FEATHERED FRIENDS Tanager 20 CFL Sleeping Bag

I literally just ordered one- I’ll be happy to post initial thoughts when it comes in (someone on here has one as well, based on my recollection of a search I did). I won’t have a chance to test it in proper chilly temps until I hit the PCT in August, but I’ll be able to at least comment on fit, loft, etc.

My Tanager came in on Tuesday, so, as promised, I’m passing along my initial thoughts. As an important caveat, these are just impressions- I won’t have a chance to use this in any kind of proper temps until August and probably won’t even use it in the field until then (it’s summer bag weather up in my neck of the woods). Thus, this is just me giving a general (and very quick) take on design, fit, finish, etc.

In general, the cut and loft seem like an improvement over the Zpacks 20* that I’m looking to replace with it. (Note: my Zpacks is from 2016 and is pretty substantially different from the current model and has a totally different design and about 2oz less fill than the current model).

I never used the zipper on my Zpacks, so the zipperless design here is pretty natural to me. The cut is obviously pretty slim, but it’s not uncomfortable to be (my Montbell synthetic Thermal Sheet is tighter). The bag is generally fine to roll around in without really impacting the loft (vs. the Zpacks, in which I could create cold spots pretty easily just by curling in a certain way).

The footbox is way better than the Zpacks, which was impossible for me to get my feet into without crushing most of the down.

Obviously, I can’t speak to the temperature performance (and I’m also an insanely cold sleeper, so….don’t listen to my opinion), but in playing around with it, I’d say based on the construction, it’s at least plausibly rated at 20*.

(EDIT: I re-read this and I just want to clarify that, in saying this, I’m just saying that it feels/looks/lofts similar to other bags/quilts I’ve used rated at 20 degrees. I’m not opining on performance, since I’m not going to have a chance to test it in the cold for a while. In other words, I’m saying that this 20* bag appears facially comparable to other manufacturers’ 20* bags that I’ve used or handled.)

I did a quick set of pics just for laughs (see link below)- there’s a few side-by-sides with the Zpacks. It’s a little loftier than it looks in the pics, but I fluffed it up between shots. I think the side-by-side in the storage bags is illustrative- the Zpacks dropped right in, whereas the Tanager had to be stuffed a bit to fit.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/s6sZPTvy9Nvg7w4K6

John…..Thanks.

How tall are you?

What length (68″ OR 74″) did you purchase?

What was the weight of the bag?

Hi Ken- I purchased the 68″ bag, which was a good fit for me at 5’9″. I probably wouldn’t want to go a ton taller in the bag, but I’ve also not really tested to see how much taller one could go.

Weight, I haven’t had a chance to do so, and honestly probably won’t get to it anytime soon (I don’t know where my scale is). That said, both of the reviews I’ve seen online (Sectionhiker and one other one that I forget) have indicated that it’s more or less on spec.

Thanks for your speedy reply. Wondering where the CHEST END of the bag comes on you when you are in the bag laying flat. Reason.we both are the same height and I was thinking I needed a 74″ bag as my Zpacks bag is 72″ in length measured from end to end.

Would you measure theTangers total outside length from end to end.

Do any other manufacturers offer zipperless designs?

Ralph I know of none….oops missed Nunatak’s Akula Half bag.

Nunatak’s Akula is another option.

Timmermade has one. I’ve also seen a custom-quilt maker on Reddit Ultralight sew up one.

Thanks.   I roll over a lot in my sleep, so I’ve found I sleep better in a slightly more spacious bag (girth).   And that makes it easy to just pull the bag down if I’m too warm.   I figure that for the same weight I’d rather lose the zipper and get a bag a few inches wider.

I have the Vireo (same bag, just different fabric/fill weight) and have really grown to like it.  Never a draft, 19oz IIRC, and while ff describes it as narrow, my 150lb 5’8″ body finds it plenty roomy and never constricting.  I had mine with additional fill in the upper end for a lighter weight jacket, similar to how the Tanager is filled.  Unlike quilts I have purchased since, the drawstring is not in your face but off to the side (where it should be).

In warmer weather, I just wear a jacket and have my legs inside.

I do really like the drawstring design/placement here. It seems to be in a good spot, and, unlike a lot of other UL bags/quilts I’ve tried, it doesn’t feel like I’m about to rip it out of the bag when I pull it tight.

@Ken- I’m going to be mostly not at my place for the next few days (i.e. won’t have access to the bag), but will try and remember to measure/see where it comes up to me when I can.

Hi all, I love the Tanager. So much I sold my Katabatic Palisade quilt. Here’s my review for the bag:

https://maxneale.blogspot.com/2020/01/feathered-friends-tanager-ultralight-sleeping-bag-review.html

I bought a Vireo 5 years ago, and added 3 ounces of down to the upper half after being too cold too often.  Since then it’s been perfect for most things, I only use a different bag in the coldest 3-4 months of the year.

The Tanager looks ideal.

I currently have an overfilled Katabatic Gear Palisade (filled to the specs of an Alsek, 15.2 oz of 900 FP). I was wondering if the Tanager would be as warm (12.6-13.3 oz. of 950 FP)? I am considering a switch. Also, being 5’10”, what length would suit me better? Thanks for any input!

I took my Tanager out a few months ago for a 6-week trip to finish the PCT (Central OR to Canada, August/very early Sept.), and I couldn’t have been more thrilled with it. By way of reference, I’m an ice-cold sleeper and, historically, I’ve looked for 20-degree bags to be: warm at 40*, okay at 30*, and tolerable at 20* (wearing my warm layers at all temps in addition to bag). I own or have owned two older EE 20* quilts (RevX and Enigma), an older-spec Zpacks 20* bag, and a Golite Z30 (actually my second favorite bag/quilt after this one).

The Tanager was the first time I’ve ever really been consistently WARM out on the trail, and it was the first time (aside from PCT NorCal) that I had to pay attention to regulating my heat. There’s an argument to be made for having a zipper for that situation, but I felt like I was able to manage temps nicely by doing things like leaving my chest out of the bag, or not cinching the drawstring- things that you can easily adjust as needed when things cool off. Within reason, I’d rather be a bit too warm than way too cold, so this was a treat.

I should caveat my comments by noting that I had GREAT weather in Washington, and never really had to deal with particularly cold temperatures. (By way of reference, I probably could’ve been perfectly fine leaving my puffy at home and maybe wore it twice….mostly wore my Cap4 hoodie.) I didn’t have a thermometer, but it’s possible things never even dipped into the 30s. Given how I felt at those temperatures, though, I’d definitely peg it as well-ahead of a lot of UL options in that weight/price class, warmth-wise (see reference points above).

@long……I guessing they are similar but you can always have FF add more. If you are questioning this contact mike@featheredfriends.com OR Tessa@featheredfriends.com at Feathered Friends.

Also I’m 5″10″ an a 68″ fit great all around! The 68 and 74 measurements are referring to the “end to end” lengths of the bag.

I also sold my Katabatic Palisade and Sawatch quilts  a while ago, as I found them to be both fidgety and drafty – like Max, I sleep mostly on my side and turn over frequently, and I sleep cold. To replace them I first bought a 68″ FF Vireo with 3 oz overfill in the upper half – which is very similar to the Tanager 20 although by specs it has about an ounce less total down. I’ve only used it a few times but found it to be warmer than the Palisade and at least as warm as the Sawatch, and simpler and more comfortable to sleep in when it’s cold out. I haven’t used it above 40 degrees so I can’t speak to how it does in warmer weather – most of my trips tend to have colder nights. And I do have a light  40 degree bag for warmer trips when needed.

Unfortunately the 68″ vireo is a bit short for me at about 6’1″, so I recently picked up a lightly used Tanager 20 in the 74″ length which fits me just right and seems to have just slightly more loft. The construction is top notch as expected. The cut is narrow/efficient at the legs, the footbox is great, and the cut in the upper part of the bag is wide enough that it is easy to get in and out and there is plenty of room for layering. When the drawstring is fully opened it is pretty roomy so it should vent well for a bag without a zipper. I haven’t used the Tanager yet but I think for someone like me it is about as close to the perfect fast and light bag as I can imagine.

Max’s review of the Tanager is quite good, and having read his reviews for years now I have a high regard for his opinions and experience, so while I haven’t used it yet I’m pretty confident that it will work well for my needs. I was planning to sell the Vireo but may end up keeping it for my wife as it fits her pretty well and she likes the idea of no zipper to get stuck and no hood to get tangled up in.

I’ve been using the tanager; love it. It’s as warm as my previous Vireo’s. I’m 5′ 11″ and I fit in the 68″ fine but I picked up the 74″ not for length but a little more room in the width. So far I’ve only had it down to about 28 degrees on a day that alternated between rain and snow and I was toasty warm. On warmer trips I just used it to my waist and wore a jacket – I did this partially because I had my wild dog in the tent with me and I had him tied to waist with a rope so he would not make a break for it in the night and a new terror enter the woods.

Any thoughts on overfill (say 2-3oz) for the Tanager?

My general use will be in areas with night that are in the mid to low 30’s. It will be paired with a high r value mat (Exped Downmat HL – r value of 7). I will have a down puffy (Montbell plasma jacket) and a micro fleece hat to adjust temp as needed.

I tend to sleep cold and toss/turn a lot. Since I move around a bunch, quilts have never really worked for me. Too drafty. I also prefer to not have a hooded bag unless it is super cold as I end up with the bag all twisted around in the night.

The specs on the 74 inch Tanager seem just right. I am curious to hear how accurate owners think the temp rating is? I tend to increase the advertised temp rating by at least 10 degrees if not 20 with some manufacturers.

Do any of you wish you had got some overfill when ordering?

FWIW, FF told me they wouldn’t do overfill in the Tanager- here’s what they said:

“Thanks for your interest in Feathered Friends! The Tanager is a fantastic bag, but it’s not one of the bags for which we consider adding overfill. It’s designed as a very modular component of a fast-and-light sleep system, used in conjunction with a lightweight down jacket, and it doesn’t readily accommodate any overfill without compromising the loft of the down that’s already in the bag and the space that’s available for your down jacket to loft. If you’re worried about being too cold in the bag (which is generally why we start talking overfill in the first place), you might want to look at a more thermally efficient bag such as the Hummingbird or even the Lark, which will give you both more down fill and an all-important hood.”

I personally didn’t feel like I needed the overfill. As noted in an earlier post, I never got a chance to test it closer to the bottom of its rating (without a thermometer, I’d guess that temps bottomed in the low 40s when I was out on the PCT in OR/WA last year), but it’s definitely hands-down the warmest 20* bag/quilt I’ve owned (Older EE RevX, Golight Z30, EE Enigma, Older Zpacks 20* bag). I tend to sleep extremely cold (usually would be in a puffy with a 20* bag in the 40s), and I was very warm in the Tanager- borderline too warm in the 40s, which I’ve never experienced.

Honestly, for my specific use case/desires, it’s more or less perfect. People who are used to having to modulate temps a bit more (i.e. venting, etc.) might not love it, but after doing 700ish miles with the thing, it’s one of my more beloved pieces of gear.

Thank you John for the info. I had reached out to FF, but had not received a reply yet. That closes my mental debate on overfill. :)

Judging from your experience, along with other reviews, it seems the Tanager may actually have a pretty honest temp rating.

I shall pick one up when they get back in stock. Thanks!

Bringing back this old thread because I’m thinking of getting one. I have a 20 degree flicker but could save almost 10 oz by adding this bag to my quiver.

I’ve never had a zipper less designed bag, is it hard to get in and out of? I usually have to step out for a potty break 2-3 times a night while backpacking.

Just got the 30 degree wide version and found it pretty easy to get in and out of, you just need to shimmy a bit to pull all the way up after getting in. Although it is not as easy as a quilt I’m willing to deal with that over worrying about drafts.