TL;DR - If I've discovered one thing sleeping under down comforters and on an Exped Megamat in the rooftop tent, it is that being comfortable when you're sleeping is important. Don't skimp on sleep.
The Western Mountaineering Alder MF should be the first and last bag I ever buy.
Like backpacks, I've never been a huge fan of sleeping bags, for two reasons:
- The material on the higher-end lightweight bags has always felt like sleeping in a plastic bag. It's loud, cold, and gets sticky. The nice cotton/flannel material on lower-end bags feel great, but they are always so bulky, heavy, and don't seem to be very warm.
- I can't stand mummy bags. I had one for backpacking as a Boy Scout, but I get all twisted up in them when I sleep; and while I have no fear of small spaces, I feel too confined. It seems like anything meant for backpacking is a mummy bag these days.
Since getting the CVT Mt. Shasta RTT, I can't stress enough how much more pleasant it is to sleep on the Exped Megamat with two down comforters. Seriously, it's better than many Airbnb and hotel beds I've suffered through.
Still, I was pretty sure I was just going to bite the bullet and get a lightweight mummy bag on sale at REI. I didn't even know about Western Mountaineering sleeping bags until Randy related his positive experience with the Western Mountaineering Sycamore - a bag he liked due to its light weight and the not-so-mummy shape.
In looking at the Western Mountaineering, I discovered that the Alder MF was essentially the Sycamore without a "hood," which would make it a great candidate for fully-unzipping and turning into a comforter/quilt on warmer nights. It wasn't cheap, but I've learned with the Exped that it's hard to put a price on a good night sleep, so I bit the bullet.
The Western Mountaineering Alder MF should be the first and last bag I ever buy.
For those mild nights when counting shooting stars is all you have to do, then the semi-rectangular Alder MF is your bag of choice! Roomy enough for comfort and warm enough so you won’t wake with a chill before dawn. This bag has a 62″ shoulder girth and 46″ at the foot. The Alder MF has a zipper along the side so that it can mate with mummy bags and a zipper around the foot so that it can be opened flat as a comforter or zipped to our Summer Coupler to be a sleep for two. This bag was formerly known as the “Aspen MF”. Nothing about the bag has changed except the name.
- Filled with 850+ Fill Power ethically-sourced premium goose down for 5" of loft.
- Continuous baffles allow you to shift down for more insulation in colder weather
- Full-length #5 YKK zipper
- Durable 20D MicroLite XP™ outer shell stays more breathable and water resistant longer than traditional polyesters
- Dual zipper design allows sleeping bag to open completely for greater temperature regulation
- Zips together with Summer Coupler when fully opened to form a lightweight comforter
- 6' 6" long, weighing only 2lb. 1oz. and shoulder/hip/foot circumference of 62"/59"/46"
Western Mountaineering
Other bags I considered:
- Kelty Cosmic 20 (Long) - this seemed like a nice, reasonably lightweight bag for a reasonable price. It was a mummy bag, though.
- Enlightened Equipment Enigma Sleeping Quilt - this was another suggestion from Randy, and a sleeping arrangement that I know other backpackers like. It was also conceptually interesting to me because of the comforter setup we have in the RTT. Ultimately, I decided that if I was going to get a bag, it should be a bag.
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