Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Western Mountaineering bags

Recommend a WM bag for a woman camping. Nothing too extreme.

Got my first WM bag in 1992. Between my wife and I we've had 7 total, and currently have 3. That's about as good an endorsement as I can give.

WM temp ratings are as accurate as any temp rating can be (there are so many variables that go into how individuals react to temps - which can change daily - its tough to be dogmatic).

Shells? Which one? They make something like three different ones. I've had all three, they're all great. All ours currently (an Alpinlite, Versalite, and Ultralite) have their lightest shell material. no issues. I've also had a Dryloft, original Goretex, and Microfiber shells. Full on Goretex is no longer available (for good reason). Hard to go wrong with Microfiber.

I always buy from Hermit's Hut as they offer free overfill... something I've always gotten.

https://hermitshut.com/collections/western-mountaineering/free-overfill

Also, would add, a -10F bag is really a bit too much for most fall hunting. It's a common mistake to get "too much bag" when starting out. Were I you, I'd get one with a temp rating between 5-15*F... as large a bag as you're considering it's a small matter to layer clothes in the bag.

Get the Sequoia model...

Western does the overfill at the time of mfg.

Brad, thanks for the info.

I've had overfill in every bag I've bought since 1983, back when Marmot still made their stuff in the USA. They offered overfill as an option. When I switched to Western Mountaineering in 1992, I just continued the practice of ordering with overfill.

Here's what WM says about overfill:

Overfill adds additional fill to your bag. This increases the warmth of the bag by 3 to 5 degrees. It will improve warmth for active sleepers since moving during sleep can shift down. Overfill also improves loft duration. During extended use down becomes clumped with moisture, dirt, and oils. Overfill prevents this by adding more fluff.

Back when Marmot was in Grand Junction, Colorado where it started.

Back when Marmot was in Grand Junction, Colorado where it started.

Holy bat guano Batman.... These ain't cheap !

I have an Antelope and Megalite, Alpinlite for my wife. The Antelope has the early gen microfiber shell (newer version is smaller denier ie lighter) that breathes well but is very water resistant. I tested it after sealing the seams by weighing before and after then leaving it outside in a light rain for an hour and half, long enough for water to pool in the depressions. Brought it in, wiped off excess water with a towel and the wt. gain was maybe an ounce and I couldn't find any wetness inside the bag and the loft appeared to be as before soaking. Unless you plan on bivying in wet weather without any cover for the bag I'd stay away from the Goretex. Regardless of marketing IMO it doesn't "breathe" as well as they say and may actually trap perspiration inside the bag in frigid temps.