Mountain Hardwear Lamina -15ºF Sleeping Bag; Low Temps, High Comfort
Mountain Hardwear Lamina -15ºF Sleeping Bag; Low Temps, High Comfort
The first night I tested this sleeping bag was at ~11,000’ in Colorado in early spring. It snowed throughout the night and dropped to ~0º outside the tent. Inside the tent, I was fast asleep. The Lightweight Thermal.Q 100% polyester fill with 8” of loft means ultimate comfort. My sleeping pad was leaking air that night and despite being directly on the ground half of the night, the bag still fended off the cold radiating from the ground.
The next night in the bag I was next to a big river which means condensation. Although it wasn’t as cold that night, I did see how the bag performed with high humidity. I am happy to report that the water-repelling finish on the durable fabric kept the water from seeping into the bag and pooled it on the surface. After laying it out in the sun, the water evaporated off the material and it was ready to be put back into the stuff sack.
Thermal.Q and efficient sizing
I’m going to quickly lay out the mechanics of a sleeping bag and how it keeps you warm, then it will help you understand why the Lamina does such a great job at keeping you toasty in incredibly low temps. A sleeping bag is not nearly as effective if it is really baggy. Your body has to heat up not only itself but then also the extra space. Additionally, more room equals more draft. This allows not only for heat to escape but also for cold air to get in.
The Lamina was creatively designed to eliminate all of these issues. The tightly contoured profile keeps the bag snug to minimize extra room and in turn, make your body work less to keep you warm. The bag also features a collar around your neck to minimize draft. The genius design keeps the warm air from escaping and cold air from coming in, almost like a seal. The full-length zipper also has an inside flap of extra insulation to keep cold air from invading through the weak spot.
packed up small for a -15 bag!
Packable, for a synthetic bag
The bag packs down really well considering its level of synthetic insulation. For example, it packed down to about the same size as a friends 0º synthetic bag. Weighing in at 4 lbs 7 oz, it’s not the lightest bag on the market, but given its properties, I’m far from disappointed by the weight.
glow in the dark zipper
Glow in the dark zipper
The 2-way zipper allows for ventilation at your feet and has a pull tab on both the inside and outside for easy use. The tabs also glow in the dark so you’re not fumbling around at night. Even better, you can get this bag with either a left hand or right-hand zipper so you can zip it together with another sleeping bag.
neck baffle
zipped up
One size does not fit all
The caveat here is that I am a 5’8” 130 lb woman. The bag was designed for someone 6” taller and 50 lbs heavier. That being said, the collar wasn’t as effective as I wasn’t able to fill the gap between it and myself. I was also just not tall enough, with my feet at the bottom of the bag, the top of my head was just barely popping out into the open face area.
However, if you are bigger than me, which most people are, I think you will find the bags features more effective than I did. MSRP $260
one size might not be the best for everyone
Eliza Lockhart
Growing up snowboarding and hiking in the bitter cold winters and humid summers of northern Vermont, Eliza learned how to beat up gear and quickly became infatuated with new technologies. After moving to Colorado in 2015 to pursue a degree in recreation and outdoor education at Western Colorado University, her passion for the outdoors grew exponentially. Soon after, she picked up rock climbing, telemark skiing, backpacking, canyoneering, and is slowly learning to love rafting. Through these learning processes, Eliza began to understand the importance of the right gear and hopes to share her experiences and knowledge with others through Engearment.
