Testing out sleeping bags....

[david long]

Western Mountaineering or Big Agnes......can't go wrong with either one.

 

[slim23]

Those 2 BA bags are what im looking at real hard. But WM and kifaru are still in the running. Excited to see your results. I have a wiggys now that i love but looking to shed some weight

 

[Hike&Hunt]

Aron, thanks for the short answer! Thats enough for me, I am going to order the slik bag now, cant wait to read the full review though.

 

[Yukondog]

When can we read the reviews?

Matt

 

[SmokeEater]

Just bought a BA Zirkel from REI after a ton of research. Seemed like a good price point, a good temp rating, and wanted a larger girth bag as I squirm at night. But the bag is not EN rated, and I am concerned with cold spots, as well as how accurate the temp rating is. And after reading between the line on Aron's post that BA is a company that doesn't impress in that area, should I return for a Montbell, WM, or Marmot? Do these company's make a wider bag like BA's bags? Getting paranoid, as I want to make the right choice the first time, so I am not shopping for a bag next year...

 

[Aron Snyder]

I ended up giving the Zirkel a 35 degree comfort rating and would not recommend it for a "do all" september bag. I'm sure you could get away with it, but you'll need to wear clothing to bed to keep warm sometimes.

 

[SmokeEater]

Well I am probably going to return the bag and wait on your review before purchasing something else.

 

[cmeier117]

So when is this review going to get posted? I doubt you have anything else going on right now!!

 

[Matt Cashell]

I ended up giving the Zirkel a 35 degree comfort rating and would not recommend it for a "do all" september bag. I'm sure you could get away with it, but you'll need to wear clothing to bed to keep warm sometimes.

This is surprising to me. I am a cold sleeper. I have used a number of bags, and felt like my old BA Lost Ranger was more of a 25 degree bag rather than a 15 degree bag, but I switched to the Zirkel last season and was never cold down to right around 20 degrees. I was pretty happy with it. I will say I am not a really big guy (5'09" and 175), so that might have something to do with it. I have noticed in BA bags that I need at least a R3.0 pad underneath.

I am interested in the results of this test as well, particularly the Plasma.

 

[Ridge Ghost]

That looks like a good list of bags to me.

In your testing, maybe also comment on the durability/water repellency of the outer shell for those hunters who are a little harder on their gear.

 

[ChadH]

Aron, the bag i have been using is the Mountian Hardware Banshee (0 degree down with "Conduit" waterproof shell). I really like it and have turned a couple buddies on to it. You might want to check it out.

Chad

 

[Matt W.]

I'm a pretty big fan of my Mt Hardware UltraLamina 15* bag...

 

[spearcaster]

Has a review of these bags been done yet, or am I missing something

 

[Chem-E]

Sea to Summit Micro!

This bag has promise, but at a premium price, a recomendation is in order before purchase.

 

[cmeier117]

Chem E are you asking about it? Or have you used it? And recommend it?

 

[Chem-E]

Chem E are you asking about it? Or have you used it? And recommend it?

Im asking about it. Ive looked at it on line, the company has an excellent reputation, but this is a new product.

 

[cmeier117]

I have not used that specific bag. I have used Sea to Summit's traverse bag. Totally different design, but they know how to make a bag. The coldest version of the bag you are talking about is only a 28 degree bag. Some might say it is not warm enough for a do it all 3 season bag, but you may be able to make it work. If you are looking for an extremely lightweight bag but want to use it in late September as well, I would look at Z packs sleeping bags. They are around the same price as the micro, but way lighter. The only thing is they do not have a hood it is more of quilt type. I have a 20 degree long version, (up to 6'2") I am 5'11" and I can snuggle up in it well enough to cover my head and stick my nose and mouth out. Mine is a wide, long and weighs 20 oz. They now offer a 10 degree bag for a few ounces more. Top quality construction and Joe has excellent customer service. I will be going on a 3 day trip in a few weeks and I plan to test out that rating. It is filled with 900+ down but it is so lightweight I am skeptical. Just something to look at if you are wanting a lighter weight bag option along the same line as the micro.

 

[Aron Snyder]

Kifaru Slick 20---regular length/standard cut

My #1 bag in the synthetic category

When Patrick (owner of Kifaru International) handed me the Slick 20 2 years ago the first thing I thought was "There's no way this will keep me warm"! The slick did not have the loft I was accustomed to with my down bags and it was also missing horizontal/vertical baffles. Patrick explained to me that the insulation being used (Combat Climashield) in the Slick bag was a continuous fiber and did not need baffles to stay in place. He also explained that Combat Climashield was much more dense than down insulation and that was the reason you didn't need the same amount of loft to keep warm.

Patrick hadn't steered me wrong yet, so I took his word for it and headed to the field for a 12 day backpack hunt. Heading out on a wilderness hunt with a sleeping bag that had not been tested was not common practice for me, but a little "trial by fire" is always good for your character.

Like I mentioned before, the bag did not have a ton of loft, but it was typical Kifaru quality and the standard cut gave me a good amount of room inside the bag, but the next 11 nights would be the true test.

Like most early season hunts in Colorado, the weather was less than predictable and it started snowing the second day of the hunt and that continued for 2 days. Just before I got in the bag on that first cold night I thought "You better be right Patrick or this could be a long hunt". To my surprise I slept thought the night without issue and when I went to drink out of my bladder the water was frozen. Well, this was a good sign that it dropped below freezing and the bags temp rating must be pretty dang close. We ended up filling all of our tags by day 8, but I had no issues with the slick the entire hunt.

Since that hunt I have logged multiple nights in the field with a Slick and these bags have definitely changed my thinking about the down vs synthetic debate.

The best thing about the Slick bag for me is the amount of abuse it can handle and the fact it will still keep you warm when the insulation gets wet. I would never dream of wrapping a down bags around myself through a snow storm while sitting behind the spotting scope, but I have done this type if thing many times with the Slick.

The 20 degree Slick comes in at 2 lbs and its compressibility is almost on par with down bags that offer equal temp ratings.

Kifaru also offers a "wide cut" version of the Slick for larger hunters and that model is what I now use. I don't need a wide cut, but having the wide will allow enough room inside the bag to wrap myself in a Kifaru Woobie when I hunt later in the season and temps drop into the lower digits.
The Woobie will be talked about more in depth in a different review, but the Slick/Woobie system is very versatile and allows me to use the Woobie as my stand alone quilt for summertime scouting trips and warmer climate hunts and has multiple other uses as well.
The Slick 20 and Woobie will weigh as much as any 0 degree bag, but I like this system for the reason mentioned above and if you're looking for a "do all" type system, this is a great option.

The only real downside I have found with the Slick bags would be the half length zippers. This was done to save weight on the bags and I now have gotten use to the design/length, but the zippers are several inches shorter than most other bags on the market.

At this point the Kifaru Slick is the only bag I will suggest in the synthetic category and it has definitely turned the tides in the down vs synthetic debate.

 

[Yukondog]

Great review! Should I ever need at synthetic bag I will give the Slick bag a good look.

Thanks for putting in the time to write this up!

 

[Rizzy]

I have the Slick 0 degree and really like it, it's the best bag I've had so far. I especially like the draft collar, it holds in your heat real good. The Slick bag compliments the single walled floor-less design shelter style of backcountry living perfectly.