Mountain Hardwear Orbit

I am 5'9, and around 250. That means I also have a extra large chest. Which means I have problem finding comfortable bag in width around the chest. I have a Spectre SL, that's not big enough. I have a Golite Venture 40, that's just comfortable enough. But, the Venture 40 is a late summer bag. So what's left? Maybe a Western Mountain Badger/Ponderosa? A Ponderosa is 2.9 LBS. Which brings me back to the Orbit. I have not considered Big Agnes yet...not into the design at this time.

The Orbit 3.2 pounds and rated for 25 degrees. It's 62 inches wide, but it has the quantum expander, that adds around 5 or 6 inches at least. Add a nice silk liner and it drops another 5 to 10 degrees. Use the silk liner in any of your bags. I take my Montbell XXL inner down jacket.

Anyway, the Orbit has taken its share of abuse and still is as nice as it was new, back in around 2000 or so. NO wear, no tears. Doesn't smell, I think I washed it once in several hundred miles of hiking.

I do not think Mountain Hardware currently makes anything like it. The Merced 15 is rect. bag at 66 chest girth (same as Golite 40). It weighs 3.3. Still not as wide at shoulders as the Orbit. WM Ponderosa would be way to go. But, since the Orbit is still good, I will not spend extra on WM Ponderosa just yet, maybe someday.

I been also thinking about just using a queen sized WM blanket, it's a little over 2 pounds.

Huge. Long version fits to 6' 6". I use it in a VW camper-van; I really think it is just too large (wide) for trail use.

Unzipped as the ultimate comforter, or zipped up as a 20 degree bag; it is the bomb.

Semi-rectangular, 32" at the top, 20"+ at the bottom, full zip, Quantum expander, great zippers, draft tubes at neck and zipper.

Pure upstate NY sweetness. In the extremes, I layered the guest Orbit on top of it and life was just cozy at 5 degrees.