Shaun
2005-12-10 19:36:38 UTC
Here is my first attempt at a review!!!! Marmot Atom Sleeping Bag
Tester Bio
Name: Shaun Keeling
Age: 39
Gender: Male
Height: 5 8
Weight: 165 Pounds
Email address: mx5sk at yahoo dot com City, State, Country: Denver metro area, Colorado, U.S.A.
Date: December 10, 2005
Backpacking Background
I have been backpacking off and on for about twenty-five years. In the past five years I have found renewed interest in backcountry travel and camping. I average about twenty-five nights in the wilderness and over 200 trail miles per year. Most of my backpacking adventures take place in the Rocky Mountains and the desert South West. I will be trying winter camping and snowshoeing for the first time this season. In the near future, I plan on broadening my horizons and experiencing more back country travel in the Pacific North West and Hawaii. Although I dont consider myself a hard core ultra light backpacker, most of my more recent gear purchases have been made with weight and comfort in mind. I am a self proclaimed gear junkie who just has to try the latest and greatest outdoor gear whenever possible.
Product Information
· Manufacturer: Marmot
· Product: Mummy style, Atom Sleeping Bag
· Size: Regular Fits up to 6 tall.
· Manufactures advertised temperature rating: +40F/+5C
· Fill material: 900 fill goose down
· Shell material: Pertex Quantum N-090 Ripstop
· Liner material: Pertex Quantum N-090 Taffeta
· Advertised weight: 1 lb. 0 ozs.
· Weight as delivered (digital food scale): 1 lb 4 ozs. (including manufacturer provided stuff sack). Sleeping bag only: 1 lb. 2.5 ozs.
· What was included: sleeping bag, stuff sack, cotton storage sack.
· Other notable features: ½ length left-hand zipper, insulated draft tube, snag free design for zipper, nicely insulated hood with draw cord.
· Manufacturer home page: http://marmot.com/
Initial impressions: This sleeping bag appears to be of above average quality. All of the seams and sewn areas are nicely finished. No feathers poking through the shell or liner. Silky smooth Pertex lining (lining feels like nylon, not fleece) feels good against my skin. Pertex shell appears very thin, you can see the outline of feathers through it. I have concerns that the shell material may be easily damaged. The bag compresses down to the size of a small loaf of bread, I believe it could be compressed down tighter then with the included stuff sack, but I did not see any use in trying such as it is already very compact. In test fitting the bag on my living room floor, there seems to be enough wiggle room in the bag and the ½ length zipper functions smoothly without snagging. The included stuff sack appears to have a waterproof coating on the inside of it; I did not have the opportunity to verify the water resistance.
Test Conditions: My decision to purchase a Marmot Atom bag was based on glowing reviews and awards given by various outdoor oriented magazines. I purchased this bag midway through the summer 2005 season. It has been used for numerous extended weekend backpacking trips in the Colorado Rockies and a couple of short weekend trips on the Pacific Coast. Total nights spent in the bag at this time is approximately fifteen. Night time temperatures have varied from 31F to 60F. Elevation has varied from sea level to 11,000. I have not encountered excessive precipitation on any of my tips. Depending on my destination, I have used either my Therm-a-Rest LE or Therm-a-Rest ProLite 4 short sleeping pad with this bag. Depending on my mood, I sleep inside of a tent or under a tarp. The bag has also been carried (but not used) as an emergency source for warmth on numerous day trips in the Rockies.
Test Report: I am a wrestles sleeper, so I need a little wiggle room in my sleeping bag. I did not feel restricted in the bag at any time during use. The Marmot Atom provides a good compromise of weight and room. The sleeping bag is comfortable, with adequate insulation in all areas. Entry/exit to the bag did take some getting used to with the half-length zipper. For its weight and temperature rating, the loft on this bag is amazing. I would expect this in part from the 900 fill down. Taking into consideration that I am a warm sleeper, I think the manufacturers rating of 40F degrees is accurate if not somewhat conservative. I usually sleep in just my underwear, no shirt. I have experienced night time temperatures down to 31F and have stayed toasty warm. On one trip when the temperature dropped to 35F and I was using my short sleeping pad, my feet became somewhat chilled. This was corrected the next night by placing my pack on the bare ground under my foot
area. I would recommend cold sleepers or anyone pushing the temperature rating of this bag to use a full length sleeping pad. The internal temperature of the bag is easily regulated; when the temperature was around 40F or lower, I usually found myself with the bag completely zipped up. In warmer temperatures I have been comfortable leaving the zipper open. I have not experienced any excessive condensation on this bag, so I can not speak for the water resistance qualities of the Pertex shell material. It does seem to readily bead up a couple of water drops when purposely spilled on it.
Summary: This bag has met and exceeded all of my expectations. I am amazed at the size vs. weight and warmth every time I use it. I have not observed any shifting of the insulation, loss of loft, other problems or excessive wear during use. The zipper continues to operate effortlessly and completely snag free. My original concerns of the thin nature of the shell material have gone unfounded, the bag still looks new after many nights of use. Although it is somewhat pricey for its temperature rating ($249 MSRP as of 12/05) I would highly recommend this bag to anybody looking for a high quality, ultra light, down sleeping bag in the +40F temperature range or a warm sleeper willing to push his or her bag rating lower.
---------------------------------
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Tester Bio
Name: Shaun Keeling
Age: 39
Gender: Male
Height: 5 8
Weight: 165 Pounds
Email address: mx5sk at yahoo dot com City, State, Country: Denver metro area, Colorado, U.S.A.
Date: December 10, 2005
Backpacking Background
I have been backpacking off and on for about twenty-five years. In the past five years I have found renewed interest in backcountry travel and camping. I average about twenty-five nights in the wilderness and over 200 trail miles per year. Most of my backpacking adventures take place in the Rocky Mountains and the desert South West. I will be trying winter camping and snowshoeing for the first time this season. In the near future, I plan on broadening my horizons and experiencing more back country travel in the Pacific North West and Hawaii. Although I dont consider myself a hard core ultra light backpacker, most of my more recent gear purchases have been made with weight and comfort in mind. I am a self proclaimed gear junkie who just has to try the latest and greatest outdoor gear whenever possible.
Product Information
· Manufacturer: Marmot
· Product: Mummy style, Atom Sleeping Bag
· Size: Regular Fits up to 6 tall.
· Manufactures advertised temperature rating: +40F/+5C
· Fill material: 900 fill goose down
· Shell material: Pertex Quantum N-090 Ripstop
· Liner material: Pertex Quantum N-090 Taffeta
· Advertised weight: 1 lb. 0 ozs.
· Weight as delivered (digital food scale): 1 lb 4 ozs. (including manufacturer provided stuff sack). Sleeping bag only: 1 lb. 2.5 ozs.
· What was included: sleeping bag, stuff sack, cotton storage sack.
· Other notable features: ½ length left-hand zipper, insulated draft tube, snag free design for zipper, nicely insulated hood with draw cord.
· Manufacturer home page: http://marmot.com/
Initial impressions: This sleeping bag appears to be of above average quality. All of the seams and sewn areas are nicely finished. No feathers poking through the shell or liner. Silky smooth Pertex lining (lining feels like nylon, not fleece) feels good against my skin. Pertex shell appears very thin, you can see the outline of feathers through it. I have concerns that the shell material may be easily damaged. The bag compresses down to the size of a small loaf of bread, I believe it could be compressed down tighter then with the included stuff sack, but I did not see any use in trying such as it is already very compact. In test fitting the bag on my living room floor, there seems to be enough wiggle room in the bag and the ½ length zipper functions smoothly without snagging. The included stuff sack appears to have a waterproof coating on the inside of it; I did not have the opportunity to verify the water resistance.
Test Conditions: My decision to purchase a Marmot Atom bag was based on glowing reviews and awards given by various outdoor oriented magazines. I purchased this bag midway through the summer 2005 season. It has been used for numerous extended weekend backpacking trips in the Colorado Rockies and a couple of short weekend trips on the Pacific Coast. Total nights spent in the bag at this time is approximately fifteen. Night time temperatures have varied from 31F to 60F. Elevation has varied from sea level to 11,000. I have not encountered excessive precipitation on any of my tips. Depending on my destination, I have used either my Therm-a-Rest LE or Therm-a-Rest ProLite 4 short sleeping pad with this bag. Depending on my mood, I sleep inside of a tent or under a tarp. The bag has also been carried (but not used) as an emergency source for warmth on numerous day trips in the Rockies.
Test Report: I am a wrestles sleeper, so I need a little wiggle room in my sleeping bag. I did not feel restricted in the bag at any time during use. The Marmot Atom provides a good compromise of weight and room. The sleeping bag is comfortable, with adequate insulation in all areas. Entry/exit to the bag did take some getting used to with the half-length zipper. For its weight and temperature rating, the loft on this bag is amazing. I would expect this in part from the 900 fill down. Taking into consideration that I am a warm sleeper, I think the manufacturers rating of 40F degrees is accurate if not somewhat conservative. I usually sleep in just my underwear, no shirt. I have experienced night time temperatures down to 31F and have stayed toasty warm. On one trip when the temperature dropped to 35F and I was using my short sleeping pad, my feet became somewhat chilled. This was corrected the next night by placing my pack on the bare ground under my foot
area. I would recommend cold sleepers or anyone pushing the temperature rating of this bag to use a full length sleeping pad. The internal temperature of the bag is easily regulated; when the temperature was around 40F or lower, I usually found myself with the bag completely zipped up. In warmer temperatures I have been comfortable leaving the zipper open. I have not experienced any excessive condensation on this bag, so I can not speak for the water resistance qualities of the Pertex shell material. It does seem to readily bead up a couple of water drops when purposely spilled on it.
Summary: This bag has met and exceeded all of my expectations. I am amazed at the size vs. weight and warmth every time I use it. I have not observed any shifting of the insulation, loss of loft, other problems or excessive wear during use. The zipper continues to operate effortlessly and completely snag free. My original concerns of the thin nature of the shell material have gone unfounded, the bag still looks new after many nights of use. Although it is somewhat pricey for its temperature rating ($249 MSRP as of 12/05) I would highly recommend this bag to anybody looking for a high quality, ultra light, down sleeping bag in the +40F temperature range or a warm sleeper willing to push his or her bag rating lower.
---------------------------------
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Find Great Deals on Holiday Gifts at Yahoo! Shopping
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~-->
Get fast access to your favorite Yahoo! Groups. Make Yahoo! your home page
http://us.click.yahoo.com/dpRU5A/wUILAA/yQLSAA/V4TolB/TM
--------------------------------------------------------------------~->
To read our reviews, please visit http://www.backpackgeartest.org/
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BackpackGearTest/
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
BackpackGearTest-unsubscribe-***@public.gmane.org
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/