Big Agnes

Sunbeam Sleeping Bag: 15F Synthetic - Women's

Bag does not retain any heat

Familiarity:

I've used it several times

Size Bought:

Petite

Height:

5' 4"

Weight:

125

This bag was comfortable with some nice features (pillow holder, pockets, comfy) - however, it doesn't meet the 15 degree temperature rating at all and, in my opinion, is dangerously misrepresented. The description states you can attach the sleeping pad into the sleeve to keep it secure and for "additional warmth." However, it turns out the bag is actually missing a full section of insulation on the back (didn't realize this until I used it). The sleeping pad MUST be attached to retain any heat whatsoever. The sleeping pad I already owned was too big for the sleeve so I slept on top of it as normal and woke up shaking from the cold on a night in the mid/high 30s (well over the 15 degree rating of this bag). On a subsequent (luckily warmer) night I did manage to attach the pad into the sleeve but was still cold. The only night I slept warm was when I lined the bag with multiple down coats, used sweatshirts/flannels as a blanket, and wore multiple pairs of socks. None of the temperatures I used this bag in went below the mid-30s and the bag itself never kept me warm. If you buy this bag be aware you MUST have a sleeping pad of the right size to fit into it, probably a particularly well insulated one, and most likely a sleeping bag liner as well, which all drives the price up to a point where you might as well buy a different bag. I appreciate the design of keeping your sleeping pad secure by attaching it to your bag, but a sleeping pad cannot be a requirement for a bag to meet its temperature rating (imagine if your sleeping pad pops in the middle of a trip). Calling this a 15 degree rated bag is misleading and dangerous. Again, this bag itself retains virtually no heat due to missing a full section of insulation on the back. All that being said, I really appreciate Backcountry customer service working with me to return this bag given these issues even though it was used and outside of the return window!