REI Co-op  Trailmade 20 Sleeping Bag

Overall, great option for a lower price point synthetic bag. The bag performed better than I expected! Overall, this is a bag I will use for shorter, warmer backpacking trips. This is a longer review but I like to include information I myself look for. I am 5'5" 130 pounds. Fit: I chose the "short & wide" version of this bag because I move around a lot at night and need space to move my legs especially in knee area. The bag was very comfortable for this purpose, although naturally I sacrificed a bit of warmth due to extra room in the bag. I had plenty of room in the shoulder area and found the hood generous. Weight/packability: Using the sea-to-summit compression sack (2.9oz) the bag weighed 53.4 oz, for a combined weight of 3 pounds 8 oz, or 3.4 pounds with no stuff sack. This is on the higher end of what I would consider bringing for a backpacking trip, but for an affordable option very acceptable. Using a compression sack, I was able to get the bag down to about 16" x 8", which surprised me as I think of synthetic bags typically bulkier. I was able to stow horizontally in the bottom of backpack. Warmth: I slept in this bag in a range of milder winter conditions - 47 deg high, 28 deg low. At 47 I was actually a bit too warm! I was able to sleep comfortably with only underwear and a cotton sweatshirt. I would NOT recommend sleeping in the bag lower than about 35 with I think the most comfortable about 40 degrees; 28 degrees was seriously uncomfortable and I had to wear 3 layers of winter clothing. (wool long underwear, down jacket, extra fleece layers both top/bottom) On all nights my feet were cold even with extra socks - I think the bag could use extra insulation in foot box, or make it a little smaller. Fabric/color: I found the green/yellow an attractive color combo, and the fabric smooth. On one night the tent I was in had a leak and dripped significantly on the bag - I didn't notice until waking as the bag repelled the water fairly well.

The short version: This is a solidly made and warm sleeping bag, but as something that is labeled as a backpacking bag, it falls short. The good: I'm coming from a few seasons old Kelty Cosmic Down 20* and I would say that this REI bag and the Kelty are similarly warm (I've put the Kelty to the test down to the mid 20s and survived despite being pretty chilly as a reference point). The construction of the REI bag seems great and I'm sure it will hold up well over time. The materials are sturdy, the length is good for me at 6', and the shape has just the right amount of room for my fairly average build. The not so good: My Kelty bag, which is usually seen as a good entry level bag but somewhat heavy, is almost 500g lighter on my scale than this REI bag. Additionally, I can't get this REI bag to compress enough to fit into my 14L eVent stuff sack and then into the sleeping bag compartment on my backpack (the Kelty fits in perfectly). I know synthetic bags can be heavier and bulkier than down, and this definitely meets that reputation. In the backcountry, extra bulk and weight can really make an impact, even if you aren't an ultralighter, so I just can't see sticking this in my bag nor saddling someone else with it who doesn't have their own gear yet. One more demerit: it doesn't come with a loose storage bag, just a standard, non compression, stuff sack. All is not lost however! I think this would make a great car camping bag for someone who prefers the mummy shape. That's how I plan to use it going forward.