Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Western Mountaineering bags

Would like to hear experience with Western Mountaineering sleeping bags. I’m considering a semi rectangular model, will be used on fall mountain back country back packing hunts and trips. Looking closely at the Bristlecone. I’d like to know if experience with outer shells as well as how the accuracy of the temperature ratings.

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...

Brad,

What is “overfill”???

My wife and I have had 3 and love them. Our current bags both have the microfiber shell which works great. We sleep in in a tipi which sometimes develops a fair amount of condensation and the microfiber replies drips pretty well. I have an antelope I think, 5 deg bag, and my wife has the Lynx, -10 deg. Our coldest morning during October elk hunts the past few years was -6 inside the tipi and we were both comfortable.

We’ve gotten ours at Bent Gate Mountaineering in Golden, CO. They have pretty much all of the bags with all the shells in stock so you can see and touch and the sales people are very good.

After a series of expensive but cheaply made bags (Mountain Hardwear, REI)I will always choose WM...the WM bags are well made, durable, and don’t lose loft like the big name brands. One funny example: back when REI and their no questions asked return policy, I returned a Mountain hardwear bag that had lost half it’s loft after 3 years. The sales person told that was normal and I had gotten my money’s worth.

Brad's right on.

Blair,

I have had several WM products over the years. They make excellent stuff. I currently have one of their bags and a jacket that I use for backpack hunting. Call or text me if you have any questions.

Chet

I have 3 WM semi-rectangular bags: mitylite, sycamore, and sequoia. The temp ratings seem pretty accurate. The only time I've been cold in one at a temp above the rating was in fairly high wind ... so to be expected. I suspect the Gore Windstopper version would have worked better that night but a tent that stopped the damned wind would have as well.

I appreciate all the very thoughtful responses. I’ll give you a whistle, Chet.

Thanks again.

WM bags are about as good as you can get IMO. Honestly we (seekoutside.com ) , started carrying them a bit ago , because some people kept asking if we were ever going to do sleep gear. I honestly don't really see much reason to try and improve on them. They are pricey, but it is far cheaper to buy a good bag that works than to keep buying bags because they don't

I like the looks of the sequoia, if you had to choose between the MF and GWS which would you choose?

I have owned 2 of their bags, an Antelope and now own the Bristecone. I regret selling the antelope when I needed $ several years ago. They are great bags and their temperature ratings are among the most accurate of several different manufacturers I have owned over the years. They are a quality company and make a quality product IMO.

Mine is MF. I think if I had it to do again, I'd try the GWS. I camp in some windy places in winter and sometimes even a tent doesn't slow the air down enough to keep it from "robbing" heat. I don't know if it would help but it seems worth a try. I may wind up using a bivy sack over the bag instead.

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

I have their Badger bag which is an over-sized mummy in the Gore Dryloft shell. I think I bought it maybe 9 years ago, only used it a couple nights due to it being really warm but it sure was nice on those nights. Especially with the bit of extra room you get versus some other mummy bags. Not cheap but IMHO worth it!!

Thanks Guys!

I've got 3 WM sleeping bags. WM is the best of the best. Their temperature estimates are the most accurate of all the manufacturers.

Feathered Friends is another super high quality down product maker comparable to WM. http://featheredfriends.com/down-sleeping-bags.html

With the time, effort, and expense of getting into good hunting habitat, not sleeping warm each night to maximize recovery after working hard during the day is foolish savings.

JMHO.

A while ago I went through a variety of bags -- North Face, Wiggy's, Slumberjack (military line), Mountainsmith (when they briefly made some higher end ultralight bags) and Big Agnes. Bought a WM and never looked back. Don't have plans to get another bag, unless it's another WM.

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

Terralite .. big / comfy and under 2 lbs .. also can be zipped to another for a couple

It is what my wife uses and I may consider one for myself for very cold combined with the quilt .. should be good below 0 combined

Perfect, thanks.

I agree with Kevin T
I have 5 WM bags and use the Terra most.

My wife uses the Alpinlite and loves it.

I have a SummerLite and it covers 80-90% of what I need a three season bag to do.

I like it a lot.

I love my Sequoia. It’s been with me on several hunts and always kept me warm and cozy. I simply leave it unzipped for venting in temps above 25 degrees or so. Light and packable. Expensive yes but worth every penny.

On the overfill? Is that something WM does at their factory or does Hermit's Hut? Just wondering what the process would be.

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.

Yup. I still have some 1980's Marmot gear from Grand Junction...

We have 4 WM bags and 1 Feathered Friends. All are very true to temperature and quality is second to none.

Bean,

Marmot started in California, then moved to GJ for the cheaper labor and (of course) the sweet deal GJ gave them. When Marmot was bought out, the new company said they weren't liable to the agreement, closed down the manufacturing part (that's what was located in GJ) and began the outsourcing to Asia.

I have never bought a Marmot item since.

Feel the same way about Osprey, too.......

Yeah. I try to buy American whenever I can, but WM prices have hit the Over-The-Top level. I bought an Antelope w/overfill and Gore-Tex shell in the early 90's and loved it. By my mid 40's I had "outgrown" it The bag was already a bit tight for me at 6-1 and 185, but another 10 lbs in middle age made the bag too tight.

I messed around with Big Agnes and other bags for a while, tried a friends Kuiu bag and liked it. When the Kuiu 0 degree bag come up on sale a couple years ago I bought it. I'm liking it. It may not be quite in the same league as WM, but it's very much a quality bag and -literally--half the cost of the WM bag I was considering.

They’re nice, I have a long versalite I bought used. Great sleeping bag.

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.

Yes, my early Gore-Tex Antelope did just that. It was great for January backcountry ski trips, not as good for wet stretches of weather archery hunting in September.

Kodiak with overfill. Love the extra shoulder room (67 inches in long).

I also have a Feathered Friends Ibis with overfill. 64 inches is a bit snug around the shoulders, but I still use the crap out of it, often unzipped as a quilt.

Lots to like about both brands. I'd buy either again if the bag fit my needs and my shoulders. Both of these have been with me 20 years plus.

Rick

I also had the Antelope, with GWS(?) Gore Water Stop? A little too tight in the shoulders and also felt that at times it seemed the bag was holding moisture in. Just seemed to have a clammy feeling to it.

Went to the Kodiak,,,,,no GWS and love that bag.