It’s a conventional knowledge that all outdoor enthusiasts resent heavy and bulky gear that has often been provided by synthetic sleeping bags in the past. Many people are still of a notion that heavy sleeping bags are great for the cold temperatures in the wilderness, but this notion was so yesterday because light materials can also command a great deal of insulation.
Nowadays we talk about the Down, nature’s competitive insulation material that is often filled in the sleeping bags to give them a great insulation quality coupled with an ultralight feature even though the majority of the down-filled bags are expensive.
We are faced with a whole range of sleeping bags on the market some of which are just bulky. It could be challenging to even pick the best product. To help, in an attempt to trim off unneeded pounds, consider the Outdoor Vitals Summit 20 Sleeping Bag that is known for its ultralight weight of about 2.8 pounds and its warm-to-weight ratio. The bag joins a range of winter apparels produced by this company to sell directly to the public.
The Outdoor Vitals put more efforts on providing sleeping bags of high quality that are unsurpassed by synthetic sleeping bags. They are also competitive and affordable as compared to similar products. Let’s now unfold the impressive features that set this sleeping bag apart.
Review
The Summit 20 is sought-after by its unique features such as the ultralight weight, its warmth, its affordability, water repellent feature, insulation properties, durability, and comfort. These are the essential features that outdoor enthusiasts prioritize when choosing sleeping bags. But we must admit that the weight and warmth supersede them all for ultralight devotees. Let’s further discuss these features hereunder without any hierarchy of importance.
Packaging
When you receive your sleeping bag you will get in addition to the bag itself the compression bag and a booklet on the care for your sleeping bag. Absent is a larger bag to allow you to store this investment in an uncompressed state, however, Outdoor Vitals seems to be taking a different approach. They have included in their sleeping bags a set of hanging loops at the bottom of the bag.
This innovation allows you to hang your sleeping bag not only to dry, but can also be used to store your sleeping bag. This method has the advantage of both ensuring your bag is not stored compressed but also makes sure it is aired out for future usage. On the downside, if means that you will need to have somewhere to leave it hanging in between uses or purchase a separate storage bag.
Weight
Weight is one of the important features of hiking, camping, and backpacking. Having bulky gear with a camping and a sleeping bag will just characterize your outdoor adventure as the most hurtful due to the heavy weight your body has to suffer. This necessitates the importance of choosing sleeping bags based on weight.
This sleeping bag meets such a criteria of an ultra light weight with its 2.8 pounds. It comes in various sizes, short, long and a regular model, but still, weighs a little under 3 pounds all of them. And, unlike other sleeping bags most notably the synthetic models, this sleeping bag doesn’t compromise warmth quality with its ultra light weight. Because we know that ultralight hiking is your priority, this sleeping bag could be ideal for you.
Warmth
Filled with 800+ fill power duck down, this bag guarantees a competitive warmth. It is one of the most insulated outdoor sleeping bags with a grid design that ensures an even distribution of the Down insulation material within the bag. Meanwhile, the outer shell fabric is made of a VitalDry coated DWR material to enhance warmth in mid-rainy days. Furthermore, the YKK zippers help in keeping the bag warmth.
With the warmth of a sleeping bag, you can spend many days in the wilderness without the sad part of the harsh weather conditions. But this sleeping bag is not designed for the freezing temperatures. It has a temperature rating of 20 degrees Fahrenheit.
So, for temperatures below this rating, you will have to mate the sleeping bag with other outdoor apparels, perhaps considering the greatly insulated blankets or nightdresses. In short, the OV sleeping bag is a great choice to survive the 3 season’s cold nights as a standalone except in winter.
Durability
No hiker gets intrigued by sleeping bags of inferior quality unless if the hike is for a few hours only. But spending many nights outside calls for durable materials. This comes down to how the product has been designed and constructed. The Summit, in particular, it’s made of a 20D nylon, polyester ripstop fabric as its outer shell. This is certainly reassuring us the durability in addition to the promised lifetime warranty by the manufacturer. It won’t tear apart that easily after a few uses.
On top of that, the VitalDry DWR coating plays yet another important role in durability by preventing the damage of water. But other sleeping bags can be protected from water damage by using them inside water repellent camping tents. Furthermore, the interior of the OV bag is made of 320T ripstop fabric to reinforce durability.
Comfort
The comfort of this sleeping bag may be measured by its ability to offer the best insulation, proper fit, and warmth. Firstly, it is made of a down insulation material, filled with 800+ power duck down. This down-fill is evenly laid against the wall of this sleeping bag to ensure that there’s no cold spot left out. The loft is also amazingly adequate to reinforce the comfort. So, sleeping in this sleeping bag offers the wearer a great comfort to survive whichever harsh temperature exposed to.
Again, the proper fit of this sleeping bag is something more to talk about. It is available in 3 models. short, long, and regular. Here are the dimensions of these sizes:
- Short sleeping bag – has dimensions 69 x 31 inches and can fit height over 5’. It weighs 2.5 pounds
- Regular sleeping bag – has dimensions 75 x 31 inches and can fit heights over 5.6 inches.
- Long model – has dimensions 81 x 35 inches and can fit heights over 6’.
Water Repellent Feature
As already emphasized, the Summit is made special by its VitalDry DWR coating on the outer shell. It may always be a case that you sleep in water repellent camping tents. And as such you need to be prepared for the unforeseen, where you find yourself having the sleeping bag only amid the rainy days. The water repellent outsell will keep you warm and dry.
However, as years of use elapses, the water repellent property fades away, and the sleeping bag might not be competitive anymore. It is advisable that you re-coat it. Surely the manufacturer can help with re-coating their VitalDry.
Value for Money And Warranty
The OV Summit Sleeping bag is certainly the most affordable outdoor product compared to the similar products of the same features. It costs approximately $140 from its manufacturer. The main reason behind its trimmed price could be the direct sales to the consumer instead of the retail stores, well, except the online stores that act as a platform for you to get the product.
But if you want to pair the sleeping bag with the aforementioned related products, expect to spend more money. Such spending could be mandatory if you foresee the fluctuation of the weather conditions that cannot be withstood with the bag alone.
Interesting to hear is the fact that the manufacturer offers a lifetime warranty against any craftsmanship faults. If there’s any factory fault, you can return the product within 30 days risk-free.
Outdoor Vitals has dedicated this sleeping bag to outdoor enthusiasts who love hiking or backpacking predominantly during spring, summer, and fall. As such, the company has filled it with 800+ fill power duck down – the natural material used for its superb insulation properties that surpass the synthetic materials.
On top of that, the 20 denier ripstop polyester is used as the outer shell to enhance insulation of this sleeping bag. So if you like sleeping out in the cold nights, but not freezing nights, this sleeping bag would be ideal for you.
Furthermore, perhaps of foremost importance, the sleeping bag is designed for ultralight hikers, campers, and backpackers. It weighs just under 2.8 pounds with all of its models. This is an advantage to ultralight devotees aiming to have a gear below, say, 20 pounds when everything is included. It has always been a challenge for outdoor activists to have ultralight sleeping bags. Most have been using the synthetic sleeping bags that have proven to be bulky instead.
The water repellent property of this bag also makes it an ideal choice for those sleeping in non-water repellent tents or simply outside Those dampening mid-night conditions are not a match to the VitalDry DWR coating of this bag. It will surely keep you dry and warm without compromising the insulation. But obviously, we wouldn’t recommend sleeping outside in heavy downpours.
Moreover, hikers who resent breaking their banks in collecting outdoor apparels will find this sleeping bag ideal for their situation. No matter how praised a product could be, there will always be dissatisfied buyers based on their personal preferences. For instance, some customers have expressed their dissatisfaction over this sleeping bag saying that the baffle at the hood and the chest feels synthetic. They feel that the down has not been reinforced entirely in the interior of the bag.
Nonetheless, the adequate loft and the ultralight and compact design have been praised by several customers. Some praise the temperature rating of about 20 degrees Fahrenheit and the 800 fill of the down with such a ridiculously low price. The company justifies the price cut with its intention to provide high-quality outdoor products directly to the consumer, as the founder of the company had once been denied the opportunity to own a quality sleeping bag due to a high price.
Pros:
- Filled with a highly insulated 800+ duck down
- Temperature rating of 20
- It is inexpensive
- It is light weight with just 2.8 pounds
- It is versatile to accommodate various sizes
- It is coated with the VitalDry DWR for water repellent
- It has a great loft
- Comes with heavy duty YKK zippers
- It has a compact design and comes with a compression bag
- It is made of durable outer and inner shell fabrics
- Can be used for many seasons
Cons:
- Not insulated enough for the fridge temperatures
We believe that you’re now in a better position to evaluate this product yourself or any other similar product based on the essential features we have discussed above. We have demystified the product review, and also discussed the related products that pair well to survive the extreme temperatures.
