Reviews > Sleep Gear > Sleeping Bags > Marmot Trestles 15 Sleeping Bag > Owner Review by Keith Thomas

Marmot Trestles 15 Sleeping Bag Owner Review

Name: Keith Thomas

Age:  27

Height: 6'0" (1.83 m)

Weight: 185 lb (84 kg)

Location: Greensboro, NC US

Email: pulse_0ptional at yahoo dot com

Date:  July 23, 2006

Backpacking Experience:  I've been hiking since I was seven and backpacking since I was ten.  I was a member of a very active Boy Scout Troop and continued backpacking after Scouts until 1999.  After a short hiatus, I hit the trail again in 2003.  Since then, I've taken at least seven weekend trips a year.  I'm lightening my load, but I'm far from ultralight.  I'm also switching from tents/tarps to hammocks.  Most of my trail experience has been limited to North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, South Carolina, and Georgia.

Basic Product Information

Manufacturer: Marmot Mountain

Website: http://marmot.com

Product: Trestles 15 Sleeping Bag (long)

Year of Manufacture: 2003

MSRP:  $99 US

Listed weight:  3 lb 11 oz (1.67 kg)

Weight as delivered:  3 lb 13.5 oz (1.74 kg) + 3.0 oz (85 g) for stuff sack

Measured dimensions (approx.):  90 in long by 30 in wide at the shoulders (229  by 76 cm)

Stuff sack dimensions (approx.):  18 in long by 9 in diameter (46 by 23 cm), size "Large"

Fill:  Spirafill 120 (synthetic)

Shell:  Ionic P-220

Lining:  Summit N-190 WR

Rating:  15 F (-9 C)

Basic Product Description

The Trestles 15 features a heavy no-catch zipper backing, roomy foot box, glow-in-the-dark zipper pulls, a drawstring face opening, and a small accessory pocket near the head of the bag.  It also has a double-sided zipper pull for easy use while inside the bag, a smaller zipper pull at the foot of the bag, and two hanging loops on the outside of the foot for in-camp drying and/or storage.  The bag is aesthetically pleasing, with a dark gray main body offset by light blue and light gray stripes down the length of its top.  I came home with the sleeping bag, the Marmot stuff sack, and an extra-large mesh storage bag, a bonus provided by my local retailer.

Field Information

Since purchase, I've used the bag on five short (1-2 night) trips and one 5-nighter.  On every trip, I used the bag in conjunction with an old model Therm-a-Rest self-inflating pad, short length. 

I should also mention that I've never used the Marmot stuff sack with this bag.  It says size "Large", but it compresses the bag more than I'd like.  Whenever I stuff a bag, I hear my Scoutmasters' voices telling me I'm going to ruin my bag if I'm not careful.  Some sort of weird "loft phobia", I suppose.  I've always used an old stuff sack that measures about 20” (51 cm) long by 10” (25 cm) in diameter; this has allowed the bag to keep its loft very well.  I've got the extra room in my pack, so it's not a big sacrifice.

Overnight testing temperatures varied from "chilly" (40-50 F, 4-28 C) to "cold" (around 30 F, -1 C).  Conditions varied from dry to wet, rainy, and/or humid.  I've found the bag to be comfortable in all tested conditions and in all but the upper end of the temperature range.

Before the next trip, I bought a cheap cotton sleeping bag liner.  This kept some of the moisture close to my body and felt better against my skin than the nylon.  Problem solved.

It was pretty chilly by this time, I'd guess around 40 F (4 C), and we'd been hiking all day.  I tossed aside my cotton bag liner, crawled into my bag (fully clothed, sans boots), made dinner, and went to sleep.  In hindsight, I should've undressed, but like I said I was really tired.  When I woke the next morning, I was dry, my clothes were dry, and so was the bag!  This was definitely an instance in which I was glad the bag was "too dry"!

My partner and I pitched camp on the far bank of the creek so I could dry out my stuff.  When I pulled out my bag's stuff sack, my heart sank.  Water ran out of it like a faucet.  There's nothing worse than a wet sleeping bag!  But when I pulled the bag out of the stuff sack, the outside was only slightly damp and the inside was perfectly dry.  Close call indeed! 

I noticed the water resistance on a couple of warmer trips, too - the morning dew beaded on the outside of the bag instead of soaking in.

I began the night with the bag zipped about halfway up.  I sweated so much that I soaked my cotton liner, so I chucked it sometime in the middle of the night.  By the morning I was lying directly on my pad, my bag was thrown off to the side, and my feet were shoved in the foot box. 

I didn’t sleep well at all.  This might be because I was too hot.  It might also be because my hiking partner kept kicking me in the leg because I moved around too much, trying to get cool.  Needless to say, I never took the bag on a trip that warm again.

I tried both the "regular" and "long" sizes when I bought the bag.  I fit into the "regular", but I bought the "long" to have extra room in the foot box for water bottles, fuel, etc. on very cold trips.  I've stored my fuel canister in the foot box on a few occasions and it stayed plenty warm for morning cooking.

The first several times I used the bag, the zipper jammed constantly.  Over time, it's been "broken in" and works fine now, but I was pretty ticked about that before it started working properly.  It was a big inconvenience, especially since I'm a warm sleeper.  If I don't unzip a bag at least partway, I don't sleep well.

Other than the "over-wicking" issue, the only ongoing problem I've had with the bag is the mummy shape.  I'm often a side-sleeper, which is tricky to accomplish in a mummy bag.  However, with some practice, it can be done.  All in all, I'd say that the increased warmth and lighter weight due to the mummy design are worth the the shallow learning curve.

· Lightweight for a synthetic bag

· Very compressible for a synthetic bag

· Quick drying and very water resistant

· Wicks moisture TOO well

· Mummy design makes side-sleeping difficult

· Initial zipper jamming

Conclusion

Overall I'm happy with the Trestles 15 as a winter bag.  The problems I experienced with it were fairly easily overcome.  If I could go back, I probably would’ve bought a 30-degree (-1 C) bag instead, saving myself the money I've since spent on an additional summer bag.  However, this has nothing to do with how well the bag works, it's just my own bad judgment.

Reviews > Sleep Gear > Sleeping Bags > Marmot Trestles 15 Sleeping Bag > Owner Review by Keith Thomas