SS #2 which is rated to 25 degrees. I own a WM Ultralight rated to 20 degrees. Both of us having slept in both bags, we are of the same mind- the WM bag is much warmer than the 5 degree difference in claimed temp rating. The Montbell bag is, without doubt, more comfortable when primary consideration is given to one's ability to thrash about, while Western Mountaineering bags seem to be warmer for a given fill weight of down.

I'm 6' even, about 200 lbs and I feel comfortable in the WM Ultralight. There isn't much room to spare but, as opposed to feeling confined as many people my build do in this bag, I like the tighter cocoon feel of the bag's close cut. If I had to choose which bag to taken on a hike, I'd choose a WM Extremelight series bag over a Montbell Super Stretch of the same (or close) fill weight.

Now, as for the OP's question about which bag to take on an AT thru-hike? This is subjective to the dates of the hike but were I starting in March I'd bring a 20 degree rated bag and supplement with insulated clothing at the start, swap out the 20 degree bag somewhere in VA for a 30 degree quilt and possibly switch back to the 20 degree bag towards the end. If resources aren't an issue, I'd suggest a WM Ultralight or Alpinlight to start and a good quality quilt for the middle stretch. You could opt for a lesser quality 40degree bag in place of the quilt to save some money. Temp rating isn't going to be as critical hiking through Pennsylvania in June.

I've owned both the WM Summerlite and the MB equivalent — the SS #3. I also own the MB #0. I initially purchased the Summerlite and found it true to the temperature but too constricting to sleep comfortably. I traded it in for the MB #3 and have not regretted it.

When I first got the #3, I noticed some spotty areas when holding it up to the light. After some fluffing and re-distributing of the down, they were gone.

Well, yes, I do think that synthetic insulation such as the excellent Primaloft in my Integral North Twin and Andromeda Overbag combo and my Exped Wallcreeper IS much more suited to a stretch baffle system. I first saw this used by North Face some 35 years ago and while these bags were high quality and quite popular, their extreme "coke bottle" shape did and does not appeal to me.

WM bags, fine and world class as they are,DO seem to be quite critical in respect of fit issues and my Alpenlite Reg. is a bit tighter on me than I like, so, I have only used it twice and it now sits beside my Feathered Friends bag, in pristine splendour.

Where longevity is concerned, I had an original Marmot Mtn. custom bag made to my specs. when Eric Reynolds was the honcho at their Grand Junction operation in 1978. This was among the earliest Gore-Tex products and I used it HARD until Dec. 1999, when some creature stole it from my home in a break-in. It STILL lofted like new and was, although rated to -25*F, useful at -40*F on some cold trips I took.

There is NO question that any bag that stretches will develop "thin" spots in it's down insulation by nature of the material and this is not what I want in my bags. But, some checking at well-stocked mountain shops will allow most folks to find what actually fits and works for them; I would definitely do this as well as take the advice given here and I would buy a "long" bag if over 5'10".

I love my MB #3. Kept me warm in freezing weather and plenty of room.

Fit for me was the biggest issue. I am 6' and 235lbs and a bit big around the shoulders. In a 60" bag I had to keep my arms pressed to my sides. No movement allowed at all.

With the MB I have plenty of room to move and position myself as needed to sleep better.

So for ME the temp has been spot on or even a bit higher and the comfort has no equal.