Marmot Lithium

just a preliminary, for those who would buy it online without seeing it, it's nice to hear from someone who has.

Very puffy, way fatter than my 15 degree Mountainsmith Vision. Fair size, big for some people, and I'm sure it could be more efficient, but that's an old story, and this size allows a down jacket to be layered over you without compressing the down of either. Because this is a winter bag sort of rated to the bottom of most winter ratings, and I will always have a down jacket, I actually like this feature. It is also more comfy and has less risk of compressing the down with my feet or knees. The hood is amazing, with this great muff around the face which I think is a great idea, keeping the cord off my nose. Huge zipper draft with very still zipper backing which lets in no draft. The thin pertex has a really bomber dwr, which adds a kind of waxy sheen to it. I have yet to test it, but its obviously way better than my Mountainsmith, which has none.

All I can say is it's too bad that Marmot decided to discontinue this bag. The one I have is a 900 fill down and weights slightly less than three pounds! I think that Marmot quit labeling their fill as 900 a few years back and that's when they discontinued this bag. Now they rate the former 900 series (Atom, Hydrogen, Helium, Col, and Cwm) as 850+ and there no longer is a Lithium.

This bag is extremely light for the temperature it's rated to. I've actually used mine in zero degree temps but I sleep a little cold so I wore a Mountain Hardwear Compressor Jacket and Pants in those conditions. I woke up to a water bottle frozen inside my tent but I was warm, dry, and pink and my boots were in the bag with me so they were warm and soft also.

This is a great bag which Marmot should bring back. If they don't watch for one on ebay and grab it! You will not be disappointed.

Weight -- 42.4oz (2.65lbs). 7+ inches combined loft. Experiences down to 16 degrees, no liner, no base layers, with tent, cold sleeper stayed very warm. Woke up with puddles of water (condensation formed) on top half of bag, ice on lower half. None of the moisture got through the Pertex Quantum and loft stayed full. There is a chest draft tube, zipper draft tube, and neck draft tube. Snagless zipper.

Downsides: Try to stuff this thing into anything but a 9"x20" stuff sack wihtout overcompressing, I dare ya! It was quite the workout.

I used this bag down to the zero rating and was very impressed. I stayed warm all night. I was surprised the next morning to loosen the bag around my face and see the steam just roll out of the bag. There was a lot of moisture inside and I stayed warm.

This was my first experience with a down bag and I'm very impressed. There was also a lot of ice form on the exterior of the bag near my face from my breath freezing.