Reviewed by: docguide(Unregistered User)
,
Mountaineer
, from Boulder
Price Paid:
$85.00
at REI-Outlet Summary:
The Moonstone "Zone 1" is a light down mummy bag with a claimed comfort range of 35 to 45 degrees, a range it easily spans, and more. In the long version the bag weighs in at 2 lbs. 4 oz. (actual), including 16 oz of 650 fill-power goose down. The recommended retail price of the long version is $240. Everything about this bag is understated.
Pike's Peak in August, at timberline (about 11,500 feet), provided a warm weather test. The dawn temperature was 45 ºF with a light up-slope breeze blowing (and a great view). This temperature is still cool enough to make a snug bag welcome, especially in a breeze. The bag was warm, but not uncomfortably so. I felt no need to sleep half out of it.
My coldest test (to date) occurred on James Peak at 12,400 feet in late September. The bivouac was on a small square of flat ground with a rough stone windbreak about a foot high. The evening was breezy, with a temperature at sunset of about 40 degrees. The dawn temperature was 25 ºF, coupled with a stiff wind blowing from the west at 25-30 mph. I was too comfortable to want to get out of the bag! There were no chills and no cold spots. The wind resistance of this bag had impressed me on earlier trips, and thereby encouraged my selection of this ridiculous perch for a cold night out. The well-stuffed hood helped to cut down the wind noise, a bonus feature. An inch of water left soaking in my cookpot was frozen solid, as was the top half of my water bottle (the bottom half was stuck in a boot). I was wearing wind pants and a base layer, with no extra clothing, although I did add a cap at early light. The camp had been occupied by a dozen or so ptarmigan when I arrived. They gurgled and waddled their way around me through the evening, not much concerned by my presence, or by the weather. But these furry fowl were still hunkered down when I beat a retreat off the mountain as the sun began to warm things up.
The most serious shortcoming of this bag is the absence of a baffle around hood opening. Many bag makers have discovered that simply shortening the outer shell around the opening will create a baffle-seal, much like a draft tube. The lining and some of the stuffing is pressed between the drawstring and your face. This is a nice feature. It helps keep the bag draft free on colder or windy nights . Bags in this class should have this feature, and I subtract points f Customer Service:
Not needed. Similar Products Used:
Sleeping bags: Holubar, Woods, Peak 1, Laplaud, Caribou, REI, Marmot
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