New 2009 Mont-Bell Down Bags

The only thing that I have read is that they are lighter than the UL SS versions by virtue that they have less stretch built in – but they do stretch more than a normal bag.

woow that sounds pretty awesome! 8)

The full page add in Backpacker Gear Guide shows someone really sprawled out in this bag. Does the bag really stretch that much?

If the UL Spiral #3 is really that comfy and warm (30 degrees) and that light (19 oz.), then it's worth a serious look for a summer bag.

I was pretty close to pulling the trigger on a WM Summerlite (same weight and similar warmth rating) but now I have some GD (gear dilemma). What to do?

Buy both.

Pity the 30 degree bag is in an ugly colour… but hey, Montbell seems to do a lot of ugly colours. They are pretty much the only company where I sometimes refuse buy stuff because they've made it in a colour my eyes find offensive! Sad but true. Fancy a "rust" coloured jacket? At least you have different options for colours in the jackets. Anyway, they sound like good bags. Red is cool, weird green-blue not.

Actually, maybe it is because there is no black lining inside… too much colour. For some reason I think sleeping bags look much nicer with a black lining on the inside. Cosier or something I guess. Otherwise it's like you're sleeping on the outside of your bag.

Montbell, please fire your colour-pickers!

End rant. ;-p

ps. Impressive that they are lighter and warmer than the summerlite, but remember they are also shorter. Still, it works for me!

Although the #1 bag looks "red" in this pic apparently it is more of an orange. The #0 is red.

I had (for a very short while) a SS#1 and it was a bright orange. I would have much preferred a more muted color. But hey, in a rescue situation, I would have been easily found! I pondered grabbing the #2 with the recent Backcountry coupon, but that yellow, even if I am a girl, was a definite turn-off.

Haha. Well, I'm glad I'm not the only one. It amazes me that they don't choose more muted colours that will please anyone. A weird, bright colour isn't going to attract many buyers but it will sure turn some off.

I got a UL SS#2 from the Backcountry 40% – and the online color doesn't do it justice. It is more of a mustard color, at least that is what the girls in the office say (and they like it). Me, I call it puke yellow and am not impressed.

However I have always been a function over form guy and I'll be testing my new bag tonight in the back yard. Just checking the weather and it is expected to get down around 28 – 29 tonight.

hilarious!!

I hope no one is trying to eat their lunch/breakfast. If so, might be best to look away… ;-)

Ashley:

You should have bought MontBell gear when their colors were a lot better looking. I really like my 'gunmetal' inner jackets and my previous-model thermal sheet (see below). Also, my No. 3 bag color is actually nicer (darker) than it looks on the web — much better than the gawd-awful red WM Summerlite!

But I do agree with you that MontBell stuff can be pretty ugly. I see your examples and I raise you two more!

Haha, nice one Ben. They truly are ugly.

But that black thermal sheet is cool! Very nice indeed. I don't see how anyone could possibly replace it with the new ugly green thing.

I must be odd.
I like the bright colours.

Cheers

Not to disparage your taste (what there is of it to disparage…) but I think montbell has hands down the most stylish and fashionable gear of any retailer. The rust down jacket is very cool…as is the green sleeping bag you posted. The shape and lines are very modern, almost retro. I really like it.

my ulss#1 is red-orange vs. my megalite being purple. one is blindingly bright and the other is well, purple.

a nice color is my feathered friends booties being a subdued light green. when you order them, the color is random so it was a nice surprise.

I'm in favor of the colors, more contemporary, hands down way better than Western Mountaineerings odd color palette, like my deep purple Megalite! Great gear, terrible color. Rust is cool.

My girlfriend despises Mont-Bell's color scheme. When she first saw my Thermawrap (in blue,some say purple), she said it looked like a techno-marshmallow. Same for the Thermawrap Pants. I have a black down inner parka coming tomorrow and I'm sure she'll use the same description.

Backpacking is not a fashion show – the trees don't care what you look like.

Matt – if it's the same as my "charcoal" one that I have, she probably won't like it. It has a shiny-gloss sort of finish – you'll see it tonight.

I got my wife the burnt rusty colored one, and she liked the color. It doesn't have the same glossyness that my charcoal one has.

Deleted – wrong thread.

"Pity the 30 degree bag is in an ugly colour".
The WM Summerlite ain't gonna win any beauty contests either.

LOL. It just goes to show… colour is a very personal thing. I kinda like the summerlite, but hey, I like red. It is bright though.

I guess my main point is that it is bad business to make gear in colours that are likely to turn many people off. The latest edition of the Marmot Hyrdogen is another one that springs to mind.

IMHO, I think most people are OK with neutral/understated colors. I don't know of many who love them or hate them passionately. OTOH, methinks non-neutral colors like bright red, purple or florescent green do generate more intense reactions both ways.

Darn it. I though I had narrowed down my bag search to the WM Summerlite or Megalite. Now I see this. The only issue might be that I'd have to get the long, as I'm 5'10", but the long is only an ounce more. On pure specs, it's almost identical to the Summerlite, which is the way I was leaning, but it stretches. The summerlite felt fine in the store, but I wasn't sure it would be wide enough in real life when I'm flipping from side to side at night trying to get comfortable. 15 minutes in the store can't tell you that.

As far as colors, why don't manufacturers offer 2-3 colors for each bag? Too expensive to produce? Why not just offer then in grey or black then and not worry that someone like me chooses between two similar bags based on color. (I like red, another reason to pick the summerlite).