User Review: Mountain Hardwear Spectre SL 20°

Mountain Hardwear Spectre SL 20°
Above: The current Spectre SL 20°, which may differ slightly from the version reviewed.

Reviewed March 2, 2005 by Daryn

Rating:
Design: mummy
Fill: 800 down.
Temperature Rating: 20 degrees
Weight: 2.5 lbs.
Price Paid: $250

This bag ROCKS!! BUY THIS BAG!! It stuffs damn small and it's light. And POOF, it lofts quite well. I own a North Face Tundra minus 20 polarguard delta insulation bag and the Mountain Hardwear Spectre SL bag. The MH bag is warmer as a 20 degree bag. The loft is amazing and the bag is waterproof.

I tested this bag for five nights at 11,000 feet in Colorado in Oct. 2004 and the night temps were approx. 15-25 degrees. I did have a MH pad and NFace 4-season tent to repel ground cold and wind. With that said I slept in thermax long underwear and a fleece top and I had to vent to get some cooler air. The zipper zips from top or bottom and there is a nice overflap that can get caught but it is necessary for total waterproofness in the body of this bag. I also spent some time under the stars and the morning dew became intense. This bag repelled all moisture with no problems or issues.

Overall this bag is awesome in features and its conservatively rated, but not by much. But one could either wear some down pj's or use a down liner and easily extend the range of this bag down to zero degrees. It's hard to view bags on the net but trust me when I say that this bag is awesome looking and the envy of my outdoor buddies.