Last Line of Defense
Written: Oct 06 '99
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Keeps you warm when wet and is very durable
Cons: Doesn't compress down very small
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| p2ranger's Full Review: Mountain Hardwear 2nd Dimension |
When its cold, wet, and the sun is going down, I've had to trust my life many
times to my last line of defense. My Mountain Hardwear 2nd Dimension
sleeping Bag. It has pulled through like a champ.
The polarguard 3D fill is God's gift to backpackers. Unlike Holofil and
Qualofil, you warm up instantly upon crawling in your bag. You also don't
get cold spots when changing positions in your bag. The fibers also don't
clump up. I have had this bag since 1997. It has been through 3 summers of
VERY hard use. More than most people use in several years. It is still my
bag of choice.
Probably the most impressed I've been with this bag was a night I spent at
10,000 ft. around 35 degrees F. It had rained all day and my friend's tent
had leaked. Water was everywhere. My bag along with me were both wet. I
slept very well that night. I stayed warm. Granted its not as nice as being
dry but I was still warm.
I tend to spend more time sleeping outside of my tent than inside by
personal choice. It still keeps me warm even though there is no tent to help
trap the body heat. The morning dew doesn't affect the comfort level either.
Mine has the old crazy legs design. MH was sued for copyrights on this so
it no longer has this feature. I really liked it because even with my long legs
I could sit up Indian style and not have to unzip anything. The hood does a
good job of covering everything leaving a nice little hole for your nose to
stick out and breathe through. It does not tend to keep body odor very bad
either.
An advantage to Mountain Hardwear is that they overfill their bags with the
fill. This means that as the synthetic fibers break down over their natural
course of time, that it will last longer. It is also a good bag for large people like myself. I tried on The North Face similar bag before buying this one and noticed a lot of difference in size. There is plenty of room to move around in it, yet not too much space for wasted heating by you body.
The ONLY time I've ever been cold in this bag was when I took it with me
in the Rockies over New Years. It was just too cold for me to be using it.
The water bottles in my tent were frozen solid. After donning some clothes,
it kept me quite comfortable though.
It does not compress down to a small size. My old Micro-loft bag used to
compress down better until it died. It does form a good bottom layer for
internal frame packs when packing your pack. The stuff sack has enough
room to include some sleep clothes and a warm hat with it if you so desire.
This bag is ideal for the backpacker in the 3 season category. If you are
going to be using it in the winter months, then you need to invest in a 4
season tent or wear warm clothes to bed at night.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
p2ranger
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Member: Jason Cotting
Location: Lakewood, CO
Reviews written: 12
Trusted by: 5 members
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