For summertime mountain backpacking, or spring/fall backpacking in warmer climates, I prefer a mummy style ultralight down sleeping bag rated at around 30 F. Cold nights near or below the bag's rating are not uncommon, and a mummy style bag has certain advantages: there are no drafts, I can easily wear clothes inside to extend the bag's warmth, and I can "mummy up" to seal the warmth inside.
The North Face's Flight Series gear "utilizes the latest technologies and most innovative materials to shave weight and enable the outdoor athlete to go fast and light, while still staying protected by the elements. It's a collection featuring the latest in ultralight, packable, adaptive, and multi-purpose gear." The Flight Series Beeline sleeping bag is their lightest 30 F sleeping bag.
The Beeline is filled with 850+ fill power down, has a 15 denier ripstop shell, and is rated at 30 F. The feature set is spartan, which is typical of an ultralight sleeping bag: down insulated hood with elastic one-handed drawcord, 1/3 length zipper, down-filled draft tube, vaulted footbox with zipped vent, and heat-transfer logos. The only thing unusual is the zippered vent on the footbox, which some hikers will find useful and others won't.
From the description, the Beeline sounds like a top notch ultralight down mummy-style sleeping bag. However, the devil is in the details. Read on...
ARTICLE OUTLINE
- Description
- Performance
- Comparisons and Assessment
- Specifications
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The North Face Beeline Sleeping Bag Review
Great review. That comparison photo with the Marmot Hydrogen is pretty damning. I have the Hydrogen and appreciate the sculpted hood – If I was going with a bag at 30 degrees, I would want a good hood. (quilts are another issue.)
I just finished a weeks trip in California's Emigrant Wilderness using my new North Face Beeline. Night time temperatures started out fairly warm but dropped quite a bit before dawn. I was sleeping on a NeoAir Short and had to use my LuxuryLight pack cylinders under my lower legs and feet in the early morning hours. I am bald and always wear a Mountain Hardware windproof fleece beanie. On two nights I had to add my Montbell Thermawrap jacket and at least partially close the Beeline's hood.
This is my second Beeline, the first being the original, zipless, version. I found the zipper on the new model to be more of a bother than not and I could well do without the footbox zipper too. You are correct about the Velcro patches being a nuisance. In order to keep them from scratching my cheek I had to make sure to align them perfectly; a difficult task without a light and my bifocals.
The bag would be greatly improved with even a moderately fitted hood. Though, in the five years I've been carrying Beelines, it has suited me well enough.
To give the new bag a fair trial I'll be using it a while longer, but, based on this latest experience, I may go back to my older Beeline. It does the job and isn't so fussy.
Just curious, but what's with the recent increase in North Face reviews? The down jacket last week, the bag this week…
Aside from my North Face DIAD jacket, I've never owned a piece of NF gear that I was happy with.
Also, Will, what is that piece of gear dangling in the photo taken outside the Meso 22?
"what is that piece of gear dangling in the photo taken outside the Meso 22?"
Looks like an atmospheric data center.
How can you give an above average rating to a bag with a zipper that only operates from outside? No way!
Will,
Thanks for this review. The numbers on this looked really great in the spreadsheet with your "Ultralight Three-Season Down Mummy-Style Sleeping Bags: State of the Market Report 2010". And looked even better when I just found it on sale for $213, making the value jump to the top of the chart. The devil is in the details! Glad I read this review first.
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