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Mountain Equipment Glacier 700

rated 3.5 of 5 stars
photo: Mountain Equipment Glacier 700 3-season down sleeping bag

Great overall materials for the price, but a few major flaws.

Pros

  • Comfortable
  • Down stays in place
  • Weather resistant
  • Side baffle

Cons

  • Foot box too restrictive
  • Too less insulation in the feet area
  • Down migrates in the collar baffle

I would love to love this bag. I searched for a long time and for its price class (<300 euro), it has one of the best specs/weight ratio.

It is warm (rated for 5°F, -15°C ), very lofty (700 cu in down,  >=90% down), has a water-repellent outer material, the down distributes well and stays in place in the baffles. However there are a few problems for this bag that made me return it after testing at around -1°C (~30°F). I am male, 1.83m tall, 81 kg, 29 years old, and I tested the regular size. I paid 260 euro on sale.

1-  The toe area is too small in the vertical. My feet are 29.3 cm in length (46 EU) and my toes have to bend to fit in the vertical. As a result, the down insulation gets compressed and your feet gets cold. I suspect that feet longer than around 27 cm (EU 43) would have a similar problem. This issue is aggravated by the fact that the toe area has significantly less insulation than the rest of the bag. When I hold the bag towards the bright window, I could easily see light through this area.

2- The collar is too low. The collar stays lower than the shoulders at the sternum's height. The convex-shaped collar towards the bottom results in the neck being exposed. I wish it could come up and cover up to my chin but there was some 10 cm left. Cinching the collar tighter pulls it even lower.

3- Minor issues:

  • The bag is slightly noisy (probably because of the outer material).
  • The adjustment is a bit tricky and the magnetic flap a bit annoying on the shoulders.
  • The hood adjustment tightens towards the eye, while the sides are not as tight. I wish that the head adjustment was similar to the ones used in some jackets, tightening against the forehead

As I said, it has great pros for the price. Issues 1 and 2 could be solved with a down bootie and a balaclava/neck warmer, respectively. I would however not recommend this sleeping bag in the regular size bag if you are taller than ~1.75m. There is also a long version, but I haven't tried it.

Background

I tested it once in a just-below freezing night.

Source: bought it new
Price Paid: 260 euro

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Specs

Men's
Price MSRP: $455.00
Current Retail: $318.46-$549.95
Historic Range: $220.80-$549.95
Good Night's Sleep Temperature -15°C / 5°F
Comfort Rating -6°C / 21°F
Comfort Limit Rating -13°C / 9°F
Extreme Rating -34°C / -29°F
Weight 1250 g / 44 oz
Insulation 699 g of 90-10 Pure Duck Down with a minimum fill power of 700
Shell DRILITE LOFT II outer shell is lightweight, breathable and water resistant
Fit Mountain fit is both spacious and thermally efficient
Women's
Price MSRP: $455.00
Current Retail: $295.72
Historic Range: $136.83-$529.00
Good Night's Sleep Temperature --13°C / 9°F
Comfort Rating -6°C / 21°F
Comfort Limit Rating -13°C / 9°F
Extreme Rating -34°C / -29°F
Weight 1140 g / 40.2 oz
Insulation 665 g of 90-10 Pure Duck Down with a minimum fill power of 700
Shell DRILITE LOFT II outer shell is lightweight, breathable and water resistant
Fit Mountain fit is both spacious and thermally efficient
Product Details from Mountain Equipment »

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