Marmot Helium or WM Alpinlite Sleeping Bag?

I vote for the Alpinlite. Though I don't have or have never used the marmot I can't see how the Alpine lite could be beat. I love this bag. It is really warm for it's weight and so comfy. It also has a full zipper for when it's to hot you can open it up like a quilt. Lots of room also with a 64" shoulder girth. Really nice hood and draft collar.Also very nice zipper action. I really like Western mountaineering.

Josh

Both are nice sleeping bags with having similar fits, weights, full length zippers and temperature ratings. I would suggest being patient and watching for one or the other going on sale.

John, I was faced with the very same dilemma a few years back except I was looking at the “Ultralight”. I ended up purchasing the Marmot because I found it on sale (I got the Helium for $230 brand new! It was an easy choice for me). That made the decision for me.
I have 3 different bags I use now so the extra cost of the WM bag was more then I was willing to spend and I wanted to buy other things with the difference (and I did).
Get the one with the best price. All things being even I would get the WM bag, I think they are better made.

I have the Alpinlite, and like it quite a bit, except one thing. I thought I would appreciate the larger girth, but find that it's not as efficient with all of the open space. It has been nice on the occasional 0 deg F night when I wear more clothes or a summer bag inside, but those are rare for me. Unless you're a big guy, you might want to think twice about what size to get.

I have owned and used both Marmot and WM bags, as well as FF, Valandre and Intgral Designs. Marmot makes a fine sleeping bag, WM is among the premier bag makers in the world.

I consider the Valandre bags to be the finest I have ever used/seem, with ID as nicely made with WM right up there and the best value.

I LOVE my Alpinlite Super and would buy another, no question.

Thanks to all for your insights on this subject.

I stumbled across this informative article by Charles Lindsey that may be helpful to others seeking similar counsel- a comparative review of lightweight sleeping bags:

http://www.backpacking.net/gear-reviews/sleeping-bag-review/

John, I think Lindsey's bag review was excellent when it came out, very well organized, thorough, and with the right values. But products have changed quite a bit since then–Nunatak's Alpinist uses much closer baffle spacing, different shell material, and has a center zip now–and I assume there have been changes in many of the other bags as well.

I bought the Helium Eq about 6 months ago and I am really happy with it. the EQ is more expensive but the WPB fabric protects the down from condensation very well. the inner fabric is very soft and comfortable. One complaint, though it hasn't been a major issue for me the helium doesn't have a draft collar. this might be a dealbreaker for some but the helium has worked really well for me. I haven't used any WM bags so i can't compare but I'm very happy with my purchase.

If you could let us know what your final decision was and why, I would appreciate it. I am actually in the exact same situation as yourself.

I own the 6' Alpinlite. I'm 200#, 5'11". I think it's a great bag. They have improved it since I bought one of the earlier ones. Better draft collar. This bag has the perfect girth for me. I have plenty of room, which is what I wanted.

Jon

I have a Helium Long and am particularly happy with the girth. Many XL shirts tend to be a little tight in the shoulders for me and I have enough room in this bag to wear a down jacket when it is needed. Some of the other bags I looked at wouldn't have allowed that. I do miss a draft collar, but I assume that's part of how they got the weight down with the extra girth. For me, it's a preferable trade-off.

I have both. Tested them last night again and I like the Alpinlite better. It's more comfortable, feels more luxurious, the zipper/draft collar & hood are easier for me and the extra room is very welcome.

The marmot is a great bag, it's just the WM feels even better for the same ballpark price/weight range.

My favorite WM bag I've tried yet is the Versalite. Small weight increase for more noticeable warmth & perfect compromise of girth. The Alpinlite can be a little TOO roomy and inefficient for colder weather use unless you are very big sized, like to toss a lot and sleep with all your layers on.

Finally, to throw another variation in the mix.. the Valandre mirage is almost 1/2 pound lighter, just as warm (ignore the more conservative temp ratings) and noticeably more luxurious than either the WM or Marmot. It's less roomy below the waist though has plenty of girth (the size L has noticeably more upper girth than size M if that's important). The down quality and cut is just in another class altogether and as others using it have noted somehow feels almost weightless on top of you. Prolite has a 20% off coupon right now so you can get the bag for the same price as the Marmot if you're interested in trying it, though unfortunately they don't have the 3/4 zip version so might be too warm if temps soar above 50F (I use the shorter zip version fine & prefer to carry a light summer quilt instead if I expect consistently warm temps).

the Valandre Mirage 3/4 sounds very intersting – anyone actually use it? I am a firm believer in long zippers, because I hike where temps can range from 10 to 60F. Right now I use a 10F rated North Face bag (3+lbs) that works perfectly for the temp range, but it is too heavy.

Tried a Helium – feels way too tight around the shoulders on me (size Long on 6'2" 190lbs adult).

so right now I am torn between WM Ulralite, WM Alpinlite and the Valandre. Got a few months to make up my mind.

As a low cost bag, I've been eyeing the REI sub-Kilo. My son has that bag and it worked great for him last summer. Those are not as well made as Marmot or WM, but one can find them on ebay for under $150. Very light, full zipper and warm enough for the High Sierras where we are headed again

Hi! I hope it's ok to use this thread for my question. Does anybody know the difference between the Alpinlite Super and the Alpinlite? My local dealer has the Alpinlite Super on sale and I can't find any info on on the WM web. Maybe it's a discontinued model?

Pre-Super models had no neck baffle. Now they all have the baffle, so they dropped the "super" name.

So, no difference between a super and regular anymore, other than name.

Western uses the "super" designation in bags with a draft collar. It has been a few years since the Versalite was made without the full draft collar. The collar made the bag a 10 degree instead of 15 degree bag.

I was interested in checking out the Valandre bags with the mentioned 20% coupon until I checked their site. The Bloody Mary intrigued me with the stated -9 F rating. Unfortunately, that's the survival temp. The EN rating for a man is 20F and for a woman it's 32F. It's a bit heavy for a 20 degree bag, IMO.

The Mirage is EN tested to 30 for men.

Thanks for the replies. I guess I am safe ordering the Super then.

I live in Norway and this sleeping bag is very expensive here so I will search the web as well before ordering. So far the least expensive one I have found on the web is $440 (long size) and $35 in shipping.