ALPS Mountaineering Clearwater +20 Sleeping Bag - Regular - Special Buy

Comments about ALPS Mountaineering Clearwater +20 Sleeping Bag - Regular - Special Buy:

I use this for camping in the spring summer and fall and it does well everytime. It is warm for the summer but I have an alternative lightweight bag for then, it is a mummy so its expected to be tight although it is a little too tight for me in the legs and feet. The only thing I hate about it is the zipper. It snags easily leaving you to struggle with it for a few minutes. the stuff sack is difficult to ge tthe bag back in, you have to roll it tight. Overall I like the stuff sack, I like that it packs small, its durable, warm and comfortable.

Comments about ALPS Mountaineering Clearwater +20 Sleeping Bag - Regular - Special Buy:

I bought this bag for a friend. It had a hole in it after one use. (My northface bag which is 10 years old is much more durable material). The zipper doesn't have guards and pulls the bag putting snags in it. One wash was enough to put a big hole in the bottom of it despite following instructions.

REI outlet items are usually great and durable, but pass on this one if you want a bag that will last for years to come.

Fortunately REI has a great return policy.

Service and delivery comments:

REI service/delivery is always great. No complaints. Stellar warranty on what turned out to be a lemon of a sleeping bag.

Comments about ALPS Mountaineering Clearwater +20 Sleeping Bag - Regular - Special Buy:

I went through two of these bags in very short succession. The Clearwater +20 bags I got were both terrible. There are two huge faults.

First, the bag is WAY too short: I'm talking 3" too short for a 5'10" person to fit in. Both "regular" bags had this fault, one shipped from REI, and one from the local store. I'd count it extremely unlikely that both bags were somehow mislabeled.

Second, and maybe more critical, is that the velcro closure at the top of the bag snags on the bag material and tears it! It's so bad that your bag will have a gaping hole in it after 3 or 4 outings! I'm shocked at how bad a design this was. The REI store people said they would send these back to Alps specifically flagged as "defective design," instead of selling them in the quarterly used gear sale.

Lastly, though not critical faults like the others, there is another very annoying problem with this bag: the zippers snag TERRIBLY compared to other well-designed bags. Most newer bags have a very stiff material lining the zipper and guarding it about 3-4 inches so it won't easily snag. This Clearwater +20 does not have that feature.

Look elsewhere, folks. This bag is cheap junk. Even the REI store people said, "Upgrade to a real bag, by a better manufacturer, and you won't have any of these issues." About the only good thing I can say for this bag is that it came with a compression sack, which even higher priced bags often don't. I ended up buying an REI bag for $100, and couldn't be happier! It suffers from none of these faults!

Comments about ALPS Mountaineering Clearwater +20 Sleeping Bag - Regular - Special Buy:

So happy I purchased these and thanks to the reveiws I read, I bought two, one for me and my son. My biggest concern about sleeping bags is warmth, after freezing my butt off in the desert one time while backpacking. This sleeping bag is great for backpacking. Nice and lightweight, yet so warm. If it gets too cold, just throw on some long johns and socks, and you'll stay nice and toasty. Also the zipper did not snag, stayed closed after tossing and turning (my normal routine), and was durable. No complaints.

Comments about ALPS Mountaineering Clearwater +20 Sleeping Bag - Regular - Special Buy:

I bought this item about a year ago when it was also on closeout and have used it on several backpacking and kayaking overnighters and was pleasantly suprised at how warm it kept me.

Full disclosure: I upgraded to this bag from a swiss gear cheapo mummy bag, so I really had nowhere to go but up. It compresses down quite well, though it is tough to get it into the compression bag it comes with; you can't just stuff it in haphazardly, you've got to roll it up tight and then just slip it in the bag little by little.

As far as warmth goes, I've only been down to about 35 with this bag but I was TOASTY with a basic Thermarest pad. I love it! That was with socks, boxers, and a t shirt. I think 20 is doable with some warm base layers.

Weight is reasonable, not super light but probably saved me a couple pounds on my pack when I upgraded.

I don't know if I would buy another one, simply because I upgrade and don't buy the same thing twice. However, this has turned me on to Alps Mountaineering products and wouldn't hesitate to buy another product from them.

Comments about ALPS Mountaineering Clearwater +20 Sleeping Bag - Regular - Special Buy:

Alps Mountaineering continues to provide excellent quality products at prices even the average person can afford!! It's all about the weight of your pack w/stuff!!

Comments about ALPS Mountaineering Clearwater +20 Sleeping Bag - Regular - Special Buy:

Bought this bag as a novice only concerned about the price.
I have used it now for two summers backpacking up in the Colorado Rockies and it has well exceeded the claims and my expectations.
I am now preparing for my third summer in Colorado and would not even consider needing another bag.