Kelty Cosmic Down 20 Sleeping Bag Review

Just thought I would point out that Campmor has these in regular length for $80 right now: http://www.campmor.com/kelty-cosmic-20-degree-sleeping-bag-regular-1.shtml?source=CI&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=41952

I picked up one of these (they were called the Kelty Lite Trekker 20* then) last summer for about $80 at Target and have used it on several trips with nights as cold as 17 (I did bring a fleece liner for that night though). On its own for me it is not warm enough for winter but too warm for most summer nights (at low altitude) so it's more of a shoulder season and Sierra Nevada bag. Maybe when I have loads of cash hanging around I'll buy something betterlighter but for the budget minded person this bag is ideal.

"i dont know why i wouldnt just pick up a cats meow for $120-$140 or so"

I can think of a few reasons. The Meow costs more, weighs a quarter pound more and based on my experience with the one that's been hanging in my closet after one use a couple of years ago, it's a true 30 degree bag.

Good article. Many new hikers need a decent lightweight bag but (understandably) don't want to shell out $400, so they end up with giant synthetic bags of dubious quality and warmth. I'll be pointing people at this story — thanks for making it publicly accessible.

So why was the bag cold on one night?
I suggest that maybe the pad was not really good enough for the conditions.

Why would I suggest this? Because on previous nights when it was cold and the bag sufficed, the ground had been a lot warmer to start with, from the warm daytimes. It was only cold on the night after a really cold day. And the author was still cold even with a second and better bag over the top.

What was the pad, and could we get a repeat test with a warmer pad?

cheers

On Campmor – The old version (blue, $79.98) seems to be an ounce heavier, has 550-fill duck down, is 2 inches longer and has box-baffle construction.

The newer version (green, $99.98)has 550-fill power down (duck or goose not specified), and slant baffle construction.

It looks like a really nice bag for the price. I think, though, that I'll continue to save up for a Montbell spiral down sleeping bag – I thrash around a lot when I sleep and I find regular (i.e., non-stretchy) bags to be too confining and claustrophobic. Regular sleeping bags make me feel like I'm being held hostage.

TheClymb by the way has this bag on sale for only $50 right now. If you aren't already a member, you can sign up with this link https://www.theclymb.com/invite-from/mountainwalker (I get a $10 credit to apply to gear when a friend I've invited makes a purchase, at no cost to you. You can also earn the same credit any time you invite a friend and they make their first purchase).

I haven't handled the bag up close, but at this price it's very tempting, even if not your primary bag.

Thanks for the great article, very timely find for a friend who is just getting into backpacking. It's nice to see another good bargain article.

Hi, all-

Thanks for your responses! I'm glad this piqued some interest, & hope it helps out more people.

A few comments about the discussion… Field testing a sleeping bag for relative/comparable warmth is an inherently subjective undertaking, so I eliminated as many variables as possible. While realizing that some people on BPL use low-rated R-value sleeping pads, for example, I used the same pads I always do. If I had used a lower-rated pad, I wouldn't have had a good comparative baseline. Also note that there have been some great threads correlating sleeping pad R-value to temperature & sleeping bag rating.

In this one:
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?bo=watch&forum_thread_id=39138

Ken Strayer noted that EN standards for testing at 20*F use an R-5 value pad; by comparison, R-2 for 50*F and R-3 for 40*F. I can't find the post right now, but I seem to recall these numbers being supported in another thread by Mr. Nisley. The point, of course, is that to determine if a manufacturer's rating is accurate, it wouldn't be appropriate to use a lower R-value pad than they use for testing.

The two pads I used for testing were the Thermarest Women's Trail Pro (R-5.1) & Exped DownMat 9 (R-8). The R-8 pad, sufficient for subzero *F temperatures, was the pad I used on the cold-sleeping night in the teens. It was clear that all variables were unchanged except for the daytime/nighttime temperature swing.

For those interested in such things, Casey's calculation on loft can be a good starting point… However, for the numbers to be accurate that calculation assumes that the amount of down is going into the same-cut sleeping bag shell & that the shell fabric is the same weight. Given that the two bags compared have a difference of 3" in shoulder girth, and have different-weight shells, the actual "loft ratio," if we were to call it that, would be more in favor of the Western bag.

All that said, my goal was to emphasize real-world, practical findings… more so "Does it work as advertised" than "What do the specs say," ya know? And hey, the good news is that it DOES work pretty much as advertised. Now if we could just find a $150, sub 3-pound, double wall tent ;)

Happy hikin!

Just got this on sale from Campmor a few days ago, and thought I would share my experience with it.

Observations:

First, it comes with a substantial stuff sack, and you could get rid of an ounce by using an ultralight sack. The material is pretty rugged, overkill in my opinion, but at least the down won't poke through like it can with polyester taffeta. It doesn't compress as well as some of my other bags, and I chalk this up to the substantial material used. I tend to sleep warm, and I was just slightly chilled at 30 degrees with mid weight base layers, and a balaclava. An additional layer would help. It's a little tight in the stomach/hip area, but some of my other bags have this same issue. The zipper is sturdy, but not as smooth and it caught on one of the tie-down straps a couple of times. The loft seems a bit uneven, particularly in the hood, which is where I had the most trouble. The bag I have (and yes it is the blue one) doesn't seem to loft as well as the one pictured in this article, but it was still fairly warm. The hood is a bit large, and it took quite some futzing to get it cinched down appropriately, with the draw cord system causing a bit of frustration. The draft collar was just plain weird, and didn't really function very well, so I experienced drafts around my neck, which was remedied when I switched from a hat to a balaclava. I also noted that the material doesn't breathe as well as most higher priced bags, and condensation was a little more than I like.

The Verdict:

I lucked out and got an REI sub kilo for $90 when they stopped manufacturing them, and it remains my favorite lightweight bag, but the Kelty is certainly decent, especially for the price. I'm pretty picky about sleeping bags, and I actually found this to be comparable to some $250 bags that I've owned. It's fairly lightweight, serviceable, and the drawbacks are not that serious, especially if you are prepared for them and plan accordingly, (like making sure to use a balaclava and a base top zipped up all the way to compensate for the hood). It won't work for everyone, but it's an exceptional value for the money. In fact, I can't think of another down bag in this price range, especially at this weight. It's certainly an excellent value, and anyone on a budget should seriously consider it.

Wow….a $100 Marmot bag? wish I could find one of those.

We desperately needed to lighten our 67lb. son's pack for him, but didn't want to break the bank to do it. After reading reviews, we found the Cosmic in "short" which fits to 5'4" and weight 2lb.3oz. It easily fits in his pack, is almost two pounds lighter than his synthetic bag, came in a Scout green color(ho ho) and he loves it. We are stoked on the price and quality of this item, and we're now recommending it to other Scouts.