Sleeping Bags Reviews

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Sleeping Bags Reviews Reviewed
Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	Sleeping Bags Ratings Comments on Reviews
1. Backpacker Magazine >> Details/Subscribe	Gear Guide: Sleeping Bags Steve Howe Mar. / Apr. 2006		Editors and field testers review 13 summer sleeping bags, 19 three-season sleeping bags and six cold-weather bags in the March Gear Guide issue. The reviews are brief but cover the pros and cons of each model. Although the sleeping bags aren't rated or ranked, a few are noted as Best Buys, Bargains or favorites for specific purposes. Best Buy three-season sleeping bags include the Integral Design Renaissance, Moonstone Delta Minima and The North Face Fission. The North Face Hightail is recommended as an ultralight bag, the Slumberjack Ultimate for big guys, and Mountain Hardwear Spirit SL for damp conditions. For active sleepers, the Montbell U.L. Super Stretch Down Hugger #1 is a favorite. The Kelty Light Year 15 is a bargain, while the high-end choice is the Marmot Helium EQ. In the April issue, The North Face Cat's Meow gets an Editor's Choice Gold award for 13 years of proven worth.
2. Outside Magazine >> Details/Subscribe	2006 Buyer's Guide: Sleeping Bags - A Dry Heat Christopher Solomon Apr. 2006		This 2006 buyer's guide covers eight sleeping bags with water-resistant shells, designed for staying dry even under a tarp or in single-wall tent with condensation. Outside Magazine give its Gear of the Year Award to the Sierra Designs Trade Wind 15-degree sleeping bag, praising its 800-fill down and DriZone breathable shell, which is more waterproof than last year's version. The Montbell Super Stretch Burrow Bag is named a "Killer Value" for its expandable design, though it's a bit heavy and doesn't quite match its 32-degree rating. The Marmot Arroyo is recommended as an ultralight sleeping bag, though testers found it tight. The only drawback noted for the Mountain Hardwear Spirit SL is its price.
3. Backpacking.net	Unconventional Sleep Systems Review Summary Ryan Jordan et al May 10, 2006		This review covers the most recent ultralight sleeping bag technology, including unconventional solutions like wearable sleeping bags. Top ratings for wearable sleeping bags go to Jacks 'R Better No Sniveller and Feathered Friends Rock Wren. The Western Mountaineering Pod 30 is a top bag that uses a sleeping pad as the bottom insulation. It has the best loft to weight ratio of all, followed by the Feathered Friends Vireo half bag, that relies on a down jacket to keep the upper body warm.

Sleeping Bags Reviews above this line are significantly better than reviews below.

Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	Sleeping Bags Ratings Comments on Reviews

4. Outside Magazine >> Details/Subscribe	Outside Online: Buyer's Guide 2005 and 2004 Sleeping Bags Editors of Outside Magazine 2004 and 2005		Nineteen separate sleeping bag reviews are listed here, each based on Outside Magazine's field tests. Although there's no ratings chart or ranking order for the sleeping bags, the Marmot Atom won the Gear of the Year Award for 2004, while the Feathered Friends Osprey won it the year before. Also in 2003, the editors named Slumberjack Superguide +30 a "Killer Value." This page also has links to useful articles explaining sleeping bag terms, how to choose a sleeping bag, and how to care for it.
5. Climbing.com	Super Light Sleeping Bags Dave Sheldon Mar. 2004		This review compares eight ultralight sleeping bags, each weighing less than two pounds. Editors actually weigh bags themselves to verify weight. On the Web site, this review's formatting makes it difficult to read, but the information is excellent. The Editor's Choice rating goes to the 20-degree Western Mountaineering UltraLite, an open-baffle sleeping bag with 850-fill down. The review praises it for a zipper that never snags, "meticulous attention to detail" and a conservative comfort rating.

Sleeping Bags Reviews above this line are significantly better than reviews below.

Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	Sleeping Bags Ratings Comments on Reviews

6. Trailwalk	Sleeping Bags Chris Townsend and Associates As of June 2006		This U.K. site offers convenient ratings charts listing sleeping bags in three categories so you can compare one-season, three-season or four-season models. The ratings are based on personal use, and detailed reviews are also available. Unfortunately, most of the sleeping bag brands aren't available in the United States. An exception is the Marmot Arroyo, which is rated well above the Mountain Hardwear 1st Dimension, apparently because the latter weighs and costs more. Also, The North Face Cat's Meow gets top rating among four-season sleeping bags, while the Mountain Hardwear Alpine and Marmot Cloud rank last on the list. The individual sleeping bag reviews don't seem to explain the differences in rating, making the site a bit confusing.
7. Good Housekeeping.com >> Details/Subscribe	The Best Sleeping Bags Editors July 2001		This is an older review, but it's one of the few reviews we found that compares kids' sleeping bags based on actual testing. The favorite is the 30-degree Tough Traveler Growing Bear Bag, which comes with a zip-on top section, so it can expand as the child grows. Good Housekeeping editors say it's "a top performer in our tests" and note that it's one of the few truly water-resistant sleeping bags for kids. As a budget choice, they recommend the 25-degree Coleman Explorer, and for colder weather, they suggest the 15-degree REI Volcano Junior (now the REI Zig Zag +15).
8. National Geographic Traveler >> Details/Subscribe	The Easy Way to Rough It Kristin M. Harrison and Norie Quintas May / June 2004		This gear guide enthusiastically recommends the Sierra Designs DreamWeaver Flex for women, praising its expandable baffles that accommodate movement. A man's version, the Sierra Designs Van Winkle, is also available. No testing is documented.
9. GearReview.com	Sleeping Bag Reviews Editors of GearReview.com As of June 2006		This site offers in-depth reviews of sixteen sleeping bags based on field testing by experts, plus a comparison review covering five cold-weather sleeping bags. In addition to evaluating each sleeping bag's advantages and drawbacks, the reviews often recommend tactics to make the bag more comfortable. For example, the review of the Moonstone 3D / Zone 2 sleeping bag recommends using a silk liner so you can turn on your side while keeping the bag positioned with most of the loft on top. The sleeping bags aren't rated or ranked here, so the site is mostly useful if it happens to review one of the bags to which you've narrowed your choices.
10. Backpack Gear Test	Sleeping Bags Contributors to BackPackGearTest.org As of June 2006		The sleeping bag reviews here are much more complete and detailed than at most review sites. In order to enroll as reviewers, people have to be active hikers or campers, meet certain qualifications, and state their experience as part of their reviews. The reviews evolve into three sections: Initial (covering first impressions, measurements and setup), Field (first actual uses) and Longterm. Some sleeping bags have been reviewed by two or more different people, and some by four or five. You could spend hours here reading all the reviews, but it's an excellent place to check out the usability of the sleeping bags on your shortlist.
11. The Royal Geographical Society (U.K.) >> Details/Subscribe	Ten of the Best Editors of the Royal Geographical Society magazine May 2005		This British magazine article doesn't document any testing, claiming instead that its editors sorted through the current products to "pick out some of the best." Only two of the eight recommended sleeping bags are available in the United States. The Mountain Hardwear Piute is called the best down sleeping bag for women, and the Marmot Hydrogen is recommended as the best ultralight down bag. The review also recommends using a silk sleeping bag liner shaped to fit a mummy bag. An earlier review in April 2005 recommends the Marmot Pounder as an ultralight synthetic bag.

Sleeping Bags Reviews above this line are significantly better than reviews below.

Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	Sleeping Bags Ratings Comments on Reviews

12. OutdoorReview.com	Sleeping Bag Top Picks Contributors to OutdoorReview.com As of June 2006		The best thing about this database of sleeping bag reviews from customers is that you can sort it by average rating. The list also shows the number of reviews on which the rating is based, and you can read all the reviews by clicking on a sleeping bag that interests you. Quite a few models have accumulated a lot of reviews, though some of the newest bags have just one or two. The actual reviews usually state which other sleeping bags the reviewer has used, for a better comparison. Top ratings (based on at least five reviews) go to the Moonstone 3D/zone 2 and Feathered Friends Rock Wren. Ranked slightly lower are the Western Mountaineering Antelope, Western Mountaineering Badger Super MF, Slumberjack Super Packer and Marmot Pinnacle. However, quite a few more sleeping bags get very high ratings from many users.
13. Trailspace.com	Sleeping Bags Editors and Contributors As of June 2006		TrailSpace.com offers a useful buyer's guide, plus an extensive database of sleeping bags. The data is nicely organized, so you can see lists by comfort rating, type or brand. Users post reviews and ratings here, but few sleeping bags have more than one or two comments, and many have none at all. We did find a few sleeping bags with high average ratings based on at least five reviews. Top-rated are the Marmot Pinnacle and the even lighter Marmot Arroyo. The North Face Superlight gets a rating of 4.5 -- its 3-pound weight isn't that light, and users say it's very sensitive to moisture. The North Face Cat's Meow gets a lower 4-star rating. with users complaining that it loses a lot of loft over time.
14. Epinions	Top 10 Sleeping Bags Contributors to Epinions As of June 2006		Users post sleeping bag reviews and ratings here, and although you can't sort the list by average rating, you can get a list of the top ten. You can also filter the entire list by brand, price range or temperature rating, and you can select a few sleeping bags for a custom comparison chart. Although few sleeping bags have been reviewed by more than one or two people, the list shows the number of reviews on which each rating is based, so you can tell which ratings have the most credibility. Top-rated sleeping bags here include The North Face Blue Kazoo, The North Face Cat's Meow and Sierra Designs Sandman.
15. Backpacker Magazine >> Details/Subscribe	Reader Gear Reviews: Sleeping Bags Contributors to Backpacker Magazine As of June 2006		Users review and rate 22 different sleeping bags here, on a scale from one to five, but most models have been rated by only one person. Three sleeping bags have accumulated ratings from five or more people. Of these, the highest average rating (4.5) goes to Sierra Designs Flex Series sleeping bags and to The North Face Snowshoe. The North Face Cat's Meow (with Delta fill) gets a lower average rating of 4. If you click on a specific sleeping bag, you can read the more descriptive reviews, which include the number of nights the sleeping bag was tested, the locale, conditions and how it performed.
16. Amazon.com	Sleeping Bags Editors and Contributors to Amazon.com As of June 2006		Although users here review and rate sleeping bags on a five-point scale, only a few have been rated, and Amazon doesn't let you sort the lists by average rating. In most displays, you can't even see a rating. Once you find one sleeping bag review that does include a rating, you can often find links to others that have received reviews. Thus we did find some rectangular sleeping bags and a few mummy bags -- all heavy, but fine for car camping -- with positive reviews. The Columbia Falmouth Rectangular bag and the Columbia The Zone mummy bag each get average user ratings of 4.5.
17. Backpacking.net	Sleeping Bags Editors of Backpacking.net As of June 2006		Although this retail site doesn't carry all the major brands, it's still helpful in narrowing down sleeping bag recommendations for specific needs. The overall favorite "all-purpose" sleeping bag is the Western Mountaineering Ultralite Super, and for bigger hikers, the semi-rectangular Western Mountaineering Sequoia SDL is recommended. There's a 2002 comparison review of sleeping bags, but it seems outdated, with many of the bags having been superceded by improved models since then.
18. Back Country Outlet	Sleeping Bags Editors of BackCountryOutlet As of June 2006		No sleeping bag reviews or ratings are posted at this retail site, but it does list their top ten best-selling sleeping bags. The top-selling 20-degree synthetic sleeping bag is the Moonstone Delta Minima. Two 20-degree down sleeping bags are listed: The Moonstone 800 Lucid and the Moonstone 650 Delta Morpheus (which combines synthetic fill with down.) The top-selling women's sleeping bag is the 15-degree Marmot Pinnacle. For kids, it's the 20-degree Mountain Hardwear Mountain Goat Kids sleeping bag (with Polarguard). Because there no reviews here, this data isn't of much use.
19. The Leisurely Backpacker	Sleeping Bag Reviews Contributors to The Leisurely Backpacker As of June 2006		Thirteen sleeping bags get separate brief reviews here from different users. The reviews are dated, going back to 1998. The Kelty Light Year gets a good review as an inexpensive summer sleeping bag, but the other sleeping bags covered here aren't mentioned much in other reviews.
20. Big Sky Fishing	Recommended Sleeping Bags Editor of Big Sky Fishing As of June 2006		This site includes some useful articles on sleeping bags, making a strong argument for synthetic fill. The author's own favorite sleeping bag is the North Face Cat’s Meow, and he recommends this brand, including newer sleeping bags such as The North Face Fission (with PolarGuard fill) and The North Face Orion (with Primaloft). Aside from his personal recommendations, however, there are no reviews, and no testing is documented. The sleeping bag links all lead to BackCountryGear.com, which has user ratings and reviews posted.

Sleeping Bags Reviews above this line are significantly better than reviews below.

Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	Sleeping Bags Ratings Comments on Reviews

21. LiteBackpacker.com	Ultralight Down Sleeping Bags Editors of LiteBackpacker.com As of June 2006		If you're especially interested in an ultralight sleeping bag, this list is useful even though the bags aren't reviewed or rated. It's basically just a chart of temperature ratings and bag weights. Each sleeping bag is pictured, and of course you can click on its name for more details. There's a separate chart of synthetic-fill sleeping bags, and the site also recommends specific sleeping bags for women, for larger people and for various temperature ranges.