Mountain Equipment’s Matrix with hood. Photo: courtesy of Mountain Equipment
Mountain Equipment Matrix: For alpine climbing in wet environments, it’s hard to pick a sleeping bag. Down is lighter and more compressible, but synthetic insulation can still keep you warm if it gets wet—untreated down just kind of clumps into a soggy mass. So Mountain Equipment designed the Matrix for sound sleeping even in chronically wet environments. Mountain Equipment insulated the bag with 725 fill power water-resistant duck down on top and synthetic Primaloft synergy on the bottom, both mapped for quick drying and compressibility. The insulation is inside a light face fabric on the outside and a heavier internal fabric so serious alpineers won’t rip it when they’re wearing boots and a harness inside in a high mountain bivy. Slant-wall baffles prevent insulation from shifting and creating cold spots. A baffled Solus Collar, draft tubes, and a 3-D contoured baffled hood provide maximum thermal efficiency. A trapezoid-shaped foot box lets you relax. The Alpine fit ensured best in class thermal efficiency but still allows you room to layer up and move. Three models are rated 20°F to 32°F, but sleep warm enough for winter trips in the Cascades and AK, according to designers. Available Spring 2014, $280 – $400,
The Mobile Mummy 800 by Sierra Designs. Photo: courtesy of Sierra Designs
Sierra Designs Mobile Mummy 800: Reduce the gear you pack on your next trip—the Mobile Mummy is a sleeping bag with arm holes and a tail clip, perfect for waddling around your campsite and staying down-jacket warm without carrying a jacket and a bag. Like your favorite puffy, this 800-fill sleeping bag has a hood, but without cords of toggles to get in the way while you’re snoozing. In camp, zipperless armports let you slide your hands through so you can be fully functional. And the shoulders of the bag are built like a jacket to stay in place when you’re moving around. At night, hood, arms and zipper feature have additional baffles and insulation to prevent drafts. The silky soft 20D nylon ripstop shell and 20D nylon taffeta liner feel soft against your skin. In two- and three-season styles, men’s and women’s. Available Spring 2014, $329-$379,
The Airbender from Eddie Bauer. Photo: courtesy of Eddie Bauer
Eddie Bauer Airbender: Further reducing the hassle of remembering all the parts and pieces of your kit, Eddie Bauer built the Airbender. This 850-fill hydrophobic goose down Pertex shell bag doesn’t just mate with a sleeping pad—there is one welded to the bottom. The bottom of the bag is a Climashield-insulated inflatable pad that’s part of the bag—no extra straps, sleeves, hooks, hardware or packaging, so you can bring less gear without sacrificing comfort and warmth. We’re still figuring out the best way to pack it, but after a handful of nights in the field, testers give the system the thumbs up—not one has slid off his pad in the night. Available January 2014, $499,