Western Mountaineering Versalite Sleeping Bag: 10 Degree Down

As Deon said, you are right.

Being right-handed I find left-zip bags, as do many others, easier to manipulate. Although a little practice will develop the muscle memory needed to negate any real inconvenience of which side the zipper is on.

Correct

Kate is right, 6"-0" is max user height. I'm the same height as you and I find the 6'-6" a much more comfortable length- let's me hunker in or stash my clothing down in the foot box without having my feet jammed up.

Western's 6' bags are designed to fit a 6' tall person (no measured at 6' tall so really fits 5'10"). It should fit you perfectly.

it would be a very tight fit though

The volume of the supplied stuff sack is 753.6 cubic inches, or 12.35 liters. And since WM—along with the common consensus among other down bag manufacturers—recommends against over compressing the bag, which can damage the down, I wouldn't get an 8 liter stuff/compression sack. That is around the size supplied for my summer bag, a WM 6' Caribou, which has half the down filling. You would find it rather difficult to compression the Versalite to that volume without unnecessarily cinching down on compression straps.

If I may suggest an alternative, which is what I do with both my Versalite and Caribou, is to get a larger dry pack liner. Once you have lined your pack you can stuff the bag in the bottom to fill the lower-end volume, and then begin to pack the rest of your non-liquid items in accordingly. Then, once you have packed and sealed the dry bag, place your extra water, fuel, trash, or other liquids outside the pack liner. This will provide a barrier for all the other pack contents, supplementarily fill dead space in your pack, and shave a small bit of weight by avoiding the stuff sack.

I personally like the OR Ultralight Dry Pack Liner.

An 8 liter sack should do the trick, but check the dimensions of the specific sack to make sure they are at least 8" x 15" (the sleeping bag's stuff size)

A chat with a BC rep will be the fastest way to get an answer. You can initiate a session using the link at the top of the page. Best of luck!

Phone:

408.287.9844

Usually, they'd like it if you go through a store, but being backcountry.com, it's a little difficult so you can probably just go through them to get an overfill. Give them a call and ask!

Hope this helps!

Here you go-

Western Mountaineering

1025 S. Fifth Street
San Jose, CA 95112
408-287-8944

Hi Leslie, if you like to pack your jacket and other clothes in the bottom of your sleeping bag while you sleep, I would go with the 6'0. If not the 5'6 should fit you great. Just remember you will have 7" of dead space at the bottom of your bag if you go with a 6'0 bag. I'm 6'0 and a 6'0 bag fits me great as far as the length.

I'm a female backpacker who sleeps so cold, I almost gave up on cold weather backpacking. After going through bag after bag, I found the WM Versalite to be just PERFECT for nights that got down to about 15 degrees....AS LONG AS I HAD THE RIGHT PAD and liner! You didn't say how long you're going on the AT for, or what the rating on her current pad is. But assuming a few weeks, you'll be kicking yourself in the can if you add too much weight to her pack with heavier bags. If you have a heavier bag to get lower temp ratings (assuming you don't fork out the extra bucks to get the ultralite models), you're stuck with it (and the extra weight) unless you have multiple bags to switch out with as the weather changes. But if you have this 2lb bag, and add layers to her night clothes and liner (that can both be sent home after the weather doesn't call for the extra layers any longer), you'll be MUCH happier. I LOOOOOVE this bag. It's the best thing you could get your cold girlfriend! Take it from a cold girl. Go with the Versalite and get her some down booties (LIFESAVERS for chilly bodies), proper sleeping attire, and a good pad. Pads are a personal thing, and everyone I know has a different take on what they prefer. But they all agree that it makes all the difference in a comfy night's sleep. I personally despise air matresses (I've been through them all - including the fancy NeoAir). I use the Therm-a-Rest Ridge Rest Solar Sleeping Pad. Light, non-popable, and keeps you nice and warm. After a night of hyperthermic shock, I now refuse to sleep on a pad that can deflate on me - leaving my body heat getting sucked into the ground. Hypothermia HURTS! She NEEDS to wear a hat to stop the warm air from escaping her body that the bag is working so hard to make for her. And socks are fine for normal sleepers, but your girl needs down booties that she can wear to bed. To each his own....but this is the story of a cold girl who was saved by the Versalite.

Tom?-

I wondered about the adding of that extra 2oz of fill. Can this be done after the fact, or does it have to be done during manufacturing?

Hey William, Western is the MOST conservative on temp rating, and because most of their bags have changed little in the past 20 years, they have a really good history with temp rating. The EN rating has some flaws, and we think consumer history on temp rating is the best way to call it. Certainly, if she sleeps cold, get a little warmer bag. Either the Versalite or the Antelope would be my call. It is worth every single penny. If she feels like after using it, she would like to get it just a little warmer, no problem. Call Western Mountaineering in San Jose, CA (where they have been made since 1970!), and ask them to give a little more down fill to the bag. The cost is inexpensive, but you cannot do that with anyone else's bag on the market. Enjoy your Western!!

Take her down to an Antelope MF @ 5 degrees or to a Kodiak MF @ 0 degrees. She must be a really cold sleeper. I am too, and I've never had a problem with WM bags not exceeding their rating. If you're planning on staying with WM, which I recommend, go with the Kodiak, but if that's getting too pricey, find her something with a 0 degree rating and similar fill power from Marmot. 0 degrees might seem like a bit of overkill, but better to open up and vent than to be miserable and have to start layering up at 3am.

William,

Western Mountaineering is conservative on their ratings. I personally have been in their 20 degree bag during a 20 degree night and was fine. And I am a girl who gets cold pretty easily. Their 10 degree bag is designed to be comfortable at 10 degrees (or since women get cold easier, add 5 degrees to the bag--so comfortable at 15 degrees).

The key is high quality down (Western will send back down that tests at anything less than 875 loft--they want a minimum of 850 loft in their bags) and putting the right amount inside. They are puffy, warm, and durable. Oh, and made in America.

Hope this helps!

I use a Sea to Summit dry sack (20L) with eVent on the bottom. I know the 20L is large for this bag, but with the wider bottom of the bag, and the way its shaped like an oval on the bottom it allows the bag to be stuffed into more of a "cube" shape instead of a long cylinder that never fits well in you pack. And, the larger dry sack allows me to put clothes in there too. either way, it makes a nice fit for my pack.

If you use a waterproof bivy, you could use that as a stuff sack in itself. That way you don't have to use two other stuff sacks (one for the bivy and one for the bag)

I don't like to recommend a compression stuff sack for anything above & including 750 down fill. Instead I prefer to let the clusters remain as full as possible without being compressed. Just a personal thing. You can stuff your sleeping bag into a day pack & have plenty of room left over for other items without crushing the down, however if you must use a compression stuff sack for the WM VersaLite, choose a medium size or 13-16L.

Absolutely! That's what it's designed for. It's a great sleeping bag for backpacking. 10 degrees F @ two pounds. Not many sleeping bags can make that claim.

J W,

I once had a hard time converting to down too, especially with that question of survival in a wet bag. But when I reflect on all the years I've used a synthetic bag I've found that any reason my bag got wet was from my own fault. If a person wants to keep their bag dry, they'll more than likely be able to do it.

And as far as synthetic being fine when its wet is a myth. all the times my synth bag ever got wet, I woke up cold and miserable. If a synth bag will make you wet and miserable and a down bag will make you wet and miserable, then I figured I'd go with the one that weighed the less.

This is all from my personal experience, though. Others might have better synth bag experience than me.

The same fabric is used in my Alpinlite 20 degree version. I woke up in the Cirque of the Towers (having fallen asleep to bright starlight) with 3 inches of snow on my bag and 24 degree temps. Not feeling the least bit wet, I rolled over and got another hour of shuteye.

I boosted this directly from WM's site. Also consider that the Pertex shell has some degree of water repellency in and of itself. Hope it helps.

Water Management
The fear of a wet bag is the most cited reason for people to avoid down. This is a mistake. Any bag that is wet is miserable to sleep in and that is why it's so important to keep your gear dry. You'll find it's a skill easier to learn than map reading. Consider all the avenues available to keep your bag dry, like tents, bivys, and proper camp placement. Then consider the number of times your sleeping bag has gotten wet to the extent that it could not be used. Catastrophic wetting is extremely rare and is an indicator of other problems. You may find that you have indeed mastered the skill of staying dry. All shell fabrics used by Western Mountaineering are treated with a surface Durable Water Repellent finish (DWR) with an 80/20 rating. This is more than sufficient to shrug off dew and condensation. And, DWR's can be easily reapplied as time wears them thin.

100% YES! They are made in San Jose, CA. An independent company since 1970. Let's hope that never changes.

bc.com needs to correct their "Tech Specs!"