Alpine Design 45-degree Micro Lite Mesa Rec Bag

An inexpensive hybrid design sleeping bag that works great in warm weather. Would be a perfect lightweight option for emergency equipment in a vehicle as well as being a decent bag for summer backpacking.

Being a budget backpacker, I realized that one major way I could cut weight off my base load was to find a lighter sleeping bag that would keep me comfortable. I am also a stomach sleeper (one leg bent), so a skinny bag (mummy) wasn't going to cut it for me. In reality, almost anything was going to be lighter than the 4.28 lb. 0-degree bag I had been hauling around.

Taking my scale with me to the store a day before a summer overnight trip, I weighed the Alpine Design 45-Degree Micro Lite Mesa Rec. Wow! It was a mere 38.4 oz., which for me, was a huge weight savings. At the very attractive price of $29.99, I figured it was at least worth a try. 

The bag felt a little thin to me, but maybe I'm just used to my heavier bag. I liked that it was a hybrid shape, meaning it was a cross between a standard rectangle shape and a mummy style. There is no hood, but it has sort of an extension of the bottom of the bag where your head goes instead. A zipper lock is included, and there is no draft flap. A nice feature is its internal stash pocket (cell phone size) that might come in handy for a watch or light.

In use, I felt plenty warm, and even unzipped the bottom to let my feet breathe. To be honest, there is hardly any loft to this bag (comparable to a military poncho liner), but it kept me very comfortable. The left-side zipper worked as it should, with no snags. I particularly appreciated the pad straps, which successfully kept my pad underneath me for the entire night (a first for me), even through all my spinning. This bag also has sewn-in webbing straps, which made it very easy to roll up and get into a compression sack, but I suppose these could be cut off to save some weight.

I have only used this bag once so far and it held together just fine, but for the price, I can throw it in the van or truck for emergency use if I don't like it for backpacking and it would be a zero-loss situation.

Specs: 

• 34 x 86 in
• 210T Polyester Shell

Great addition to one's warm weather gear kit.

$4 at Amvets seconds store. Tried to find Alpine Design on net, nothing!

Used with no clothing to 45° F.; works well. With base layer, would go much lower. 

Wondering what the fabric and materials used are? The insulation factor is pretty good, must be some kind of fabric magic at work. Wonder what Alpine Design has to say about that? Anyone know how to locate that company?

Background

75-year-old, lifetime mountain climber and backpacker. Seen a lot of gear over those years and used every kind of bag made. This bag with a fuzzy liner or bivy cover would go a long ways to keeping a body warm!