Hiker Deals

The Galaxy SL down sleeping bag and the Galaxy SL Long bag, both from Mountain Hardware is a 15-degree rated bag with an extra kicker that makes the bag a lot more comfortable in warmer temps and for bigger campers. That “kicker” is an expandable baffle that unzips to let the bag expand upto 8 inches in width - no more stuffed-turkey feeling for big guys and some extra airspace to keep things cooler for everyone else (just remember extra airspace means a cooler bag, so the Quantum probably isn’t 15-degree rated if the baffle is unzipped). The addition of one extra zipper is needed, but Mountaint hardware keeps the bag’s weight down to just 3 pounds, 3 ounces with their lightweight construction. There is also no side baffle separating the top and bottom of the sleeping bag - so you can shake the bag to move down to the top of the bag for extra warmth or to the bottom of the bag for breathability on warm nights.

This bag is a bit pricier than many because it has Conduit SL shell fabric - which is a highly water-resistant fabric similar to Gore’s DryLoft. The shell fabric alone adds about 5-degrees of warmth to the bag (with only 2-3 ounces of extra weight) and helps to keep the down dry and warm in rainy and muggy conditions. With fabric like this you don’t really have to worry about small tent leaks or spilled water bottles - I was never brave (or dumb) enough to try it, but I had a friend who actually used seam sealer on all his sleeping bag’s seams and then tried sleeping under a picnic table during a night of lilght rain. That idea didn’t work for more than 5 minutes once it turned into heavy rain and he felt like he was going to drown from the water pouring in by his face, although the shell fabric did keep the bag from turning into a 30 pound pile of wet-duck-smelling down.

Both the Galaxy SL bag and the Galaxy SL Long sleeping bag are on sale for $231.97 at Altrec.com and both include free shipping.