Nice Sleeping Bag

I had been looking at this bag for a while, and was offer a special deal to buy the bag for $127 so I bought it. At the same time I also bought a Wenzel Great Falls 0 degree mummy bag for $38 so I'll use the bargain bag as a point of comparison. For back ground I am 45 years old and am 5'10" about 183 lbs. I camp out 4 to 6 times per year.

Quality: The Kelty is excellent the liner is a micro fiber and shell is a nylon-poly which is very soft yet resilient. The Wenzel uses what appears to be a nylon inter and outer which is heaver yet look not as sturdy.

Bag cut: The Kelty has a 62" shoulder girth for a regular while long is 64". I bought the long because I was worried the regular would be to tight. I think if I was to do it again the regular would be fine. The Wenzel was 66" which makes it roomier to sleep in. The Kelty shows a lot of thought as to it's design. The hood fits very snug and fits around the face very well when cinched up yet when not provides a surprising amount of movement room and flexibility in warmer weather. The full baffle collar is great, it works like a small blank to seal you in. I didn't appreciate it until I used it. The Wenzel has a much larger opening and does not seal as well as the Kelty. I'm still not to sure of the hip length zipper, it will limit its use in warmer weather.

Warmth: I have used the Wenzel down to 32 degrees and found that I needed sweat paints to keep me completely warm. The fill is a no name filler which is standard poly fill. I have only slept in the Kelty down to 38 so far but was very toasty, the Kelty uses the best synthetic fill available Climashield XP and from what I have read, it retains it's insulation value better with less loft which should help keep it warm as the bag wears. I need to test both further but my initial evaluation is the the Kelty will be warmer. The roomier interior of the Wenzel works against it here.

Size & Weight: The Kelty long bag is 4 lbs and rolls pretty small while the Wenzel is about 5.54 lbs and rolls larger by about 30%. Down bags are about 1 lb lighter and roll smaller but cost considerably more.

Value: I feel this is a pretty good value for a premium bag. It comes with both a stuff sack and storage sack and has a tons of lops for hanging, securing to a outer bag or a sleep pad, ect... I got the bag and shipping for only $127 which is a pretty good price on this bag, it is cheaper then other premium bags yet offer all the features needed. It's sister down bag from kelty, which is basically the same as the XP but with down, was rated a best buy. So I feel I got the same quality and design with a better price. Now the big question how does it compare to the Wenzel for $38, well if you get a storage sack for the Wenzel it would be a $48 deal. For that price it is a good deal, not as warm as the Kelty but more comfortable in warm weather, good for casual use if your on a budget or for a kid who may not take great care of the bag. If you camp in the cold more often the Kelty is the way to go.