Feathered Friends Osprey

Women sleep colder than men, so they rarely find a bag’s rating accurate and have to carry a colder-rated sack. But the ultralight and football-packed-size Egret bucks that trend. “It’s the warmest 20° bag I’ve slept in,” raves our tester, who was so cozy in this mummy that she stripped off layers on subfreezing nights in Chile’s central Andes. Credit the gauzy, 10-denier Pertex Endurance UL shell fabric: This 2012 update allows the 900-fill down to balloon to its maximum loft (approaching six inches).

There’s also more fill in the footbox to warm womens’ typically cold feet. A “passive” draft collar drapes over the neck opening and reduces heat loss without the weight of a traditional collar. And the chin baffle* has a reverse differential cut that uses a larger piece of shell fabric on the inside than outside; it keeps down loose and conformable without the need for a drawcord. A DWR treatment on the outside of the shell and polyeurethane film on the inside keeps condensation from soaking into the down. Yet breathability is excellent: “I felt no clamminess, despite how warm I was,” says one tester. Available in small (fits women up to 5’3”) and medium (up to 5’9”), the Egret is just roomy enough for comfort, with a girth that’s not baggy. It’s narrow at the shoulder, but stays wider through the core and hips. Nitpick: The zipper jams on the fabric piping that runs along the coils. $439; 1 lb. 12 oz. (M); 20°F; featheredfriends.comPerfect for fast and light summer trips to the mountains.
Passive collar: unique design provides the insulation of a collar without a drawcord on the collar. Available in NanoSphere by Schoeller and in Pertex Endurance

Made in Seattle, WA USA