Western Mountaineering Versalite

When I chose to hike the Appalachian Trail this spring - I decided that I wanted the best sleeping bag on the market. 6 months in the woods, and hiking 2,176 miles - no way was I going to scrimp on one of the best parts of the trail - sleeping! Going through a full 3 seasons, I had to have a bag that could deal with a wide of temperatures. I chose the Western Mountaineering Versalite, a 10 degree bag, in 5' 6" length which weighed in at just 2 lbs and compressed down to the size of a loaf of bread. Several other hikers were in the Alpinelite which was a 20 degree bag, but I sleep a tad on the cold side. This was one of the best purchase decisions I made. Sleeping in a base layer of Icebreaker brand merino wool - this bag saw me through nights in the Smokey's that dropped into the low teens - and not once did I wake up cold! The bag just wraps around you like a hug from a good friend. I especially liked the full down collar - it felt like a pillow under my neck and kept the heat from escaping. The hood snugs down nicely as well for those really cold nights, otherwise I usually balled up a mid layer in it to make soft place to lay my head. I had a poorly designed bag growing up - and as soon as I was allowed to cuss - I did, at the zipper, which always snagged. Not with a WM - not once did it snag - I was in and out of it a couple times a night - to um, dehydrate. Other hikers were amazed that you could carry a 10 degree bag that weighed in at only 2 lbs. The only decision I would change - would be to get a 6' bag - several nights I ended up stashing my water filter, nalgene, socks, and boot liners in it to keep them from freezing - and the couple extra inches would have come in handy. This bag saw me through 4 of the 6 months of hiking - I trusted my life with it - and hey - I never got hypothermia! If you are curious - for those warmer summer months - I used a 35 degree Western Mountaineering Caribou microlight. I feel the same about it - but you will need to take me out for drinks to get the lowdown on it.

Western Mountaineering Website. .

For more questions, call 417-877-8855.