Newest Marmot Helium

the design of the hoods of the new marmot bags (darth vader style hoods) are the best ive seen yet and if you believe the en-testing adds significantly to the rating even though they shifted to a lower fill down (850 vs 800 fill)

however … ive had 2 marmot hydrogens last year and both had unfilled or underfilled baffles, i returned em

basically great design, crap quality control, and for their rain jackets and packs anyways crap warranty

its a damn shame because that darth vader hood works VERY well …

if you get one make sure its somewhere with free return shipping and inspect every baffle … as long as they are all good, it wont matter whether you use WM or marmot (providing you have no warranty issues)

i also have a WM as well

;)

Man, I really like my Versalite but it is a chunk of change no doubt. I planned on having it for a looong time so it only hurt once…..like a lot of expensive stuff, no regrets. Resale should hold up well too. Not impressed with many Marmot gear reviews including Eric’s above here on BPL. I suppose like he said you could spend some time, if you have it to spare, finding a good one.

https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/feathered-friends-raven-ul-10-sleeping-bag/

how about this one?

Thanks for the comments. I looked hard at that FF bag on gear swap too, but was wanting the bag for a trip this weekend so I was going to use Backcountry’s 2day shipping. The trip fell through anyways so I guess now I have a little more time to research.

Brian, I also saw a Helium on gear swap this morning. It will probably be a couple pages back now. Sorry to hear about your trip cancellation but good luck finding the right bag for yourself.

If the Helium is made like they used to be, it will have baffles that are open from bottom to top so that down can be shifted from bottom to top (“continuous baffle construction”). Call marmot and talk to someone there who knows their gear intimately to confirm this for the new Helium. If this is the case, I’d go with the Marmot and save some $$$.  I have a Marmot Hydrogen 32 degree bag and when I shift my down to the top, my bag performs more like a sub 20 degree bag! WM has this design feature. Very few other bag manufacturers do these days. I don’t need compressed down under me when I’m sleeping anyways so I keep it all on top. My Neoair Xtherm sleeping pad keeps my back plenty warm in winter.

I have an older Marmot Helium (bought in 2010) and I have been very pleased with it. I know it is not the new one, which is what you are asking for, but I just wanted to share my experiences. I have used mine, in conjunction with clothing, in temperatures as low as 6F plus windchill, inside a (very breezy) AT shelter. Other than this, I have used is several time cowboy camping in the mid to high teens, and of course temps above that. The only time I was a bit cool was when it was 6F… and actually, for most of the night, I was actually rather comfortable. As my body fuel started running low, I guess I started cooling off more… Anyway, like others say, there are some bad reviews out there, and I don’t doubt them, but based on my own experiences, I say that if you get one that is fine, you will likely really love it. And even more so since you can get it for less money than a WM! Saying that, I agree with others that say make sure you get it form somewhere that has a good return policy. As soon as you get it, inspect it well for fill… if it looks good, that’s great, if not, return it right then.

A word about WM, if you do order one, I know that Hermit’s Hut used to offer free overfill, and I think free shipping. I am not sure if they still do, nor can I speak to their business since I have never purchased from them, but I know others here on the forums have and overall I think I have read good things about them. Anyway, if you are thinking about getting overfill, definitely check the site out!

Thanks for the help Stick, I’m probably going to go with the helium due to the price being $200+ cheaper than the WM Versalite. I just don’t want to spend $550 on a bag that I won’t get to use much here in the southeast. I enjoy your YouTube videos by the way, surprised We haven’t crossed paths before on the trail.