cold without accompanying B.A. pad

By Quinn Robinson Ranked #2172 - Sleeping Bags January 27, 2009

Reading other reviews, there seems to be a some concern about the pad slot system that Big Agnes uses, and I think it might be justified. There's no down fill on the underside of the bag, which seems like a great idea and certainly trims weight, but without the symbiotic Big Agnes pad designed for this bag, you're probably going to be cold in really low temperatures. I measured and cut a regular closed-cell pad to the dimensions of the bag's pad slot; I didn't really feel like shelling out $100 for a sleeping pad. The advantage of the pad slot system that the bag uses is that you get to carry less pad and you definitely won't roll off of it during the night -- these are both big pluses. However, cold air was leaking in through the sides and bottom of the bag, especially if I moved during the night. I was cold, even though it didn't get below 5 degrees F on my test night. I cut my pad very carefully and there weren't any spaces, so I don't think that this was the problem. It seemed like the bag just wasn't insulating well, though I can't imagine that this would be true with the pad made to go with it. Otherwise the bag is great -- well made, lots of loft, and the draft collar is groovy. I'd recommend getting the accompanying pad if you buy this bag, but personally, I'm going to try a different bag.

View Details: Big Agnes Hahns Peak SL Sleeping Bag: -20 Degree Down

Helpful Votes: 0 Yes | 1 No