? For Marmot Helium owners

[Drybones]

Can you tell me if the Marmot Helium sleeping bag is true to its rating of 15 degrees and 2 lb-6 oz for the long? I'm considering a purchase but have had problems with thier other bags being heavier than rated. Thanks.

[ParkRat09]

Well I've never owned one but I do sell them at my store and Marmot bags are usually pretty dead on with their ratings and weights. Keep in mind that if you are weighing a sleeping bag in a stuff/compression sack those are not included in their advertised weights.

As for the temp rating...whether it is a 'true' whatever degree bag depends much more on the person inside. Are you warm/cold natured? Do you move a lot when you sleep? What kind of shelter are you sleeping in? What kind of sleeping pad are you using? These are all things that can drastically alter how you feel inside a certain sleeping bag

[STICK]

I have the regular size Helium (non-membrane) that was manufactured a couple of years ago. Mine weighs 34.5 oz and the stuff sack weighs 0.7 oz, so 35.2 oz total. At the time, according to the Marmot site, the weight was listed at 2 lbs 2 oz (34 oz) so it was pretty much spot on. However, it looks like they have recently gone with a slightly lighter weight shell on the Helium again, which has gotten the weight back down to 1 lb 15 oz (31 oz). So, it will depend on when the bag you end up with was manufactured. If the info on the site now is not a typo, then the newer bags will be lighter than the bags from about 2 years ago. (Not sure when they changed the materials up.)

Also, be leary of retailers listing weights. At the time I picked mine up, REI was listing the weight of an even older model Helium on their site (Marmot used Pertex on the model before mine, and iirc, even had a half zip?) However, that model also weighed 31 oz. REI had not updated their site to reflect the weight of the model I got, which was 34 oz. After receiving it and noting the discrepancy, I went to the Marmot site and immediately realized that they listed the bags at 34 oz, so it was accurate, REI was just behind on updating their own site. (And I even went as far as calling Marmot and speaking with them on the phone...) Anyway, I then contacted REI and explained to them the situation. However, they told me that their site listed what was quoted from the manufacturers. I tried to point out that it was old info...anyway, when I told them that there was a 3 oz difference they tried to explain to me that the listed numbers are average numbers, and each piece can vary... Idiots...

(And yes, three oz was enough to make a difference to me. I bought it because it was technically a sub 2 lb bag, but in the end, it was not.)

Anyway...

As far as temp rating, mine has kept me warm to just under 15 F...however, as mentioned above, this will depend on how warm/cold you sleep, as well as other factors (are you in a tent, how warm is the pad that's under you, have you ate, are you hydrated, do you have to pee, etc...)

[Creek Dancer]

I also have the older model Marmot Helium. I've never weighed it, so I can't speak to your weight question. But I can tell you that I am a cold sleeper and I trust this bag down to about 20 degrees. I have used it down to 10 degrees, with a silk liner, and stayed warm.

[Creek Dancer]

Just remember that most of the temperature ratings mean that the bag will keep a man alive down to that temperature; not that you will necessarily be super toasty warm.

[Drybones]

All...Thanks a bunch for the info.

[peakbagger]

The other big issue with most sleeping bag ratings are they assume you are in a tent. If you are in a well ventilated shelter the bag's rating is going to be 10 degrees higher.

[garlic08]

I've used my old Helium down into the lower teens many times, confidently and almost comfortably. When I bought it, its weight was exactly as listed. Since then I've put over 6000 trail miles on it and it's still working, though by now it's probably closer to a 20F bag.

[StealthHikerBoy]

I have this bag and I really like it.
I am a cold sleeper. I find it comfortable from the high 20's upward, and bearable to the mid 20's. Lower that that and I am cold.
I'd bet the rating is accurate, as I seem to have to add 10 degrees to the ratings to get the right bag for the weather.

[Drybones]

Well I pulled the string and ordered it, we'll see how the weight turns out, I'm pretty confident the rating will be okay. Thanks to all for the input.

[STICK]

I have used mine cowboy camping in temps around 17F. I was fine all night long.

1772117722

[88BlueGT]

I am a true believer in this bag. I have a Marmot Helium (regular) and it's true to its weight. I have used this in 15* weather with no issues (in a TarpTent). Very comfortable also.

Also, I have used this in upwards of 65-70 and it wasn't bad.... a bit warm but not too bad. Unzipped and draped over like a blanket with the fly open on the tent.

[hikedit]

I have the regular weighed it at 2lbs 2oz. and had it down to about 10 and stayed pretty comfortable very pleased with the performance

[Seldomseen]

Great bag but I liked my pinnacle better.

[Drybones]

Great bag but I liked my pinnacle better.

I have the Pennacle and I agree it's a good bag, for some reason mine weighs 3 lb-2 oz, thats 6 oz heavier than the specs. I do believe it would be good down to 0 degrees though.

[Seldomseen]

I have the Pennacle and I agree it's a good bag, for some reason mine weighs 3 lb-2 oz, thats 6 oz heavier than the specs. I do believe it would be good down to 0 degrees though.

I know it is a lot heavier but I think the 700 fill is better because it has more density. The 850 fill bags are not as dense and just not as warm. I have been out on cold nights in my helium and really wished I still had my pinnacle.

[Drybones]

I know it is a lot heavier but I think the 700 fill is better because it has more density. The 850 fill bags are not as dense and just not as warm. I have been out on cold nights in my helium and really wished I still had my pinnacle.

The Pennacle has 800 down. You may be right about the heavier downs. I have an REI bag rated at 20 degrees, originally weighed 1 lb-15 oz and was good to about 30 degrees. I added 4 oz of 750 down bringing the total weight to 2 lb-3 oz, it slept cozy at 19 degrees.

[Dogwood]

I had the 2006 Marmot Helium Long with the Pertex Quantum shell 1/2 zip(I liked the 1/2 zip). It was recently stolen in Reno. After all the trail miles(upwards of 5000 trail miles, PCT, CDT, JMT, SHR, LT, etc) and nights( I estimate 300 + nights) I put on it it still lofted nicely and was still, to my best estimate, a 18 * bag. When I bought it at the end of my AT thru-hike in 2006 it had the best combination of attributes I could find in any sleeping bag at my then 2006 gear knowledge level. The bag was spot on temp. accurate when I bought it. I weighed it on a postal office scale when I received it new too - 2 lbs 2 oz for the long. As Stick stated Marmot has played around with this bag slightly so different manufacturing yrs saw different technical specs. IMHO, Marmot even before temp rating standards were adopted accurately rated most of their bags and this was the case with the Marmot Helium. You might also look at the Marmot 15 * Plasma which recently hit the shelves if you have to have Marmot.

[mamamiapdx]

Marmot bags are conservatively rated and are good to go.

[STICK]

Just for the record, the Pinnacle uses 800 down fill whereas the Helium only uses a slightly higher 850+. I can't say for sure that it has always been that way, but for the last 3-4 years, this has been what has been listed for these bags.

What is different is that the Pinnacle uses a couple of oz of down fill more than the Helium because it is a slightly lower fill weight and because the Pinnacle has a tad bit more space to fill due to slightly different dimensions (foot box) as well as an actual draft collar (as opposed to the Helium's "passive" collar). On top of this, the Pinnacle also uses slightly heavier shell materials.

Between the heavier shell materials and the more overall down fill weight, the Pinnacle is heavier. However, due to the heavier, less breathable shell and the actual draft collar, the Pinnacle is able to trap a little more warmth in the bag, which makes it a slightly lower rated bag than the Helium.

Either way, I only have the Helium, but I believe that they would both be great bags. And then of course, another big decision is do you want to spend a little less and carry a little bit more weight, or vice-versa?

[Barbarosa]

I have had a Helium for four years now. Its a great bag. Girth is a bit bigger than some that try to push the limits, and I find Marmot zips to work better than most and be relatively snag free. To take the subjectivity out of the warmth question it helps to look at the standardized EN ratings. The Helium tests as comfortable for men down to 16.3 degrees F and 27.7 degrees F for women.

[88BlueGT]

^^ True. Personally, that is one of the best features of this bag as I sleep with my knees bent.