I have been backpacking for over 30 years, all over the state of California, and also in Washington, Minnesota, Nevada, Arizona, Idaho and Utah. I hike year-round, mostly in the Sierra Nevada, and average 500+ miles (800+ km) per year. As I start my 4th decade of backpacking I am making the move to lightweight gear, and smaller volume packs. I start early and hike hard so as to enjoy the afternoons exploring. I usually take a freestanding tent and enjoy hot meals at night. If not hiking solo I am usually with my brother-in-law Dave or girlfriend Jenn.

The Product

Manufacturer: Big Agnes
Web site: www.bigagnes.com
Product: Mystic, 15 F (-9 C) down sleeping bag.
Size: Long
Year manufactured: 2005
MSRP: $ 319.00 (US)
Weight listed: 2 lb 7 oz (1.11 kg) Actual weight 2 lb 14.7 oz (1.32 kg)
Size listed 20 x 78 in (50 x 195 cm) Actual length 80 in (203 cm)
Insulation type: 775 fill goose down
Fill weight: 17 oz (294 g)
Compressed size: 8 x 7 in (20 x 17 cm)
Warranty: 100% satisfaction guarantee.

Product Description

The Mystic is a hooded semi-rectangular shaped bag. As can be seen above, it is dark gray and burnt orange in color. The liner is black. The entire bag, shell, liner and pad sleeve are made of WRM fabric. This is what Big Agnes says about it. "Big Agnes WRM- Light weight and breathable, tightly woven, 30D nylon microfiber rip stop that is water resistant and wind proof by construction. WR surface treatment to repel water." It is very soft to the touch, and quiet when moving around in it.

At the top center of the bag is the Big Agnes logo. On the zipper side of the bag near the foot is a stitched small BA logo and the name "Mystic 15°".

The bottom of the bag has a double layer of shell material creating a "sleeping pad pocket". The bag has no insulation on the bottom, instead relying on the pad to provide it. A 20 x 78 in (50 x 195 cm) sleeping pad is inserted into the sleeve. A down filled wedge insulates the connection between the sleeve and the zipper.

A 3 in (7.5 cm) wide down-filled draft stop protects the zipper from cold air getting in. Another chill fighting device is a "U" shaped draft collar that goes around the neck. A nicely sculpted hood tops it all off. A drawstring that runs around the opening of the bag goes through a cord-lock on the side away from the zipper. Adjusting it will decrease the opening size of the bag, helping to seal in warmth.

There is a pillow-pocket made of the WRM material. It is attached inside of the bag just below the hood. The bag is constructed using straight baffles running crosswise.

A 2-way, black nylon YKK zipper runs most of the way down the right side of the bag. (It is available in a left zipper also.) It stops 8 in (20 cm) short of the bottom. It sits a couple inches (5 cm) above the sleeping pad sleeve to about shoulder level, then the zipper climbs and curves in to its ending point at the side of the hood. There is a hook-and-loop zipper-stay at the head end of the zipper.

The bag came with a large cotton storage sack, and a 1 oz (28 g) nylon stuff sack for field use. Here is the Mystic in its storage sack.

Field Conditions

I have used the Mystic in the area around Mount San Jacinto on a tarp in about 4' (1.3 m) of snow. I slept at 9200' (2804 m) elevation with a low of 32 F (0 C). It was on a Big Agnes Dual Core pad for this trip. (See pic below.)

I took it on an 88 mile (142 km) hike in the Sierra Nevada's west side in October of 2006. I had low temperatures of 29 F (-2 C) at night. I used a Big Agnes Insulated Air Core pad on packed dirt and rock at elevations of 8700' to 10000' (2652-3048 m).

I also used it on a trip to the San Gorgonio Wilderness at the end of October, 2006. Again I was on the Insulated Air Core and slept at an elevation of 9400' (2865 m) with temps down to 27 F (-3 C). My site was decomposed granite, much like coarse sand over rock.

Observations

I am a huge fan of Big Agnes as a company. I have many of their pads and tents. (See link below to read the reviews.) I have/had two other Big Agnes bags besides this one. I bought the Mystic to replace my Moonstone Lucid as the weight difference was not supposed to be too much of a hit, and it offers more comfort. Unfortunately the weight of the Mystic is nowhere near what they claim it is (see weights above). I do not understand a difference of this magnitude. Because of the actual weight I decided not to sell the Lucid, and have used the Mystic as more of a camping bag instead of a backpacking only bag. (Only backpacking use is detailed here.)

It is very roomy and comfortable to sleep in. As a side-sleeper I have really come to appreciate the fixed-pad design of Big Agnes' bags. The cut is spacious enough to allow my legs to move around a bit without binding. The side-sleeping habit does cut down on the true temperature rating of the bag as the cold fighting features like the hood and draft collar work best for a person sleeping on their back. I always figure to lose a percentage of the rating from all of my bags. I use a Big Agnes Insulated Air Core or Dual Core pad with it. On the four nights in the Sierra Nevada all temps hovered around freezing and a bit below. I was never cold in the Mystic, but the temps did not get as low as I was expecting them to be.

The trip to San Gorgonio got colder. The 27 F (-3 C) that my HighGear AltiTech 2 was reading was more likely a bit lower. (See review.) I never had a problem with the cold except for my feet. That was because I was on an incline and I kept sliding to the end of the bag and off of the pad. Since the pad provides the insulation as my feet would slide past it would let me have just the material of the pad-pocket to keep the cold at bay, a job that it could not do. I put a pair of wool socks on and that took care of the problem. Here is a pic of it inside of my Tarptent Squall 2 on this trip.

The zipper is middle-of-the-road as far as tracking true and not sticking. The wide floppy zipper draft stop will catch about every other time I zip it up. It does not catch much while zipping down.

The DWR seemed to be pretty good. On the trip to San Jacinto I was using the foot-print and rain fly of a Big Agnes Seedhouse 2 SL in a fast-fly set up, so was sleeping on a tarp for all practical purposes. The wind would blow spindrift inside where it would settle on the bag. (And my face, thank you...) I did not notice any wetting of the shell.

I do like the U-shaped draft collar. It is very comfortable around my neck and works well to seal warm air in the bag with me. It is my favorite draft collar of all my bags.

One thing I did notice was the baffle construction. It is not off-set and I could feel cold air traveling through the bag at the baffle locations. That is something that I feel should be addressed in further modifications of the bag in the future.

Pros: Pad stays put, roomy cut, great draft collar

Cons: Over-weight, sticky zipper, cold air transfer at baffles

Owner Review by Ray Estrella

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