"from warm to cool to cold" - Review of Mountain Hardwear Phantom 32 Sleeping Bag: 32 Degree Down

Used this bag on a late August camping trip in Alaska. Nighttime temperatures were low 50's F. The bag was too hot. I probably sleep hot, though. Opening the zipper and using it blanket style seemed to keep the sleep temperatures comfortable. With this in mind, I'm sure it is capable of keeping warm to the 32F mark. Guess I'll find out soon. After researching bags for several weeks I decided on the Phantom due to its portability. It is super-light at 1.5lb and thanks to the convenient stuff sack packs down to the size of a 44oz Big Gulp. The only other bag that came close to these attributes was the Sierra Designs Wicked Light 35-Dree sleeping bag. The Sierra Designs is actually supposed to be a tad lighter and a bit more compact. My deciding factor between the two was the fact the Phantom has a 3/4 length zipper and the Sierra Designs a 1/2 length zipper. Making the Sierra Designs tighter to get in and out of and I would have had a hard time using it blanket-style as I did with the Phantom. The Phantom also proved a bit of its water resistance as some spilled water beaded right off the sleeping bag. It also came with a big storage bag to maintain its loft and the stuff sack is tight fitting to allow it to pack down super small. Only two hands required not three to be able to pack it in to the stuff sack. Don't be discouraged. One other note: If you are rich and have the cash, owning the Phantom 45 would be great, too. I am sure the Phantom 45 would have been more comfortable with the higher temperatures of summer. But I figured I could use the Phantom 32 blanket-style on the warmer nights and have it for late fall and early winter when the temps drop in to the 30's. So perhaps the Phantom 32 is more versatile than the Phantom 45 in that respect.
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