Gear Review: Kelty Light Year XP 20 Sleeping Bag
This bargain of a bag will not snag, packs down tight, and stays warm down to 20°F.
Bargain
Want a quality shoulder-season bag for a song? Get this sack. The Climashield XP insulation kept our tester cozy on chilly Icelandic nights, plus several late-fall New England outings when she camped sans tent in lows that neared 20°F. The mummy cut is thermally efficient: no excess space to heat, just enough room for squirming. The three-quarter-length zipper never snagged during cold-finger fumbling, thanks to stiffened channels that run along both sides of the zipper, plus a wide swath of ribbon along the draft tube.
And the foot vent increases comfort on warmer nights. The simple hood is deeply pocketed (read: warm) and its single, one-handed adjustment was easy to operate in the dark. We also liked the clean draft collar, which hangs freely from the top of the bag and requires no cords or Velcro. Tradeoffs? The bag is a bit on the heavy side, though it packs down to soccer ball-size and comes with a compression sack. $130; 2 lbs. 14 oz. (w’s reg); 4 sizes (two men’s, two women’s); kelty.com