Feathered Friends Arctic Finch Women's

[most comfortable]

Despite its light weight, this 15°F bag is not the best choice for alpine starts, as our tester learned the hard way. “I’ve never had such a hard time getting out of a sleeping bag,” he says. “I was just too cozy.” With stretchy nylon shell fabric, diagonal baffles, and seams sewn with elasticized thread, the Hugger has the roominess of a big-boy bag, but the weight and quick heat-up time of an ultralight cocoon (an earlier version won our Editors’ Choice Award in 2009). And the 800-fill down bag has an incredible comfort range.

The overstuffed draft collar, double draft tubes, and snug hood kept testers warm in the teens (no surprise). Yet the breathability of the 12-denier nylon shell and the ventability of the three-quarter-length, two-way zipper let one tester sleep sweat-free in the low 60s in humid Vermont (nice surprise). And the DWR-treated shell is effective, says a tester: “I spent a gusty night in a floorless tent on Colorado’s St. Mary’s Glacier. Spindrift melted and pooled on the bag all night, but not a drop came through.” $379; 2 lbs. 7 oz. (long); reg. and long; montbell.us One of three models designed for women backpacking at high elevation in winter conditions. The mummy shape has been modified so that women can draw their knees up inside the bag. The two outer shell fabric options are water-resistant/breathable Epic by Nextec®, and eVent®, an extremely lightweight two-layer laminated waterproof/breathable fabric.

Features include: collar, overfilled zipper tube, extra hood roll, breathing tunnel to prevent moisture getting inside the bag

Made in Seattle, WA USA