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Home > Gear Reviews > Marmot Atom +40 Down Sleeping Bag 
; "Marmot Atom +40 Down Sleeping Bag")
Marmot Atom +40 Down Sleeping Bag Brand: Atom Model: Marmot Size: Regular Price: $299 Purchased At: REI Marmot Atom +40 Down Sleeping Bag
posted by fonixmunkee in Backpacking, Hiking  Email to a friend
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I’ve been sporting the Marmot Atom +40 degree bag all spring and summer long now, and I finally feel that I’m comfortable with making a review for it. Comfortable, ironically, is one word that I can start out reviewing this bag with. The 850 down fill in this bag makes it feel like you are sleeping on a cloud. It’s soft and fluffy of a bag, which may be one reason why I’ll never switch back to a synthetic bag. The Pertex taffeta puts my mind slightly at ease in case it gets damp, or when I sleep without the rain fly on, and condensation builds up on the bag because of the drastic temperature drop. The mummy shape is comfortable as well, but I’ve never had a problem with a bag being cut “too tight” as some people have. One problem is that I decided to go with the regular length bag (as opposed to the long length bag that I normally opt for). I made this decision because I wanted to save a bit of space and weight, and also some cash. It’s the only regret I have about this bag: even though it says the regular will fit up to a 6’ foot person, it’s still tight. I’m 5’8”, and I feel as if it’s just barely long enough for me. Another small annoyance is the zipper. The zipper is only run for a small section of the bag—maybe ¼ of it—but that’s not a problem for me to climb in and out of. It’s more the functionality of the zipper: I constantly get the bag stuck it in while trying to zip it. It’s not as easy to zip one-handed like my other ¼ zip down bag is, and the Atom takes at least two hands (one to guide the zipper and the other to keep the bag out of it) to zip up. It’s a small annoyance, but definitely not a huge detractor for the overall happiness of the bag. The bag has kept me plenty warm on cold nights that dipped down into the mid 40s, and low 40s when next to Lake Superior. And even during warmer nights, it haven’t got too warm and sweaty like I do when my 20 degree down bag goes past it’s recommended comfort zone (I’ll sweat my balls of then in that bag). It’s the perfect bag for spring and summer camping weather because of such a flexible comfort zone. The stuff size for the bag is just terrific. I throw this bag into a extra small Granite Gear compression sack and I can cinch it all the way to the max, making my sleeping bag the smallest piece of gear in my backpack. It’s also light weight—for obvious reasons—so that’s also terrific. The “ultralight stuff sack” got trashed along time ago as you can easily compress this bag down much smaller. One other small concern is how much down has been coming out of the bag. Every time I pack up my stuff, I find three or four feathers floating around. I know down loss is common with down bags, but it’s usually every time I put my bag away. Of course, the bag doesn’t feel like it’s lost any fluff, so I’m sure I’m just overreacting, but it’s still in the back of my mind when I pack it up. I make sure that when I put my bag away when I get home, I take it out of the stuff sack and put it either in the big bag that it came in (the canvas bag). Overall, well worth my REI dividend. This bag will be with me for a long time (until it wears out, which I don’t foresee any time soon), and I love the fact that I can stay comfortable in it for a wide range of temperatures. Also, the pack and weight size are super-important for weight- and space-conscience people. No wonder this bag one a Outside Magazine Gear of the Year award for 2007. But at $250, it’s not for the cheap gear buyer; it’s only for the serious (or seriously anal) gear buyer. |
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