Ultralight Three-Season Down Mummy-Style Sleeping Bags: State of the Market Report 2010

[Addie Bedford]

Companion forum thread to:

Ultralight Three-Season Down Mummy-Style Sleeping Bags: State of the Market Report 2010

[Chuck Shugart]

Another vote for the WM Summerlite. I bought mine about three years ago and have never used another bag (except on a few -20 degree winter camps.) I'm 5'10" 165 pounds, and to increase wiggle room I added a pad sleeve, so use it mainly as almost a quilt (only no air gaps) in three season temps and have had it way down past freezing. With a down sweater and sans pad sleeve, I think it would be fine in single digit temps. Haven't got it wet yet though.

Chuck

[Ryan C]

Being somewhat slender and "cool" sleeper, I found the WM Summerlite to be a good choice for a 3-season bag. This great article confirms my research and findings.

I have used the bag for two nights and find it to be good to about 35*F/1.5*C with just a 200w merino baselayer. A down sweater/jacket would be needed to go down below 30*F/-1*C.

The overall quality is great. From time to time the zipper can snag but the taped seam helps somewhat.

[Marco A. Sánchez]

Will, as usual a great article! Good individual bag reviews and… a better overall vision that highlights key points, sometimes forgotten:

+ Integration: what we need is a sleeping system, not just a sleeping bag.

+ Down: the insulation with the best warmth:weight ratio. Maybe due to the “syndrome of Cocoons” synthetics have gained (perhaps) excessive prominence. Let’s face it, most of our trips are weekend adventures, no week or month-long Arctic trips. With some care, down is still the best insulation in most situations.

+ Mummy bags: the most thermally efficient bag design… if you choose it correctly. However, quilts are more versatile.

And finally, what such an article about quilts?

[Travis Leanna]

Nice review Will!

Question on the Montbell Spiral Down Hugger…..since it is designed to minimize the dead air space inside the bag, is wearing a down jacket and pants less effective in this bag due to possible loft compression? Hopefully that question made sense.

Edit: I read your review of the bag and in it you state that there IS indeed enough room to wear extra clothing.

Also, do sleeping systems, i.e. insulated clothing+bag, deal with body moisture differently than just a bag? In colder temps, is the dew point more likely to settle in the down in one verses the other?

[Monty Montana]

Will, terrific article as usual, and thanks for mentioning the advantages and desirability of a sleeping bag with no zipper. I have the older version of the Montbell UL SS Down Hugger #5 (18 oz), which is rated down to 35 F but use it in mid-twenties weather (wearing layers, of course). This is possible only because it has no zipper! Most people look askance at it, but they are simply too close-minded and judgemental. Getting in and out of it is easily done and I never have to worry about a stuck zipper or drafts. And of course there's the weight savings, which is what we're all about.

It's a shame that Montbell dropped this feature, because someday I'm going to have to replace this fine bag, and there's nothing comparable.

[Roger Caffin]

> designed to minimize the dead air space inside the bag,
But note that many people find absolutely no advantage in doing so, provided they keep the drafts out at the neck. The stretch business could be just a sales gimmick.

cheers

[Randy Brissey]

Thanks Will for the article………

I have one question besides the one answered about the Nitro. Since I am also 6 feet tall I was wondering are there any other bags (besides) the Nitro that are pushing the length envelope? I am really interested in the Valandre bags for 4-season use.

In the past, I liked, Moonstone because they had more options for sizing. If I remember correctly they were 5'4", 5'10" and 6'4" sized so I did not have to visit the dealers to see if a 6'0" sized bag really could comfortably be for a 6'0" person.

Thanks again for the test, Randy

[mark stevens]

And perfectly timed, too. I've been bag shopping for the last few months, and the information you've provided will definitely come in handy. Can't wait to use "calendering" on my next sales assistant.

Well, gotta run. Spartacus is about to tee it up all by his lonesome against six guys who look like some PCT thru-hikers I've run across.

Thanks!

[Ken Thompson]

I can't make up my mind between the MB #3 long and the WM Megalite. The MB is $70 cheaper, and the WM is purple(not my favorite). I have a hooded WM alder MF and love it. But at 39 ounces for a 25 degree bag is too much for usual 3 season for me. I'm 6'3" 220 lbs. and a warm sleeper. Though I would go with the overfill on the WM. Help me decide!

[David Ure]

I found the MB#3 decidedly cool for the rating. The MB#2 was noticeably warmer.

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

"I bought a WM Caribou because it’s lightweight – weighing only 1.4 ounces, with 10 ounces of downfill…"

Western Mountaineering is really working miracles these days. Tough to compete with that.

[Aaron Goldzimer]

Did the GoLite Adrenaline not meet your selection criteria because of it's a tad bit heavier? I *really* wish you would add it to the SOMR.

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

The Adrenaline 40 did not make the cut because they only looked at bags rated to at least 32F. The Adrenaline 20 at 35oz was way over their 26oz limit. Even if GoLite made a 30F verions it likely would have been too heavy since the 40F version is 25oz.

[Thomas Baker]

>>I wish the reviewer had given consideration to the Western Mountaineering Caribou as well>>>

I was curious why this was not included. Then I noticed the criteria was 32* or lower rating. The Caribou is rated at 35* so it did not make the cut. Like everything I have used by WM it is a fantastic bag.

[Adrian B]

This is a great roundup.

One comment however – down clothing isn't the most efficient way to keep warm at night, because of the poor lining to down-fill ratio: and it's the down that keeps you warm, not the lining.

If you spend time outside your bag around camp down clothes are great. But if you spend the mornings and evenings on the move you can just get immediately into your bag, in which case the lightest/most efficient setup is nothing but the sleeping bag. Though even in a bag, wearing a down jacket or vest is probably more comfortable while cooking dinner in cold weather, and it's also a handy way to add a hood to a hoodless bag.

[Melissa Spencer]

Thanks for the thorough review. I noticed in the "Individual Bag Summary" section you said that the Summerlite has a 3/4 length zipper. Mine is full length. Have they changed it?

[Tony Pearson]

Mine also has a full length.
Also, on their website they list it as having a

# Full-length #5 YKK Zipper

[EndoftheTrail]

Unless they shortened the zipper recently (or perhaps a BPL typo?)… I actually recall when the Summerlite first came out, one of the selling points was just how light the bag was — even with a full-length zipper!

[Tony Beasley]

Thanks for an excellent report, only the WM bags are available here in Australia, I just checked on the local price of the Summelite at A$700 US$645 I think I will be looking elsewhere.

Tony

[Tracy Novak]

I've been sleeping in a hammock for 3 years now and am still using my WM Summerlite bag as my topquilt for 3-season use. It works perfectly because of its full lenght zipper. There are times in the hammock that I want it as a topquilt, but when the temperatures drop, I like to fully zip up to keep out drafts. I have no plans to replace it.

[Frank Steele]

Had to trade in the Montbell Spiral DH#3. I m just too cold a sleeper. But I found another AWESOME bag!

The Mont-Bell UL Super Stretch Down Hugger #2. 14 oz of Down (4 more than the #3) a draft collar and ALL the room I could ever want. I have to live with 28 oz weight (misses the articles criteria by 2 oz).

[Roleigh Martin]

The author must have looked at the Alpinist data and switched columns, the bag is rated at 20 F not 23 F.

http://www.nunatakusa.com/site07/other_bags/alpinist.htm

The 23 figure is the oz weight they show on the front page of all bags, but if you look at the specs, and go with their Quantum fabric, regular length, it is 21 oz weight. If you look at their fabric page, they state for $50 more you can get the .8 oz Quantum, which would probably bring the weight down another 1-2 oz.

What gets me is the difference of 4.5 oz of down fill (11.5 oz v 16 oz) between the 20 f Ultralite by WM and the 20 F Alpinist bag. How can that be? They both use the same quality down, right? Nunatak argues their different design of bag allows the bag to be warmer with less weight. Do users agree the bag is as good at 20 F as the WM Ultralite is at 20 F?

[Derek Schutt]

I'm trying to go Ultralight, but I'm rather put off by the cost. It seems like it would generally be better to spend, say,$100 more for a warmer bag than $300 extra on an UL down jacket and pants and a slightly less warm bag. Then there's the $70 I need to spend for a UL sleeping pad, unless I want to go closed-cell (and I don't).

Am I missing something? Any thoughts on the best way to do this if you are starting from scratch? Are these things (good sleeping bag and/or down clothes) that I stand a reasonable chance of finding on the used gear list? Do I ask too many questions?

[Craig]

Tony's right – the only bags available in Oz retail are WM at roughly $1 per gram. If you are in Oz you need to mail order from the US.
I have a summerlite and it is NOT enough for June in the mountains here, even with good down gear underneath. Plus, there is not enough room in a summerlite to comfortably wear down gear within, they are cut too closely. Last weekend I had a pretty cold night finding all this out – not snow, but the tent fly froze.
But the fishing on the last day of the season before the rivers closed was great, though, one the best weekends in a long while. So not complaining.
craig

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