Name:  Michael Wheiler
Gender:  Male
Age:  47

Height:  5'10"  (1.8 m)
Weight:  175 pounds  (80 kg)

Mountainsmith claims that the Wisp is one of the "lightest, warmest, toughest bags" in its class.  My goal was to test each of those claims.  In December, my Scout troop snowshoed one mile (1.6 km), in a driving wet snow storm, into the yurts in Harriman State Park.   The Park Service does not allow tent camping inside the Park boundaries.  The yurts are giant canvas tents placed over a wooden frame.  Each yurt has a wooden floor, a small wood burning stove, two bunk beds, a small table for a cook stove and a large table with benches for dining.  See picture on left below.


The Wisp was packed in my Gregory Z Pack and arrived safe/dry at the yurt.  I slept on one of the lower bunks.  We stoked the fire before bed and the temperature was estimated at 50° F (10° C) inside the yurt.  Outside, the temperature was 27° F (3° C) and snowing.  I slept in long underwear (top and bottom) and wool socks.  In light of the temperature inside the yurt, I slept on top of the Wisp at the beginning of the night.  Sometime during the night, the fire went out and the temperature began to drop (no insulation in a yurt).  I crawled in the Wisp, zipped it up and slept comfortably until morning.

My next outing with the Wisp was in January when my family and I cross-country skied about two miles (3.2 km) round trip into Harriman State Park and stayed overnight in one of the yurts the Scouts and I had used the previous month (see photograph on the right above).  Temperatures outside when we went to bed were 17° F (-8° C).  The estimated indoor temperature was 55-60° F (13-16° C).  Again, I slept on a lower bunk and I slept in long underwear (top and bottom) and wool socks.  I had a similar experience to the previous outing in the yurt--I started out on top of the bag and by morning, I was inside the Wisp.  As on the prior outing, I slept warm and comfortably.

Also in January the Scouts and I snowshoed into a spot near the Buffalo River where we had previously built snow shelters using my Polar Dome kit.  See photograph below.  We stayed overnight in the snow shelters.  We were expecting colder temperatures on this outing and so I knew I would really push the limits of the Wisp without another bag.  As such, I also packed my GoLite Fierce.  When I decided to retire at about 11:00 p.m. that night, according to my Brunton Sherpa, the temperature was 24° F (-4 C) outside the snow shelter.  The Sherpa reported that it was closer to 30° F (-1 C) inside the snow shelter.  In light of the temperature readings, I decided to stuff the Wisp inside my GoLite Fierce.  I was sleeping on two pads:  a 2" (4 mm) thick open cell foam pad which I had placed on top of a 1/4" (.53 mm) thick closed cell foam pad.  See photograph below.  I slept only in my "long handles" and wool socks.  I can't remember having a more comfortable night's rest during a winter outing.  In fact, I was so warm and comfortable that I had a difficult time getting myself up.  If I hadn't been in charge of breakfast, I likely would have slept longer than I did.


As previously reported, in it's stuffed sack, the Wisp is so small and adds so little weight to my pack that I easily justified carrying the second sleeping bag on this trip and was grateful I had the extra warmth as neither bag was really rated for the temperatures we experienced.

In February, I and the Boy Scouts and I traveled to Kelly Canyon Ski Resort where we planned to downhill ski the next day.  We really toughed it out on this trip as we were allowed to stay in the lodge and sleep on the floor.  Since there is no central heating in the lodge, we had to rough it by using the gas fireplace to heat our sleeping quarters.  It was difficult, but we managed to survive the night.  Since we were sleeping on hard wood floors, I used my 2" (4 mm) thick open cell foam pad.  I slept in a cotton T-shirt and cotton pajama bottoms.  It was warm enough in the lodge that I kept the Wisp unzipped all night.  My girls have also used the Wisp several times for similar indoor "sleep overs."

In March, I used the Wisp overnight in the airy Six Moon Designs Europa II tent.  The Europa II is an extremely light weight, single wall shelter.  It is designed to create good air circulation inside the tent to effectively eliminate condensation.  This outing took place in Black's Canyon near the Snake River at approximately 5,800 feet/1,768 m in elevation.  The temperatures ranged from 33° F (0.6° C) overnight to 44° F (7° C) by mid-morning.  There was no wind overnight but there was a slight breeze blowing by about 11:00 a.m.  I was sleeping on a Therm-a-Rest Pro-Lite 4.  My tent set-up also included an emergency tarp (the kind with the reflective surface on one side).  I put the reflective side up on the snow so the tent floor would be on top of the reflective surface.  The idea was to reflect my body heat back up from the damp, cold ground beneath my sleeping area.  See photographs below.  I slept in long underwear (top and bottom) and wool socks.


Summary Of Use/Likes and Dislikes:

Likes:  The minimal packed size and weight of the Wisp are huge pluses for this bag.  Its name is truly appropriate.  I am convinced that the Wisp is one of the lightest, most compact sleeping bags that I have ever used.  I tend to sleep in various positions (rotating from side to back) throughout the night and I again noted that movement within the Wisp was not too restrictive given the mummy style bag.  When temperatures were above 30° F (-1 C), the Wisp was warm enough for me and I felt no cold spots.  The foot box provided ample room for my feet.  Given my physical size and dimensions of the regular size Wisp, I was able to sleep comfortably in the Wisp both when I stuffed another light weight down mummy bag inside the Wisp and when I stuffed the Wisp inside a larger bag.  As such, the Wisp makes a great "second" bag for cold weather use. 

Although I was initially concerned about a half-length zipper, I have had no troubles getting in or out of the Wisp and the half zipper really adds to the warmth of the bag.  Due to its "wispy" nature, I was concerned about the Wisp's durability.  However, I am pleased to report that after at least monthly use for the past six months, I have experienced no defects in the workmanship of the Wisp and it is free of damage. The down fill seems to be evenly distributed throughout the Wisp and I have not noticed any cold spots.  Although I never exposed the Wisp to direct moisture, I did get ample use during less than ideal situations for a down sleeping bag.  I experienced no significant problems with the Wisp becoming wet.  It was a little damp on the exterior after my outing in September but dried quickly when hung over a rope in the sun.  Although I had plans to wash the Wisp following Mountainsmith's directions, the bag doesn't yet appear to need that service.  I will do an addendum to this report if washing proves to be problematic.

Dislikes:  Not much.  I really like this bag.  At full loft, the Wisp is more difficult to put in the stuff sack than my other bags but with a little pressure, it does compress enough to fit.  A number of people have commented that the Wisp looks like a large plastic garbage bag--maybe a different color would help its image a little.  The half-length zipper does snag if I am not careful while zipping it up and down.  For me, the temperature rating on the Wisp may be a little generous since I was cold enough to be uncomfortable at temperatures around 30° F (-1° C).  However, that being said, given its packed size and weight, the Wisp will be a real joy to use during summer's temperatures when I will only need one sleeping bag and it nests easily with my other bags for winter use when necessary.
Additional Biographical Information:

 

Experience:  I have had about 36 years hiking, camping and backpacking experience; my father was a professional Scouter and took us camping/backpacking as often as possible.  I am a recently retired Scoutmaster but I plan to continue to camp, hike or backpack at least monthly--more frequently if at all possible with family and friends (it really helps to have cool stuff that I "have to test!").  One of my daughters has recently joined me in testing some Leki poles.  Hopefully we'll be able to spend more quality time together on the trail now that I'm not spending as much time with the Scouts.