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The North Face Hightail 3S 15

rated 5.0 of 5 stars

The Hightail 3S 15 has been discontinued. If you're looking for something new, check out the best 3-season down sleeping bags for 2024.

photo: The North Face Hightail 3S 15 3-season down sleeping bag

This bag is amazing, even for the ladies! Very warm, and extremely light and compressible. Great for backpacking, hiking, and comfy enough for car camping.

Pros

  • Warm
  • Lightweight
  • Packable
  • Water resistant
  • Comfortable

This bag is amazing. Well worth the hefty price tag for anyone who wants to lighten their load but stay nice and toasty at night. I bought it last year via a pro deal and immediately took it out to the mountains to test it out.

The bag lists its comfort temperature at -3 Celcius, or 27°F, its upper limit at -9C or 15°F, and extreme rating at -28C or -19°F. An upper limit of -9 in a men's bag usually translates to about 0 (32°F) when a lady uses the same bag, because we are just colder people than the guys. That's the only reason I was hesitant to buy this bag, rather than a women's specific, which is rated more generously fits better, and has more down in the toe box (my feet would have loved that).

The bag performed extremely well considering my expectations. Despite it being the third week of August, we saw -5°C on the last night of camping, and woke up to a nice coating of frost on everything. What a way to test the temp. rating! I was very surprised that I kept warm all night, but I did! There are no drafts or cold spots in the bag, and the hood cinches down well, so everything was covered except my nose and mouth.

I wore some wool socks, leggings and shirt, and a very light wool sweater. I think I had thin gloves on, too, because I have circulation problems in my hands. I was very comfortable all night, and even the cold air on my face wasn't enough to cause a shiver. In fact, I woke up in the middle of the night to my boyfriend, who was sleeping in the less-lofty Hightail 2S in only his underwear, shivering and looking a little sorry for himself. That's the difference between the two bags. 

The bag's zipper doesn't catch at all. The water resistance is pretty good; the only time I noticed any dampness was in a leaky tent that dripped on my legs most of the morning. No problems with condensation, though.

The best part? It's SMALL. And LIGHT. Here it is packed in a dry compression sack. I'm sure I can compress it even more if I really wanted to. But that's pretty damn small. 


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I have no complaints about the Hightail 3S. It's a great bag if having light, small items matters to you and if you'll be encountering shoulder-season weather or will be in the mountains, where weather is so unpredictable.

Yes, it's expensive, but well worth the money and is constructed very well, so I have no doubts it will last a long time if treated with care. An investment for sure, but a wise one. 

Source: bought via a "pro deal"
Price Paid: $150

Perfect. A great find after lots of research.

Pros

  • Warm
  • Lightweight
  • Highly water resistant
  • High loft
  • Comes with large storage bag

Cons

  • Occasional zipper snag
  • Stuff sack could be a bit smaller

I did a lot of research on bags of this temperature rating that were under one kilo. This bag replaced a much heavier sleeping bag and it seems every bit as warm. I have not had it down to the rated 15 deg. F, but I believe with long johns and good insulation under it, it would be satisfactory for me at 15 deg. F.  (I am a warm sleeper, by the way).

I have had lots of well made mummy bags and I find this one is a perfect fit for me. Others have been just a hair on the tight side. I feel free to move my arms and roll around a bit in this one. I am 5'9" and 180 lbs and I can fit my sweater and pants in the foot without any problem at night. The hood is generous and easy to close and open. 

The synthetic pads under the pressure points I thought might be a gimmick, but I now think they are a help and add a small amount of comfort and warmth. The shell is well designed with extra water resistance on the foot and head where you most likely will touch the tent.

I am very careful about keeping my bag dry and fluffed up in storage. The loft is amazing even after a few years of use in the mountains. The weight was exactly as in the spec. Two pounds exactly on my scale w/o the lightweight stuff sack.

Source: bought it new
Price Paid: Don't recall, but it was on sale

I only bought this bag because I could get a screaming deal on it. That aside, it is the warmest and lightest bag I have ever owned. At well under two pounds, I can't imagine a warmer bag.

The pertex shell is extremely soft, and so far has held up to abuse. It also is surprisingly water repellent. I have packed down and opened this bag many times, and I have yet to see one feather fall out. As far as warmth goes, I would say 15 degrees is a pretty accurate, or even conservative, rating. I was camping last weekend at about 12,000 feet, and it probably got down to mid 20s for the overnight low, and I didn't even have the bag zipped up I was so warm.

Which brings me to the one downside of this bag, the zipper is so short it's hardly even worth it. I would take the few extra ounces for a full length zip, but that's me. Also, it seems that several of the upper baffles are a tad underfilled. No biggie.

That being said, this bag is awesome. Nothing tops 900 fill down. Some of the North Face product quality may have declined in recent years, but their sleeping bags are still top notch. If you have the money for a bag like this, you won't be disappointed.

Design: mummy
Fill: 900 fill down
Temperature Rating: 15 degrees F
Weight: 28 oz
Price Paid: $150

This is a GREAT sleeping bag. It packs small, light and toasty warm. It has the highest rated down on the market.

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Specs

Regular Long
Price Historic Range: $203.98-$428.95
Reviewers Paid: $150.00
Weight 2 lb 0 oz / 910 g 2 lb 2 oz / 975 g
Fill weight 1 lb 4 oz / 565 g 1 lb 5 oz / 604 g
Temperature rating 15° F / - 10° C 15° F / - 10° C
Fill 850 Fill-Power Down 850 Fill-Power Down
Shape Mummy Mummy
Max User Height 6 ft 0 in / 183 cm 6 ft 6 in / 198 cm
Shoulder Girth 60 in / 152 cm 62 in / 157 cm
Hip Girth 58 in / 147 cm 60 in / 152 cm
Foot Girth 38 in / 97 cm 38 in / 97 cm

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