Moonstone Optima

I was cold at Camp Verde, AZ, campground in February and the zipper snagged the nylon backing. Good for spring camping in dry weather at Havasupai Falls Campground with no tent.

I decided to take advantage of a late winter snow fall one February and skied at the Flagstaff Sno-bowl. I drove to a Camp Verde camp ground that night and would sleep in the back of my S.U.V. I found myself so cold that I was starting the engine frequently to heat up the truck.

At some point the zipper snagged the backing material and it was so severe I ended up having to use a needle nose plier I found in my tool kit about an hour later. I did enjoy fresh powder the next afternoon back at Sno-bowl.

I have used this bag in the early spring and late fall and it works great here in Arizona in the 1,000-4,000 foot altitude range without a tent. Never used it in wet conditions or with a tent so I don't know about that. It seems to wash easy, compacts into the stuff bag easy. It is synthetic so no allergy issues.

I stumbled onto the Moonstone brand at a "high-end" outfitter in 1990 in Boston, Mass. I have the Optima Long and Maxima Long bags, with snap-in liner. The latter is used mostly in New England winters; the former in spring and fall cool weather.

My Optima is showing its age with a couple rips on the zipper baffle this fall. Hardly a cold night in either bag.

Too bad to hear, now years later, about the closure of Moonstone.  I have been convinced more than once about the value of synthetic bags vs. down. The Moonstone bags store well loosely rolled up in storage bag and loft well.

I was sold, TWICE, on the one-piece, full length construction of these bags versus the traditional baffle construction. I made the right purchases at the right time YEARS AGO..  RIP....

This bag kept me warm for a month in Wyoming this summer. It is a great 3-season bag, and, with the 25 degree snap-in liner, it can be a great 4-season bag. I was only cold on one night, when the wind was howling at 40 mph and I was sleeping outside at 11,000 ft.

It kept me warm, in the rain (there were 15 days of rain) and the bag was a godsend.

A great bag for the three-season backpacker. An optional snap-in liner adds 25 degrees to the rating ($70). Take a serious look at this one.