Mountain Hardwear Switch +35 Sleeping Bag - Women's Regular - '08 Closeout

Comments about Mountain Hardwear Switch +35 Sleeping Bag - Women's Regular - '08 Closeout:

This is a well-designed warm weather synthetic fill bag from Mountain Hardwear at a very reasonable price. I was most impressed with the weight, the true women's specific design, the extra features like the inside pockets and ESPECIALLY the baffles, which are effectively designed to resist catching in the zipper. FINALLY!!! However, I had to exchange it for the longer size, unfortunately adding four ounces to my pack, because of the size. I am just shy of 5'4" and am fit, but not only was this bag confining length wise in the tight toe box, but it was tight in girth across the chest and shoulders. There was no way I would be able to sleep comfortably with the expandable zippered panel closed, nor open for that matter.

I would recommend this bag for only the smallest of the "petites" who are looking for a warm weather bag.

Comments about Mountain Hardwear Switch +35 Sleeping Bag - Women's Regular - '08 Closeout:

I bought this bag for 3 season use right before a month long backpacking trip through Europe. The bag seemed quite light, and could be easily contained in my 13L silsack, though I found it better to put it in a regular stuff sack so that it could form around the other gear in my pack. This 35 degree bag was more than warm enough for June in Europe, even on a colder night at the base of the Matterhorn. It was nice to be able to open and close the vent zipper for temperature adjustments. I also found out that it is nice to have that extra zipper because the bag is not terribly roomy. I am a petite 5'2" and a side sleeper, and when the zipper was closed, I could barely roll over inside the bag. It wasn't that much easier with the zipper open, but it did help. For some reason the main zipper seemed to snag a lot, which was frustrating in the middle of the night. Overall, I am very happy with this bag.

Comments about Mountain Hardwear Switch +35 Sleeping Bag - Women's Regular - '08 Closeout:

The Switch 35 bag deserves much better reviews. Yes, it is small, but it is an EXCELLENT bag for a petite person male or female, or kids. The Switch 35 slept warmly on windy, rainy 45 degree nights with summer-thin long sleeved clothes, perfect for central east coast USA camping. Have not experienced any colder temps yet. (Remember to add 10-15 degrees to any manufacturer's rated temp when choosing a sleeping bag.) LOVE the Switch's Quantum Expander, it helps with restless nights, and in warm weather it increases space for air circulation, but the unzipped baffle is fully filled with insulation to prevent drafts. Every sleeping bag ever built should have a Quantum Expander! We can roll over inside these bags, but we don't. Mummy bags are like being wrapped in a burrito, take the the whole burrito along when rolling, so you AND the bag roll over together in one unit. So much easier, makes so much sense. The Switch's 2-way zipper lets you create any size hole opening for ventilation anywhere along the length from chest to ankles when you are too warm. The zipper is ankle length, but it still works to unzip it and use it like a blanket in warm weather. Internal zipper pocket at the upper chest is handy. The fabric inside and out is comfy, soft, and smooth. A teen at 5ft 2in, 115# fits beautifully in this 'women's regular' size bag, and the other teen 5ft 5in, 125# fits well in my 'women's Long' bag. I suggest that these are about the max comfortable heights for the bags. At 170# the women's Long feels too narrow. Mountain Hardwear: Make the Switch women's bags wider for those who are not exactly at ideal body weight; note that humans don't sleep on their backs with their ankles flexed 90 degrees, we relax those ankles, so 5-5 height standing is actually 5-8 lying down length when the ankles relax; and rename the sizes properly. I highly recommend this bag for smaller people. We owned one and then bought another. Ladies, be aware that you are used to sleeping in men's bags that were too big for you, that is why you were cold so often. Roll like a burrito.

Comments about Mountain Hardwear Switch +35 Sleeping Bag - Women's Regular - '08 Closeout:

Bought the bag because of the weight and the price. Found the bag to be too tight to turn in the night even with the bag expanded and was cold. The first night I slept in thermal top and bottoms and a hat and was cold, and the second night had to add socks, and a fleece top to keep warm. My daughter had a down bag and had to unzip hers and I looked like I was camping in Alaska, but was camping above Durango Colorado in July. Maybe a good bag for back sleepers who are smaller than 5 foot 2 and tend to run warm.