The North Face Aleutian 3S Down

Top Shoulder-Season Value
“The last time I slept in a bag this affordable, it had a G.I. Joe print and flannel lining,” says one tester. Yet the Aleutian still delivers on the basic functions of a backpacking mummy bag—warmth and comfort. Designers combined multiple weights of TNF’s Heatseeker synthetic insulation, which testers applauded for its generous cushion, and a luxuriously soft interior taffeta lining. After testing on an open bivy at nearly 11,000 feet in Southern California, our tester praised the insulation for keeping him warm despite condensation wetting out the ripstop polyester shell. The “impressively smooth” ¾-length zipper—combined with the breathable insulation and shell fabric—let testers sleep comfortably into the upper 50s. Tradeoff? Standard stuff for a bargain-priced synthetic bag: extra weight and basketball-size packability. $109; 3 lbs. 6 oz.; 20°F; thenorthface.comA twenty-degree, 600+ fill down bag that’s great for backpacking with its proven fit and features.