Feathered Friends Osprey UL 30

I highly recommend the FF Osprey for three-season use. This bag weighs less than 2 lbs for the long version, and I have been completely comfortable down to its 30 degree rating. It feels like a cloud of warm air around you with good loft, and packs down to a 12 by 7 inch stuff sack.

I finally invested in a new sleeping bag last year to supplement my Marmot Sawtooth 15 degree bag. Being in the South, I wanted a fall and spring bag with less weight. I decided to look at 30 degree bags as I still tend to go out when it is cooler, and stuck with down for the weight vs insulation value as I have never had issues with dampness getting too bad even on several wet trips with the Sawtooth.

After looking through many reviews and some great bags including Marmot and Western Mountaineering, I decided to go with the Osprey UL30 from Feathered Friends in Seattle. So far, this bag has lived up to my expectations, which where high to match the  $430 price tag (I could have waited for a sale price but had some unexpected funds crop up last fall and dove straight in before spending them elsewhere).  Excuse the quality of the photo and sunlight below; the weather in NC today is way too nice to go inside so the sunroom will have to do!

The Trailspace specs say it has 4 inches loft, which seems accurate or a little low. Out of the stuff sack with a quick shake, it immediately gains the loft with the 14.2 oz of 900+ goose down fill (the standard spec on Trailspace says 850 but the actual fill is 900 now). It is so light, that I felt surrounded by a layer of warm air all night even down to its 30 degree rating. While I tend to sleep warm, I am confident that I could be comfortable below 30 by adding socks and a base layer.

The bag is not especially wide, but at 6 ft and 180 lb, I did not feel constricted. I did purchase the long size (6' 6"), as I like a little extra room in the footbox to stuff some clothes and possibly a water bottle or water filter if it gets below freezing. Nothing beats putting on a warm layer from the bottom of the bag when you get up.

The zipper is YKK and seems to be of good quality. I did have a couple of slight snags zipping it up too fast on the first trip out. Have not had the problem since then as I got used to it. I have had similar or mostly worse problems with zippers on all the bags I have owned, so it may be operator error. No damage occurred when it snagged, and I easily reversed the problem.

The hood is relatively simple with one cinch opposite the zipper and a clip at the zipper as well. It kept out drafts well for me down to 30 degrees but also opened up nicely on warmer nights.  I felt no draft along the zipper either, which has a full draft tube.

The stuff sack is also quality made and approximately 12 by 7 inches. I don't use it for the bag, as I prefer to stuff my sleeping bags into the bottom of my pack inside a trash compactor liner bag. This fills out the corners of the pack, which I find most stuff sacks don't as they compress things down to the point they have no give in them. 

This bag compresses so much that it barely took up any room in my pack once it spread out on the bottom and I piled stuff in on top. I like the stuff sack though, and use it for my tent now (see my Lightheart Solong 6 review). I haven't used a Nalgene bottle in years, so couldn't find one to do the standard size comparison photo that I have seen all over the internet. The Smartwater bottle below will have to do...

The zipper is full length and I have had no trouble getting in and out of the bag. The outer shell is made of Pertex Endurance and sheds water (and hot tea!) well and I have not experienced any dampness even after two trips in misty and foggy conditions sleeping with the tent doors wide open.

Some condensation got onto the bag from the tent wall one moist night, but I didn't notice any reduction in insulation or dampness the next morning. For the warmth, the weight is excellent and relatively accurate.

Bag and stuff sack for the long version weigh in at 1lb 11 7/8 ounces on my scale (the mfg specs say 1lb 10oz but I don't think that included the sack).

So far, I have used the Osprey UL30 on a couple of mild weather trips (down around 40 degrees) at mid elevations, and several higher elevation nights (5-6000 ft) down to freezing around Mount Rogers VA with sleet and fog.

Overall, I am very pleased with the quality, weight, and performance of this bag and highly recommend considering it for a lightweight option in the appropriate climate.