Montbell UL Super Spiral Down Hugger #1 by Cameron Meier

Just the Facts: -2lbs 5oz -800 fill goose down -Inside shoulder girth 53”-75” -Inside knee girth 44”-62” -EN Tested to 15 degrees. In my experience of testing bags this temp ratings seems very accurate. -Polkatex DWR finish Story: I was really excited when I finally received this bag. I was looking for a 15-20 degree bag to cover all of my back country archery hunts for late September through the late season, and I found what I was looking for. There are a number of top notch bag that someone could buy that would fit your needs for a backcountry hunt. But I feel this bag has the right combinations of temperature rating, weight and features I look for in a sleeping bag. That is why this bag is my number one choice for a do it all sleeping bag to cover all seasons of hunting for the DIY back country hunter, here is why. The first thing you notice about this bag is its angled baffles and stretchy stitching used! This is the first and only bag I know of that has these features. It is the most comfortable bag I have ever used! If you are someone who gets claustrophobic this bag is for you. Part of the reason why backpackers use mummy shaped bags is because there is less material and fabric so they weigh less, but they also keep you warmer, and warm up quicker when you jump in them. See if a bag is too big for you there is extra air space to heat up around you. So you want a snug fitting bag to maximize warmth and decrease the time it takes to heat the bag up. The Montbell UL Spiral down hugger takes care of this by making the bag stretch. So you can move all around spread your legs out and the bag adjusts to your body, but if you are like me and sleep as straight as a bored on your back then it is a snug fitting bag and fits very nicely. The other design that stood out to me was the hood of the bag. It is not an overly big hood, which now that I have used a tighter more contoured hood, I don’t want to use anything else. A hood is used to keep your head and face warm and in my mind any extra space is wasted weight I am carrying and wasted air space I have to heat up. People wear beanies and hats that are very tight around their head so why would a company make an overly large hood for sleeping? Doesn’t make sense to me, but Montbell nailed this one. Other things I liked about the bag: -Snag free zippers -Well designed draft tubes -Large foot box that is not restrictive -Compacts down very small Let me tell you why this is my number one choice for guys looking for a do it all bag for scouting, hunting, and all around backpacking. It is lightweight for the amount of warmth it gives you. You could easily add a liner, a bivy sack, or sleep with you base layers to make this bag a 4 season bag. I know everyone sleeps differently so the last sentence depends on the user; I tend to sleep a little warm so take that into consideration. For summer months or early September hunts you could easily unzip this bag and you are still not carrying excess weight. The last reason I would suggest this bag is comfort. You can’t hunt hard if you don’t get a good night’s sleep, and with the Montbell UL Spiral Down Hugger, I do not think that is going to be an issue. This bag can be found for around $350 so all things considered this bag is a great value when considering other top end bags.