Owner Review by J. Darrin McDougald

Marmot Trails (Reg) Sleeping Bag Owner Review

Name: Darrin McDougald
Age: 33
Gender: Male
Height: 5'11" (1.8 m)
Weight: 150 lbs (68 kg)
Email address: darrin@jdehaul.com
City, State, Country: Valdosta, Georgia, United States
Date: 25JUN04
Backpacking Background: My first hike was the Swamp Fox trail [Francis Marion Trail]
(42 mi / 68 km) in South Carolina. This was through the Boy Scouts of America when I was
13 years old or so. I am an ultra-light hiker with a base weight between 7.5 lbs and 9 lbs
(3.4 and 4.1 kg) (seasonally dependent) I have hiked the lower half of the Appalachian Trail.
Most of the Grand Canyon trails, several of the Yellowstone trails, and various day-hikes in
the southeastern US. I plan on thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail in early 2005, the Pacific
Crest Trail sometime before 2010 and the 95 mile (153 km) West Highland Way in Scottland
in late 2005 / early 2006.

Product information
Manufacturer: Marmot
Year of manufacture: 2004
MSRP: $79 US
URL of manufacturer: http://www.marmot.com
Listed weight: 1lb 3oz (540 g)
Weight as delivered: 1lb 4.75 oz (588 g) [Just the bag alone]
Product description: Ever wonder what a sleeping bag would look like if you removed
all of the fill and crossed it with a surfboard? Well the Trails by Marmot is the result, thin,
light, grey with a red stripe. Marmot has this bag listed as a summer bag with no specified
temperature rating or as extra warmth used as a liner. The head end has a shock cord draw-
string with a standard spring toggle to cinch down the opening. The foot end boasts two
loops used to secure the Trails into another bag when used as a liner, and they make great
hang points when drying, or airing out the bag. There is a large Marmot logo patch in the
center top third that I have not yet removed and weighed. There is, near the top, a small
pocket with a Velcro tab closure hidden along the side of the red stripe. Marmot lists the
fill as micro DriClime(R).

Field Information: I have used the Trails for about 250 trail miles (400 trail kilometers)
in temperatures that ranged from about 25 F (-4 C) to about 85 F (30 C)

Description of Usage: The Trails has been, and will continue to be a grand partner on
the trail until I find a zero degree (-17 C) bag that weighs less than 2.5 lb (1.13 kg). The first
trip I took with the Trails was in the early spring, in the Nantahalia National Wilderness
(Between Wesser, NC, and Fontana Dam). The night time temperature dipped to around 25 F
(-4 C). I had with me a down blanket that is rated to 32 F (0 C), and the combination actually
had me sweating even stripped down to my undergarments. In a room with the temperature
hovering at 72 F (22 C) I need to have on long pants, and a tee shirt to avoid being chilled
so for me to be sweating at these temps really impressed me. The semi-hidden breast pocket
quite nicely held my ID, Credit Card, Cash, and Chapstick and did not drop any of it as I
tossed and turned in my usual night time dance of sleep.
    The next trip that my Trails accompanied me on was the Great Smoky Mountain National
Park section of the Appalachian Trail. Temperatures were forecast to be no lower than 50 F
(10 C), so I left the Down blanket home to save weight. On the first day of the hike, the sky
opened up and dropped sleet and snow on me from noon until early evening. Nestling into
the Trails at Russel Field shelter, I expected to shiver all night. Much to my surprise, I slept
quite comfortably, though I did wear my silk weight long underwear and my Mountain
Hardwear micro fleece beanie to bed, and cinched the opening down as tight as I could with
my head inside the bag. My hiking partner's combo compass/whistle/thermometer reported a
brisk 23 F (-5 C) when we awoke that morning. He had spent the night in a bag rated to 40 F
(4 C) and had a terrible night, shivering and waking all night. We did discover later that he
was running a fever close to 102 F (39 C) and blame this for part of his discomfort. At almost
6' (1.83 m) tall the bag is fine in length, and as I tend to curl on my side in the fetal position
when I'm cool, tucking my head inside the bag did not present any problems.
    The next trip could not have been more drastically different from the Smokys trip. Having
only a three day weekend and wanting desperately to take my buddy Jim on another hike, we
went along with two older men (in their 60's) to the trailhead at Rock Gap (.6 miles / 0.97 km
from Standing Indian campground). The resulting three day hike was wonderful and I am ever
so glad that I had my Trails bag with me. Being in North Georgia, and dipping slightly into the
southern tip of North Carolina, springtime weather is normally on the coolish side. This
excursion however was anything but. Though we did get hit with a powerful thunderstorm
just as we reached the summit of Courthouse Bald (a very bad place to be in lightning) the
temperature held steady hovering around 80 F (27 C). We continued to Bly gap (we were
hiking north to south on this trip) I, using my umbrella stayed dry, while Jim seemed to have
forgotten wet weather gear and had to get all wet. As we set up camp, I realized that I did not
have my ground cloth with me. I set up my tarp (after slipping into my Marmot Dart Jacket)
leaving my umbrella perched atop my pack to keep my gear dry. Tarp up, I unfurled my bag
for another night in Bly gap (the other being on a previous trip). Fortunately, having only food,
one sack of emergency / first aid, and one sack with clothing ,tarp, sleeping bag, water filter,
and stove my pack (GoLite Gust) was soon empty. Along with my cut-in-half Therm-A-Rest
RidgeRest pad the flattened pack kept the Trails off of the damp ground.
    This bag has suffered being shoved into the bottom of my pack, been used without sleeping
pad or ground cloth at Bly gap (on the AT in north Georgia), and generally used and abused
without any forethought as to care. Today, it looks as new as it did the day the United Parcel
Service Truck delivered it to my door. I could not be more pleased with this bag. The Trails has
lived up to, and surpassed all of my expectations.

Summary: Listed as a summer bag or liner for extra warmth on heavy winter trips, Marmot
doesn't do justice to the range of this bag. Put through the paces on the AT in various weather
conditions, dry, wet, hot and cold I slept soundly. Machine washable, tumble dry on low, lower
maintenance than my ex wife. I have a keeper in my Marmot Trails.

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Reviews > Sleep Gear > Summer Bags and Liners > Marmot Trails > Owner Review by J. Darrin McDougald

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