Advice on Women’s 3 Season Sleeping Bag

Sounds like you must sleep very cold… I have the MB UL SS#3 and have slept comfortably in the upper 20's, and I don't consider myself a particularly warm sleeper. So I guess my idea of the SS#2 is a definite no-go…. I really like how mine lets me move my legs around a lot more than the standard mummy bag.
I think you're looking in the right direction by targeting bags rated to 15 degrees.

The REI Sub Kilo are a good bargain- be sure you're subscribed to their gear email so you get all the coupon codes. Last year about this time all the outlet stuff went on 50% off markdown and I got a Sub-Kilo for $83! I have the woman's long and just gave my daughter a woman's regular for Christmas. I think that they're decent quality, though there has been a tiny bit of down leakage which is the main complaint I've seen online.

REI has gone to the European rating system and now have the Halo 10 at 44 ounces and Halo 25 at 34 ounces. I'm guessing the loft is similar to the Sub-Kilo 0 and 15 (weight has gone up but so has girth). The Halo 10 has 27 ounces of down and the Halo 25 has 20, both 750 fill power. They're not on clearance though.

I am 5'3", weigh about 155 and have a Western Mountaineering Ultralight Super bag, size short, 24.6 oz. I'm also a cold sleeper! The Ultralight fits just fine around my quite ample hips. I, too, was concerned about the hip problem with a unisex bag. I emailed backcountrygear.com (which at that time had the lowest price). They had a female employee whose dimensions were similar to mine crawl into the bag to see how it fit. After that kind of customer service, how could I not buy it? Anyway, it did and does fit around my hips just fine. I've had it down to 18* F. with heavier weight base layer, vapor barrier and a balaclava and was just fine. The draft collar makes all the difference! I pull it really tightly around my neck after a 2 am trip to the outdoors at 18*, and I'm toasty warm within minutes! IMHO, it's well worth every penny I paid for it! Just be sure you use a warm enough pad underneath it!

My WM Ultralight also works fine in warmer weather, thanks to the full-length zipper that can be unzipped from either end. There have been a few times I've unzipped it and just used it as a quilt, and once or twice I've just laid on top of it, but usually by about 3 am. I've crawled inside it.

WM is well-known for its accurately, if not conservatively, rated bags. I'm a bit concerned with some American manufacturers claims of using the EN rating system. They carefully only give one of the several EN ratings–evidently the "survival" rating for men, rather than the "comfort" ratings for men and for women (women usually need a warmer bag). In other words, the ratings are just as fictional as they were when they were off the top of the manufacturer's heads! If the manufacturers and retailers (such as REI) were being honest, they'd use the "comfort" ratings for men and women and list the different ratings that the EU requires! There is of course some doubt about the accuracy of the EU ratings, but at least they aren't completely fictional!

Should you ever decide to backpack at high altitude in the Rockies, you really need an accurate 20* bag!

If you can afford one, it's really hard not to get a WM bag. Last a lifetime properly cared for, and true to rating. Made in the USA.

There's cheap, and there's good.
They don't go together – especially at 4 am.

Cheers

Thanks for all the tips ladies and gents. I am definitely willing to spend the extra bucks as I consider this an investment. I forked out a lot of money for the Montbell and was really disappointed. I was really hoping I just got a bad one and they would replace it but apparently the one I had was standard. I almost considered going with the Montbell SS #0 but it would be heavier than these other 15-20F bags that would likely keep me warm.

Thanks for the sizing information on the WM Mary. So you do not find it too roomy in the shoulders? Are you a back or side sleeper? Do you change positions during the night? I tent to switch from back to side to even belly sometimes. So I want something I can move around in comfortably.

So for top of the line I would be left with WM Ultralight, FF Egret, and Marmot Helium. The WM is certainly the lightest and I like the idea of a draft collar.

Thanks for all the advice!

Anja,

The WM Ultralite has a 59" shoulder girth which is one of their narrower bags so I believe you would be fine.
I'm 5'4" 135lbs and have used the Ultralite and am a side sleeper and I was able rotate from side to side comfortably.

Hermitshut.com has great customer service and offers 2oz of down overfill for free….you can get this overfill in the footbox or spread over the entire bag.

Anja, I'm mostly a side sleeper. More recently (just the past year) I have one hip that does not like being underneath, so I do sleep more on my back than I used to. I do not find the WM bag too big in the shoulders, but I am relatively broad-shouldered for a woman. (Broad shoulders, really broad hips, relatively narrow waist.) I do a lot of tossing and turning and (due to my age, which affects the female bladder as well as the male) have to make exits several times during the night. It helps that, having grown up camping and horsepacking, I learned as a child to take the mummy bag with me when I turn over.

The one caveat with my WM bag is that I do have to shake it around a little before bedtime to be sure the down distribution is approximately the same on top and bottom so I won't suffer when I turn over. This is relatively easy to do, though.

How about a Nunatuk quilt?

Reading this thread got me playing with my Spiral Down Hugger #3 on the lounge room floor.
I'm 5'10", 96kg (~ 214 pounds)
Lying in the bag whilst wearing one thin base layer, my arms tucked right in – I reckon was right on the limit of allowing it to loft properly.
I then donned a polyester fleece jacket, and I am convinced the bags loft was significantly compromised from the extra bulk.
I never realised this before, the way it stretches makes it feel so comfy and effective – but my wife and I had wondered why on some nights we were not quite warm enough, whilst our son (young and skinny) was toasty!

I wonder if the *Super* Spiral Down Hugger is any better for larger people…. Don't s'pose anyone has a sample of each!?