User Review: Marmot Sawtooth

Marmot Sawtooth
Above: The current Sawtooth, which may differ slightly from the version reviewed.

Reviewed May 4, 2007 by Brad

Rating:
Design: mummy
Fill: 600 down
Temperature Rating: 15 Farenheight
Price Paid: not sure

I'm not happy with this bag, and am online now looking for another one. I'm a serious backpacker and have worked as a guide. I go on about 6-7 week long backcountry trips a year.

This bag was a replacement for my North Face synthetic 20 degree bag, and immediately I noticed a difference in quality-the Marmot bag is much lighter (ie less bombproof) material, with a much smaller draft tube and a basically worthless draft "collar." Also, after a few seasons of use, it has developed serious cold spots above my chest. I now have to shake the daylights out of it to distribute the down, which is getting really clumpy. Maybe it's just worn out (but I think it should last longer), but I've been frankly unhappy with the quality of this bag from the beginning. I'm no NorthFace bag, but my Cat's Meow, which is now many years older than the Sawtooth, is now just as warm and much more durable.

Plus, the bag now has TWO large holes in it (the Cat's Meow never ripped), plus down is leaking from all the seams. Not cool.