I bought this sleeping bag used even though, I later discovered, I lived 250m from the (very) small WM manufacturing plant in San Jose. A new bag was out of my price range, though these bags are so hard to find that buying them used for less than 200USD takes patience. I also evidently have a very flexible definition of vegan. I somehow justified buying the bag, which is filled with the down of birds killed for their meat and feathers, by buying it used.
This bag is the 200cm model, which is their largest one. It is listed as 485g, which is within 2g of the starting actual weight (487g). A rare happenstance or, perhaps, Western Mountaineering is honest. By the time the trip was over, the bag weighed 504g. This may well be disgusting -- perhaps the weight is from accumulated dirt and grime. The stuff sack that accompanies the bag is fairly heavy (35g). I came across a lighter Equinox Cordura sack (19,2g) that held substantially more volume (up to 9 liters when I stuffed the crap out of it; see photo to right to see the crap stuffed out of it). I was able to stuff all of my clothing into the bag, even on days on which I wore only my bike shorts and shirt, which saved me a lot of hassle and space. It also made for an excellent pillow with the clothes stuffed into it (with a shirt over it as a pillow cover, which made it much more comfortable).The bag is rated to 275°K (2°C). With several layers of clothing and a thick mattress underneath you this is likely realistic. My 3mm sleeping pad doesn't insulate for crap, though, and I had the bare minimum of clothing. When it was chilly, I simply wore every bit of clothing in my bag. When the temperature dipped below 280°K, I was in for a night of fitful sleep. This happened only three times (the coldest temperature we experienced was 277°K), so for summer applications I give this bag a high rating. My partner had the same bag (in the 180cm size; it also weighed as advertised -- 455g), but she had a Therma-Rest, heavier-duty clothing and, most importantly, a Cocoon silk liner (110g), which is advertised to add 4°K to a bag's temperature rating. She is much more susceptible to cold, yet the only discomfort she felt the whole trip was being too warm, even on nights while I was being awoken by the chill.
