View Full Version : W/M ultralight sleepingbag
Has any one used the W/M ultralight sleeping bag, or has heard any comments about it? I am considering it for my bag to use on my thru hike.
Western Mountaineering makes great sleeping bags. I know a number of people who really like the Ultralite bag. I tried the Ultralite , but found it was a bit to narrow in the shoulder for me to be really comfortable at night. I went the Versalite which has more room in the shoulders, is slightly warmer and heavier.
Bought one this year and will be using it on my thruhike. It's very comfy (and I'm a side sleeper), and packs down very very small. The only problem I have is it the zipper gets all the way unzipped, it seperates and it difficult to put back together.
-Jeff T
In the next couple of weeks, look for an indepth review of the WM Ultralight. I've spent nearly 2 months in the bag, in locales from the farmlands of Indiana to the hills of the Smokys to the Grand Canyon to the Canadian Rockies. If you can't wait for the review, just buy the bag and know that you will be getting the best 20 degree down bag on the market.
SavageLlama
09-09-2004, 17:45
How does it compare with the Marmot Hydrogen?
My wife and I both use the WM Ultralite. Awesome investment! Great bag. It is a little narrow, but I'm 6'4" 220ish. I still sleep fine in it. I don't have the same zipper issues mentioned above.
Don;t know too much about the Hydrogen / Helium. When I bought the WM, I remember reading about the Marmots and most reviews found them not to hold up their temperature rating.
Youngblood
09-10-2004, 10:11
How does it compare with the Marmot Hydrogen?
Looking at the manufactures spec sheets, the WM Ultralite is rated at 20 degrees and has 5 inches of loft. The Marmot Hydrogen is rated at 30 degrees and has 4 inches of loft. So, I don't quite know how you want to compare them. The Hydogen is little lighter, has a larger girth and uses a Pertex shell, but it also has a lower temperture rating and a shorter zipper.
I have used a WM Highlite (40 deg) and Ultralite bag for the last several years and have been happy with them. When I bought my Ultralite bag it was rated at 25 degrees and didn't have a full fledged neck collar but it has 5 inches of loft and works fine at 20 degrees for me as long as I utilize the overstuffed baffle near the neck as a collar by carefully positioning it. (I also have a fleece neck gaitor I take in cool weather that helps seal it up.) While that is a little trouble, it's positive side is that it is easier to vent without a full fledged collar. I believe the newer Ultralites have what WM calls a 'split full collar'.
Youngblood
Youngbood is correct in that the new ones have a "split full collar" and they have also gone to the pertex shell.
Nightwalker
09-10-2004, 13:24
The only problem I have is it the zipper gets all the way unzipped, it seperates and it difficult to put back together.
Sew a little tack, with polyester thread, right above the foot of the zipper, where the seperation occurs.
frankcornbread
09-10-2004, 14:30
I have a WM Mightylite, 40 deg., full zip w/ no hood. Great, light, packs small and is very well made. I have used it to 35 deg. in a Tarptent Squall which is fairly drafty and stayed warm. Only complaint is that it leaks down at the seams. Not a ton, but enough that at any given time there are at least 4 different pieces sticking out. I would't trade it though. Perfect (for me) summer bag.
FC
hikerltwt
09-10-2004, 16:04
I used an ultralight long with two ounce over stuff and have been comfortable to well below the 15 degree F range. It is an awesome bag, my girlfriend just ordered one for next years pct jaunt. Best gear purchase I ever made.
Yo-YO
I used a WM ultralite from Springer to NY and again from Glencliff to Katahdin. It is a great bag and you get what you pay for. When I bought the bag it was actually a 25 degree rated bag, so I used a silk liner in the first 2 months (I sleep very cold). I guess they changed the rating to a 20 degree in the past yr, but usually WM bags are conservatively rated. After much use I have lost some fill and portions of the bag are very skinny, practically material to material touching, with no fill. Granted this bag has around 1500 miles on it and hundreds of nights use. The hood and draught collar is excellent and I'd probably buy another one if I had to. Its pretty darn light for its rating and a really good bag if you're looking to start late feb/early march.
Texas Dreamer
09-12-2004, 12:49
Thanks for all the great advice. I was actually logging on to ack the very same question. i had pretty much dicided on the sub-kilo, but got into a conversation with an employee at Whole Earth Provisions yesterday about the ultralite and he praised it to high heaven. His opinion is that I would never regret the extra 50 or 60 bucks spent on this bag. Of course I wanted more opinions from you guys before buying.
Does anyone know if it comes in a "short"?
Youngblood
09-13-2004, 00:46
... Does anyone know if it comes in a "short"?
Yes, according to their spec sheet: http://www.westernmountaineering.com/specchart.htm .
Flash Hand
11-13-2004, 16:09
I checked the link that Youngblood shared with us. I checked the temperature and the weight. I noticed that the higher the temperature is and the lower the weight would be.
I want to know what temperature is the most comfortable for you guys if you start thru hike on March 1st northbound. Should it be 15 degree F or 45 degree F with thick of clothes inside the sleeping bag?
Flash Hand :jump
You will want a 15-20 degree bag with a March 1st start and will need it for some time. In North Georgia I needed one during mid May two years ago.
A WM Ultralite (20 degree) with a silk liner (5-7.5 degrees more protection) is what I use year round in North Georgia and supplement with a WM Flight jacket during December to March for winter camping.
That being said, many have started with 30 degree bags and slept in all the clothes they brought; though most admit they experienced some sleepless nights.
August West
11-28-2004, 14:46
Are there any synthetic bags that can compete with the weight of the Ultralite?
A zero degree synthetic will need more fill than a down zero degree bag. Therefore, the synthetic bags weigh more.
http://backcountrygear.com/catalog/bagtable.cfm
Are there any synthetic bags that can compete with the weight of the Ultralite?
Synthetic fill weighs more than down fill, assuming the down fill is at least reasonable good quality. That being said, a warm weather synthetic bag can compete with a warm weather down bag because most of the weight is not in the fill, but rather in the shell. Even so, a synthetic bag may not be as light as a down bag, but it will probably be much cheaper. For cold weather, a down filled bag will be much lighter.