This ultralight goose down sleeping bag weighs 1 lb. 8 oz., packs down to the size of a football and is so comfortable it's practically luxury in the outback. Marmot uses the Pertex® Microlight high-performance fabric for the shell and inner lining making the bag windproof, downproof and durable.
The Marmot Hydrogen is part of an ultralight line of sleeping bags made by +Marmot Mountain. It's rated down to 30°F and uses 850+ fill power goose down meaning it has the best warmth to weight ratio for any insulation. The gas series including the Atom, Hydrogen, Helium and Lithium bags won Backpacker Editor's Choice Gold Award in 2008 for performance and innovation. Wanting something lightweight and warm for the early Texas spring and early fall I decided to invest in this bag and so far it has held up. I bought it new in the summer of 2012.
Sometimes I unzip the bag and use it as a blanket because it's so comfortable but most recently I took it with me when some good friends and I hiked the Turkey Pen trail along the South Mills river in the Pisgah National Forest, NC. We knew a cold front was coming through and expected frigid weather. On the coldest night we went to bed at freezing temperatures. I went to bed wearing my base layers in a bag liner inside my sleeping bag. That night I slept warm but not overly warm because my pad kept deflating putting me on the bitter ground. Despite a faulty pad the two nights we were in the Pisgah the Hydrogen bag performed exceptionally and was easy to carry. In fact, I am able to fit my sleeping bag, bag liner and pad all in the bottom compartment of my Dueter AirContact 65.
Having the bag for over a year I decided I would wash it for the first time after this trip. Down is very delicate and the care instructions must be followed properly. This lead me to notice an interesting detail. A friend of mine showed me his older ultralight Atom sleeping bag and I noticed the difference between the care instructions on his older Marmot bag versus my newer bag.
You'll notice the older bag on the left has the care instructions stitched into the label where the care instructions on my bag was printed with ink and has since completely rubbed off. It's the small attention to details in craftsmanship that I really appreciate and it's unfortunate that Marmot decided not to keep these old labels.
down vs. synthetic insulation
After extensive research on the benefits of both down and synthetic insulation types I eventually decided that down insulation is the optimal type of insulation for long life, warmth to weight ratio and compressibility. However, synthetic insulation does have its benefits too. A synthetic bag insulates better than down in wet and humid weather conditions and dries quicker. It is a great choice for a young persons first bag and is usually more affordable. Most of today's synthetic insulation is made up of recycled polyester fibers which tend to break down over time. High quality down on the other hand is more expensive but its an investment that will last a lifetime with proper maintenance. Having a down bag can save about a pounds worth of weight and tons of space when backpacking in dry conditions and when compared ounce for ounce down is warmer than synthetic insulation.
Duck down vs. goose down? If you have the budget choose goose down. Geese are larger birds and will have a larger plumage than duck resulting in higher loft, more warmth and will be lighter weight.
how to clean your down bag
When you decide to wash your down sleeping bag washing it a home is probably not a good idea unless you wash it by hand. Washing your bag in a commercial size washer and dryer is definitely the best option. I picked up a bottle of Gear Aid ReviveX® down concentrate cleaner from the local outfitters and headed to the laundromat. You need to load the sleeping bag by itself into a front loading washing machine or else the agitator arm of a top loading washer will most likely hurt the bag. I put in a third of the bottle of concentrate in the machine and selected the warm water setting. Then I selected the normal wash setting with an EXTRA rinse cycle to help get as much water out before drying it. When the washing cycle is over you'll notice when you take out the bag that all of the plumage is clumped together in different areas of the bag. It's important to buy a few tennis balls or in my case I used a few "sock balls" to help break up these clusters when in the dryer together. Next, it is important that the dryer is of commercial size so the bag has room to tumble and fall when drying. Select the lowest temperature dryer setting, if not, a high temperature can melt the fabric. Throw in the tennis balls or sock balls and let it dry for at least an hour. I took mine out periodically to fluff it and help break up the down. Even after an hour I noticed that some of the plumage was still in clusters and damp so I let it hang dry outside for the rest of the day. After this the bag was sufficiently dry and felt brand new. The loft was restored and the fabric felt softer and smoother. Cleaning your bag before each season will ensure a long life expectancy of your bag.
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