Mountainsmith Monarch 0 Degree Sleeping Bag

Needs work
April 10, 2012

I haven't had a chance to try this in the wilderness yet, but I am disappointed in several aspects of this bag already. 1. Says it fits someone up to 6'4' - I was worried it would be too long for me since I am 5'10". This bag is a tight but exact fit for me. I do not see how anyone taller than me would be comfortable in it. 2. The foot box is narrow compared to other bags I have had. My feet couldn't spread as much 3. The hook part of the velcro is on the strap, not the bag - This has been the case on other bags I own, and unless it is always latched it snags the sleeping bag's material and makes a mess of it. 4. The synch cords on this bag are not rope, but bungee, and they are not colored or shaped different to tell which one is which. You have to guess which one to pull on, and since they are bungee, you have to loosen the synch stopper, which loosens the other end. I couldn't get it to tighten worth beans. 5. The storage sack is nice quality, but rather small. I don't feel like it lets it expand at all. 6. The stuff sack is way cool, but it is too wide in diameter to do any good after it is compressed. It should've been taller and narrower Thant is the bad stuff. The good 1. Very comfortable feeling 2. Stuff and storage sack are of nice quality 3. The zipper doesn't seem to snag when zipping up 4. the baffles are nice. 5. I like the color Mountainsmith seems to have taken the nice material they had and tried to make a budget bag. What it excels in material it lacks in ingenuity. Slumber jack can make a better put together bag.