Kelty Light Year XP +20 Sleeping Bag : A Feather Light Synthetic Option

I've spent 50 of the last 60 nights in my Kelty Light Year XP +20 synthetic bag, and I'm impressed.

It's one of the lightest, most packable bags in its class, and I'm happy I'll be living in it for months to come. Kelty hit a home run with this awesome bag.

I specifically wanted to test a synthetic sleeping bag because it's a necessity when climbing big-walls in Yosemite and Zion National Parks. If you're sleeping in a down bag and get caught in a storm, you'll get soaked and cold, but synthetic bags retain their insulating ability when wet. Thankfully I missed the bad weather during my big wall nights in October, but I've been soaked in rain and morning mist, and I've never once been cold in the Light Year. The Climashield XP insulation has worked great.

Unlike down, cheap synthetic insulation often loses its loft with high use and repeated stuffing and unstuffing. Some of my past sleeping bags have grown noticeably colder after a few weeks of light use. But here I am at nearly two months, and the new Kelty bag is as warm as it was when I first got it. That's a huge bonus. I look forward to many more cozy nights as I travel through the wet and cold Southern Alps of New Zealand for the next three months. It's got a soft micro fiber lining, too, which feels great on my skin as I fall asleep.   

Some lightweight bags have a regular nylon shell, but this bag's shell has a ripstop weave - and it works as it should. I actually got it caught in a thorny bush a few nights ago here in New Zealand and, being tired and grumpy, just yanked it free. I later discovered a tiny tiny tear - one that probably would have been about 4 inches long had the bag been made with a less durable material.

I love the Light Year XP's small details - it's got a zippered foot compartment, which provides nice ventilation on warmer nights. It's also got loops that I use to secure it to my sleeping pad, so I don't go slip sliding around all night. And last, the zipper only goes to my hip. This is pretty cool because it really cuts down on weight.

At the end of the day, less weight is what I like most. I compared the specs of many different three-season synthetic bags, and this bag is truly a little wonder. The regular length bag tips the scale at 2 pounds 14 ounces, while the long bag - the one I'm using - is just 3 pounds 2 ounces. Many bags in this class are 4 or more pounds. When I'm traveling, this means a lot.

Another important feature -- the super tiny stuff sack, which has compression straps on it. If I cinch them down, I get a warm-when-wet synthetic sleeping bag that's barely bigger than a pot. I've never seen such a tiny, lightweight, compressible synthetic bag. Down bags can do this, but they cost four times as much.

The Light Year XP comes in a happy blue and silver color scheme. Also also available in a women's-specific model with added insulation in the chest, feet, and hood zones.

Bottom LIne: One of the lightest, most packable 20-degree synthetic bags available. Perfect for travelers and fast-and-light backpackers . --N.W. (Dec. 09)

Price: $ $130 for a regular; $140 for a long, shop for Kelty bags.

Manufacturer's Site: www.kelty.com

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