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Kelty Light Year Down 0

rated 4 of 5 stars
photo: Kelty Light Year Down 0 3-season down sleeping bag

I bought this bag mainly for my wife who sleeps a bit could. We backpack mainly in NM, CO, AZ, UT where spring/fall temps can be ~15F at night.

I tested this bag for three nights on a 20 mile hike in the Gila Wilderness this past Dec. Night time temps, as measured with an old REI keychain thermometer, were as follows: 1st night was 0degF, 2nd was 10F, 3rd was 15F. Thermometer accuracy is probably about +/-3degF. I slept atop a Thermo-Rest Expedition under the open sky at an average 8500 ft elevation. Ground was either snow covered (4-6") or frozen. I wore Patagonia Capilene 3 top and bottom and socks.

1st night I awoke early in the morning rather cold. Thick layer of frost on bag. Tore open a heat pack and managed to fall back asleep.

2nd night, same story but with thicker frost (canyon bottom). Only the shell was frosted, bag dried off quickly.

3rd night -fine, no heat pack required.

Bag evaluation:
-craftsmanship/design is adequate, not as good as Marmot or Sierra Designs, no leaking feathers. Polyester shell material seems to be permanently wrinkled. The light silver color lining will show oily body dirt around head and neck rather easily. Loft is adequate, could use more in draft tube. Zipper will snag but is no worse than any bag I've owned.

-breathability is excellent. This has always been the main criteria for my personal bag selection. I don't care for too much coating of any kind, traps body moisture and decreases down efficiency.

-temp rating, this is always subjective, I'm old and cold so I'll rate it at a 10degF max. The frost was not a defect with the bag, frost will decrease any bag's temp rating.

I subtracted half star for design and half star for temp rating. Overall, not a bad bag for the money, 3lb is manageable; it'll keep the wife warm in the spring.

Design: mummy
Fill: 650
Temperature Rating: 0deg F
Weight: 3lb 1oz, this is fairly accurate
Price Paid: $215

Picked one up on closeout at the lower end of the shown price range and was not disappointed. This is a warm well made bag at more than fair price. 

I found the fit kinda snug,  in the shoulder area and with the zipper on the right it was tough to zip when inside. (I am 5.10, 175 lbs and right handed) but the length was fine (regular model). The half zip and foot vent works OK, i would prefer the full length zipper instead as I don't do to much backpacking when a zero degree bag is needed. 

The draft tube could use a little more down fill, but I was able to squeeze some along the tube from the bottom to the top were it is more useful.

The bag comes with a great compression stuff sack and a large cotton storage sack. The two drawstrings on the collar and hood work well as they are different colors and one is flat and the other round so you can tell the difference in the dark. No feathers seem to stick out or leak.

The temp rating seems fairly accurate at least compared to my other down bag ratings, but would agree with the other review and say it would be ok to maybe 15 degrees, not really zero.

Price Paid: $129

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Specs

Men's
Regular Long
Price MSRP: $249.95
Historic Range: $139.95-$298.95
Reviewers Paid: $129.00-$215.00
Fill Weight 37 oz / 1.04 kg 39 oz / 1.09 kg
Total Weight 3 lb 10 oz / 1.62 kg 3 lb 13 oz / 1.71 kg
Length 78 in / 198 cm 84 in / 213 cm
Fits to 6 ft / 183 cm 6 ft 6 in / 198 cm
Shoulder Girth 62 in / 157 cm 64 in / 163 cm
Stuffed Diameter 9 in / 23 cm 9 in / 23 cm
Stuffed Length 16 in / 41 cm 16 in / 41 cm
Temp Rating 0° / - 18° C 0° / - 18° C
Shape Mummy Mummy
EN Comfort Limit 18° F / - 8° C 18° F / - 8° C
EN Lower Limit 5° F / - 15° C 5° F / - 15° C
EN Extreme Limit - 31° F / - 35° C - 31° F / - 35° C
Insulation 600-Fill-Power Down 600-Fill-Power Down
Shell Material 40D Nylon Ripstop 40D Nylon Ripstop
Liner Material 50D Polyester Microfiber Pongee 50D Polyester Microfiber Pongee
Price $249.95 USD $259.95 USD
Women's
Price MSRP: $249.95
Historic Range: $99.97-$289.95
Fill Weight 37 oz / 1.04 kg
Total Weight 3 lb 9 oz / 1.60 kg
Length 72 in / 183 cm
Fits to 5 ft 6 in / 168 cm
Shoulder Girth 58 in / 147 cm
Stuffed Diameter 9 in / 23 cm
Stuffed Length 15 in / 38 cm
Shape Mummy
Temp Rating 0° / - 18° C
EN Comfort Limit 18° F / - 8° C
EN Lower Limit 5° F / - 15° C
EN Extreme Limit - 31° F / - 35° C
Insulation 600-Fill-Power Down
Shell Material 40D Nylon ripstop
Liner Material 50D Polyester Micro Pongee
Product Details from Kelty »

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