Western Mountaineering Apache Super MF

Well, same as my old camp trails pack, the no-name synthetic bag I'd had since high school just wasn't cutting it anymore, so I saved up (by crashing on my friends floor for the summer) and bought this bag. I feel it is the perfect 3 season bag.

WM's trademark is the loft of their bags - and for good reason. Shake it out and you've got a purple Michelin Man in your tent. I'm a fairly thin guy, so don't have a problem with the thin cut, and although I'm normally flopping and thrashing around at night, I felt great in this bag. Even though I'm tall (6'2) the long version has a few inches to spare at the bottom, which is great for keeping my early morning clothes warm.

The polyester microfibre shell is awesome, it breathes really well and sheds water from condensation and little spills (contact solution, etc.). It's pretty durable as well. The zipper stiffener is great, yet I still seem to get it caught sometimes. I'm still not used to a left zip. But even when it does snag a little, it's real easy to undo. The hood fits pretty nice, although I've rarely used it. One of my favorite things is that it has a draft collar, which I think is rare for bags in this range, but it was a key feature for me.

The big storage sack is nice, and the stuff sack provided could be even smaller, this bag compresses so much!

I sleep cold, and found that when the temp dropped below zero, I was a little chilled, but I didn't have the hood done up. And if it gets too warm, the double zipper allows you to free your feet and stay comfortable without sweating all night, or chucking your bag only to wake up freezing an hour later.

All in all, an excellent bag, no real complaints. The price is steep, but you get what you pay for and when you consider the quality of the craftmanship, the weight, the compressibility and the warmth, it's very hard to beat!

I used this bag for my hike of the Appalachian Trail back in 1998. Did the job perfectly. On the first two nights of my trip, the temp dropped to at least 10°, possibly even lower during the night. I use a silk liner (comphy!!), and between those two things, I was never ever cold in this bag on that trip. During the summer it got a warm, but I just stayed in my tent and used the bag as a blanket and it was fine. I'm 6'0", about 155lbs, so I'm thin but not overly so, and this bag fit me just fine. I feel that someone larger than me wouldn't have too much of a problem with this bag. Changing clothes was a bit of a struggle though.

Did get cold recently on a trip up to the Adirondacks when the temp dipped to 5-10°, and we were camped on snow. My old Ridge-Rest just didn't cut it, so I was cold the whole night, and woke up to frozen water and frozen boots. Can't blame the bag though... it wasn't meant for conditions that cold.

I would recommend this bag to anyone looking for a great all around bag. My next bag will be a WM bag.

Last spring I needed a new bag after my Sierra Designs NorthernLite died (The LiteLoft fill was defective SD said). Even though they replaced the bag with a brand new one, I had always wanted a down bag. What sold me on the WM bag was the quality of the workmanship and the 700+ down. For example, the zipper has stiffener tape beside it that actually makes the zipper run well. The bag is super light and packs super small. This model, however, is not for a large person. I am 5'8" weighing 140 lbs. and I fit perfectly. Larger people would need another of their models.

I opted to get the bag with an extra two ounces of down added to increase the warmth since I intend to use it in mild winter conditions. The Apache is designed for spring and fall use. I can't wait to try it out in late fall. I haven't been able to sleep in it zipped up yet!

This is truly an excellent bag. Far warmer than its temperature rating. Indeed as mentioned by "Roger," the loft is 7 inches at this bag. It seems loft is higher in every WM bags considering my Antelope SMF also has 8.5in loft, though WM claims it to have 7in!

Craftsmanship and quality are second to none and the overrall brand can put any Marmot, Mountain Hardwear, or The North Face bag to shame! Remember that "Loft = Warmth" so that means WM bags are comfortably warmer than other bags of similar temp range.

This is the best three season bag I've ever owned. Compresses to the size of a volleyball and has a COMFORTABLE temp range of 50? to 10F. Granted, I'm a warm sleeper but, no other bag (synth or down) has come close to this. The loft is incredible. The perfect bag for alpine excursions spring-summer-early fall.

Western Mountaineering LIED! They claim 6 inches of loft, it's more like 7…

This is the most amazing bag as far as weight, warmth, and overall quality.