Western Mountaineering Alpinlite
An 850-fill bag that packs down to the size of a basketball.
Brand: Western Mountaineering
Model: Alpinlite
[extreme loft]
With eight inches of 850-fill down, the -10°F Lynx is so fat that it feels like it could be used for stunt landings. Yet it still packs down to basketball-size. The Gore Windstopper shell, though not seam-taped, is all but waterproof. While attempting to summit Mt. Rainier, one tester got caught in a freezing rainstorm. “After getting pummeled for five hours, everything in my pack was soaked, except the Lynx,” he says. “The down stayed dry, so when nighttime temps dipped into the single digits, I avoided hypothermia thanks to this bag, and moisture passed through the shell’s membrane as I warmed up and dried off.”
Wedge-shaped side baffles run the full length of the bag; they provide tons of insulation for your sides, but also block off the six-inch horizontal top baffles to ensure their down doesn’t migrate south. The heat-efficient (but not constricting) cut is spot on, and the long version was perfect for our 6’7”, 220-pound tester.
Only downside: This ratio of warmth-to-weight-to-protection ain’t cheap. $665; 3 lbs. 11 oz. (long); short, reg., and long; westernmountaineering.com