REI Co-op  Magma 30 Sleeping Bag - Men's

I just used this on 2 overnights in the SE Utah Desert. Temps at night were right around 30 degrees F. It had recently snowed/rained so there was a lot of moisture in the air. Winds were low, sunny clear during the day. Both nights the bag was dry when I got in it. I cowboy camped (no tarp/tent). I put the bag inside of a SOL Emergency Lite Escape Bivy. I used a NEMO Tensor Insulated regular mummy pad. I wore merino wool pant base layers, Patagonia micro puff hoody, and ciele polar tec beanie. Standard hiking socks, lightweight black diamond gloves. I’m 6ft, 130lbs, male, 25. Normally sleep pretty warm. I normally have a base weight of around 12lbs. Above-average hiking ability/length of days. I was in the market for a three-season fairly UL bag without spending Western Mountaineering prices. I debated a quilt vs. sleeping bag. Ultimately don’t want to deal with draft/pad straps/not being able to sit up on the pad. This bag was great, I would not hesitate to take it down lower with the above configuration. On the second night, I did not need to wear socks. The toe box is generous and comfortable. I think with a Top/Bottom puffy combination this would work for almost all 3 season mountain/desert outings. I think the SOL Bivy is always a good thing to carry to reduce breathability in the colder/moisture settings. My one gripe/adjustment with this bag was the compatibility with my exped regular down pillow. Normally I like having my pillow inside my hood, as this makes it less likely to slide off the pad. When the bag was fully zipped the bottom of the hood around my chin would be uncomfortably tight against my face/chin. I think the solution would be to find a way to strap your pillow down to the pad. I tried this after the trip and this felt much better and allowed use of the full hood, without pillow taking up space. Not to steer anyone wrong but I think this is a totally suitable 25-30 degree bag with proper layering inside the bag, camp site location, moisture control etc…If you don’t already carry a UL bivy I would highly recommend it. I take star ratings on these things with a grain of salt. Hard to assign stars to a multifaceted product. Someones 3 is another person's 5. I'll go middle ground with a 3+/4/5 depending on user preference. If anyone has specific questions or want to see what other gear I use feel free to reach out on IG @mattrichardson_

Second time using this bag, first time was backpacking R2R2R of the Grand Canyon where it was obviously in a warmer region of the US and it worked fine. A few weeks ago, I used it over 5 days in the backcountry of RMNP. Nighttime lows were in upper 30s to low 40s and I froze. Being a lifelong resident of Minnesota I am use to the cold and generally sleep warm, but this bag is worthless at these temperatures. Positives: very lightweight, packs down small, zipper design is great and does not catch. Weaknesses: Down does not stay evenly distributed in fill channels, bag is really cold in sub-45-degree weather, bag is drafty, stuff sack is extremely thin Slept on a Exped air pad with an R value of 7.1. Clothing worn at night inside bag: two pairs wool socks, full length wind pants, full length athletic pants, short sleeve shirt, long sleeve shirt, down puffer jacket, and a polyester winter hat. Yes, I wore all of that at the same time every night and still froze. I had no more clothing or I would have worn it. My hiking companion said I looked like the abominable snowman. Almost every night was windy, during which the cold air would blow through the bag. I would have a section that was warm and a few inches away it would be cold and drafty. Presuming this is because the fill was not staying evenly dispersed. See pictures of the bag. You will see that in some areas there was no fill at all, the orange inner layer is clearly visible or there are dark gray areas, regardless of how much I fluffed it. On the last night, I decided to layer my raingear on top of the bag to try and minimize the airflow through the bag and this drastically improved the draftiness and warmth. My companion and I swapped bags one of the nights to see if maybe it was just me. After a short while, he said “You can have this back, its freezing.” He was very toasty in his mummy bag with only boxer shorts on, and I was jealous to say the least! To add insult to injury REI includes a label in the stuff sack on “Tips To Stay Warm”, they just forgot one, buy a bag that actually keeps you warm! What a disappointment. Please look elsewhere for a cold weather bag, this is just not up to the task. Unfortunately, I am now just outside the return policy window, so, if anyone wants this one, let me know, you can have it for free to save it from the landfill.