19 ounce Sleeping Bag

I bought a cal 13 about a month ago when a storm blew in as I was driving to the sierras and the gear I brought was no longer viable. I bought it as an 'oh crap, I'm going to freeze' bag, so all the research I did was done in store based on the tag and a quick google search. So although its not the same bag, I feel like a lot of the key points are similar (including cut, materials, etc).

For what its worth, I really like the 13 degree bag, although I may stick it up in gear swap shortly because I also have a WM versalite. The observations below are all from two nights of use.

-The cut is slimmer than my versalite, but does a good job of hugging your body without feeling too constricting (I'm 5'7 and about 150).

-The zipper (on both the 13 and the 30) end at about hip height. This was fine for the lower temp bag, but might hurt the 30.

-The vertical baffles worked fine for me. I noticed no cold spots, and my feet were toasty all night.

-The bag compresses small and lofts nicely.

-I found the hood extremely comfortable.

-The slim cut means the bag heats up very quickly.

-The shell is thin, but doesn't feel extremely fragile

-I stayed warm down to the mid 20s in base layer and pants, and ended up removing the hood and venting the bag a bit (I sleep warm)

I think that's all I can think of off the top of my head. Let me know if there is anything else I can let you know (again, all this is about the 13, not the 30)

Joseph,

Thanks for the info. Very helpful.

I think the slim cut is a deal breaker for me. I tend to create cold spots when bags are tight on me.

Daryl,
Compared this with the MB spiral down hugger that weighs 20 oz, and has 11 oz of 800 FP down compared with 10 oz for this one. So they seem roughly comparable in terms of fill power and weight. But this one has the DWR treated down, and the MB has the spiral construction that for me adds a lot of comfort. Some of the reports here on the treated down are not so hot, though.

Note: The MB did not get wet but lost some loft on a 6 days backpack this spring in which it rained heavily for over three days. Put it in the dryer with a couple tennis balls for a half hour on perm press setting and it puffed right back up and stayed that way in subsequent use.

Hey Daryl,

I just checked the measurement of the cal 13 and my versalite, and they're actually almost identical. This may be where the vertical vs horizontal baffles come into play, as the cal 13 certainly 'felt' like it hugged my body closer (although, choosing between them, I find the versa more comfortable).

versa (shoulder, hip, foot) 62"/53"/39"
cal 13 62/56/38

I never felt overly constricted, but I also don't mind my legs being fairly close together while I sleep.

EDIT: I should also mention that there was a bit of condensation in my tent on the first night of our trip, and the shoulder of my bag got very slightly wet. I didn't notice till I got out of the bag in the morning, and the bag was dry by that night. I don't think, given the miniscule amount of moisture, that this can be attributed to the dry down, and whether it had any effect is beyond me.

Samuel,

"MB has the spiral construction that for me adds a lot of comfort"

I too have a Montbell bag. It is an older one with the stretchy elastic in it. Very comfortable and warm. It is rated at 20 degrees but weighs about 2 lbs. That's why the 19 ounce weight of this one caught my eye.

Daryl,
The MB claim seems to be that when the fabric is wrapped diagonally around you, with the grain of the fabric going in the direction of the wrap, the natural bias stretch of the fabric is what allows the bag to expand when pushed by your arm, leg, foot etc. Whatever they are doing, it seems to work.

The 20 oz UL Spiral Hugger #3 is $60 less than the 19 oz DWR down number. I think it is also better than the 22 oz MB "Super" spiral that a number of folks have posted as not completely filling the down chambers. That's why the comment about restoring the damp bag in the dryer.

For anyone ready, willing and able to take the DWR down tumble, this one you posted about looks like a good choice. If not, I think it is time for a synthetic bag with baffles that allow max expansion of the batts. Synthetics need less stabilization, so less baffles with less baffle weight. With 7D nylon, under 17 gram elastic net baffles, a #3 zip, and no more than 3.25 oz/sq/yd batts, do you think it could be got down to around 20 oz?

I enjoyed my cal 13 on my last 6 night adventure, seemed plenty roomy to me and I stayed plenty warm. I'm 5`11 and 170.

@ Samuel:

My MYOG Apex quilt is 24.75oz using 5oz/yd insulation and 1.1oz ripstop and pad attachment straps/buckles, so I think 20oz is doable with less insulation. Course, this is a quilt… But we all know compressed insulation does next to nothing so… yeah. Could even make a proper sleeping bag with hood and just skip the insulation on the bottom and just have a single layer of fabric if for some reason straps/shock cord isn't your thing.

I have the cal30. Haven't had it soaked yet so I can't speak to the dridown, but it is as light as they say and I don't find the cut restrictive at all. I'm about 6'5" 190, tall is more than tall enough, shoulder size is generous. Size 14 feet don't feel cramped. I've only had it into the high 40s so can't comment on the rating either. What I will say is the hood is very nice, and super-stuffed with down. I factor that into to the weight comparison with a quilt, as I like to carry my 1oz beenie and not care if it gets soaked. I really feel like this is a competetive UL bag, as I would be comfortable sans-bivy as with a synthetic.

"But we all know compressed insulation does next to nothing …"

Richard Nisley has posted a number of times here providing evidence that the contrary can be so. Would agree as concerns sleeping on the ground with no additional padding. Also, batts containing very fine olefin fibers that increase the number and reduce the size of air spaces will not suffer as much loss of insulative value when compressed. So it is actually a fairly complex subject that you can read about at length on BPL.