Big Agnes Thunderhead SL 30 Degree Sleeping Bag

Likes

This is a very comfortable bag with water resistant treated down, solidly built and a unique entrance with no zipper. It really is not difficult to get in and out of, certainly not worse than a zipper, and no zipper snags to deal with in the middle of the night. I also like the "flap" at the opening because it feels like a comforter at home. The unique side walls makes a great pocket for your arms to keep them warm and not dangling off of the sleeping pad. Roomy in the knees though the footbox is fairly narrow. The down is reasonably fluffy and not clumpy - though the tag cites 80% down minimum, which I assume means some feather could be mixed in. Looking through the bag into light, I'd say feathers or dense clumps are 5% at most. As a dust-mite allergy sufferer, I've been pleased with modern treated down as the mites don't seem to colonize the material as they do for untreated down and feathers.

Dislikes

Only a few minor complaints: (1) the dark color is very emo, and isn't going to brighten up the tent or give a cheery feeling out in the woods alone. Very odd. (2) the opening flap has hooks to keep it in place; they are much more challenging to engage than they should be, and would be a pain getting in and out in the night. So far, I've not been using them and just tucking-in the flap. (2) the pad sleeve only supports using std. narrow pads, so your favorite wide pad isn't going to work... but you can just skip the sleeve if you are certain to not slip off the pad. There is no insulation underneath the torso - like the Sierra Designs backcountry bed or a quilt (3) the strap to secure the pad is cumbersome and difficult to connect the single spiked clip - would be be Much simpler, faster, and easier to use with a std. two-part clip. I'd like to replace it if I can find a small clip. (4) the down shifts a lot within the each tube (but not between tubes thankfully) so you need to redistribute before climbing in or even after - which is std. procedure for many down bags. (5) I doubt this is a 20 degree bag and 50 degrees may be the lower limit for cold sleepers like me. The warmth of the pad will really dictate how warm you want the bag to be. That said, it is probably too warm for summer use, but great for summer alpine trips, and it is so light and small, it would be very handy to throw on top if the night turned cold.

Likes

This bag has a clever design and makes a great sleeping solution when matched with the right sleeping pad. In fact you can vary the temp rating (to some degree) of this bag to your personal preference by changing between insulated and non-insulated pads. The design is simple and leaves off the frustration of a zipper, which I also love.

Dislikes

The problem for me relates to the range of conditions this bag would fit. A 30 degree bag makes sense for summer only if you can fully unzip and lay it on top of yourself, expose your feet, etc. That doesn't work with this bag. I will probably need a hybrid quilt to match the weight and simplicity. Again, might just be a special case for some. Otherwise, this is a great piece of gear.

Likes

warm

Dislikes

nothing

Likes

The color

Dislikes

The bag requires a sleeping pad for it to actually achieve 30 degrees of warmth. I wished they had shared this before purchasing the bag. The zipperless design actually might be difficult to clip on when in the dark but I haven't tested that so that's just an assumption.

Likes

packs small pad slides in and doesn't move all night

Dislikes

none

Likes

it is better than any i ever had

Dislikes

i don't have any dislikes

Likes

The thing I like about this bag is that, well, my fiance loved it! I haven't personally used the bag, but she had zero complaints. Thus making it the excellent bag. :)

Dislikes

Nada.