ProView – EXPED Women’s Comfort Sleeping Bag +23
With 700+ down fill the bag felt light and fluffy, like a nice duvet, but slipperier. The storage bag for this sleeping bag is easy to manage and has mesh sides so your bag can actually air out after several nights of sweat, campfire, and (spoiler alert) coffee spills from wearing the bag to breakfast. As someone who loves fun colors, I was immediately taken by the orange and dark purple hues – bold and bright!
EXPED Comfort Sleeping Bag
Product Description: The women's sleeping bag for the classic trekking adventure, where small packed size and low weight are essential, but comfort is still desired. This is where the Comfort Wmns excels. The generous cut offers a high level of freedom of movement, the foot zipper transforms the sleeping bag easily into a full down comforter for warm nights and the side arm zipper ensures the use of both arms without the need to leave the cosy warmth of the bag.
Offer price: $319.00 - $359.00 MSRP
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Durability
(4)
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Comfort
(4.6)
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Features
(4.8)
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Style
(4)
Summary
With 700+ down fill the bag felt light and fluffy, like a nice duvet, but slipperier. The storage bag for this sleeping bag is easy to manage and has mesh sides so your bag can actually air out after several nights of sweat, campfire, and (spoiler alert) coffee spills from wearing the bag to breakfast. As someone who loves fun colors, I was immediately taken by the orange and dark purple hues – bold and bright!
Overall
4.4Pros
- Temperature management
- Bright colors
- Thoughtful features
Cons
- Mummy shape can be uncomfortable for some
To test this bag, I took it on my 6-day rafting trip on the Main Salmon River in Idaho as well as camping in The Tetons in Wyoming and Summit County, Colorado.
Fit & Feel
This bag is cozy and comfortable. As with any mummy shaped bag, there isn’t a lot of room for movement once you are zipped in (i.e. splaying my legs into a butterfly position is not an option), but the square toe box allowed for a little extra foot room. The bag I tested is a size medium with a listed height limit of 5’8” – I measure just over 5’7” and had just enough room to fully fit with my toes scraping the bottom of the bag, so if you are on the fence about what size to get, order up one to ensure enough space.
Advertised as a three season bag, The Women’s Comfort +23F lists its comfort temperature as 35.6 °F. As someone who “runs cold” I was comfortable and often hot in this bag at temps in the low 40s, even in just a t-shirt and shorts. On one of my testing nights in Summit County the temperature dipped down to 33°F and I was still warm in my pajamas without even putting the hood on. I think it could easily be pushed to into the 20s with a little bit of layering. It would be too warm with temps much over 45 degrees but is still worth bringing to be used as a quilt.
Features
Internal zip pocket: As someone who cannot function without their contact lenses, a spot to keep them warm is key. In other bags I’ve used there has been an external pocket near the shoulder/head for contacts/chapstick/other small items, but this bag has one inside the bag at the chest. This design was both comfortable and ensured that I had toasty contacts so I didn’t spend the morning cursing and crying when they were too cold for my eyeballs.
Arm zip hole: The full zipper for the bag I used was on the left side and I immediately noticed a small snap at the top of the zipper. The function of this is so that you can keep your hood on and stay cozy while using your arm! There is also a small zipper on the right side of the bag that you can put that arm out as well so you can have two functional arms while staying completely in the bag. This proved extra useful when reading at camp, stretching in the morning in the tent, and putting my contacts in.
Bottom zip: In addition to the dual side zippers for arm functionality, this bag has another zipper at the foot box that allows for a couple of things – 1) using the bag as a quilt instead of a mummy bag. This is a great option when it’s warmer out, if you are a sprawling sleeper, or if you just want to wrap yourself up while you are hanging out and 2) walking around while wearing the bag. I used this function primarily for the latter and it was both functional and hilarious. While there are body-shaped bags out there with separate arms and legs, this feature in conjunction with the arms zips allows you to pop your legs out the bottom and shuffle out of your tent to breakfast without having to get fully out of the bag. A feature that isn’t necessary per se, but takes the worst part of the morning (getting out of your cozy bag) out of the equation. I enjoyed coffee and campfires sitting fully in my bag with feet and legs out on several occasions both morning and night.
Waterproof compression bag: An additional item you can purchase to accompany this bag is the EXPED waterproof compression bag. The roll-top and cinch straps make it easy to pack and the bright blue color made it easy to pick out in a pile of gear when getting ready to set-up camp. The waterproof was key on the river trip since things were getting damp being transferred to and from rafts. We had one day with a leaky dry bag, too, and I was (very happily) the only one who didn’t need to hang their sleeping bag out to dry at camp.
Before getting this bag I wasn’t familiar with EXPEDs sleeping bags at all, I only knew about their camping pads and pillows. My husband and I purchased the DuoMat of theirs for super comfy car and river camping and this sleeping bag has proven that they can make a well-rounded sleep system for luxurious and practical camping.
Shop the EXPED Women’s Comfort +23F on Outdoor Prolink. Not a member? Apply today!
About the Gear Tester
Kelly Greene
Originally from the mountains of Maine, Kelly has been a ski patroller since she was 16 years old. Her love of the outdoors drove her to a degree in Outdoor Recreation Business Administration followed by an M.A. in Exercise Physiology from Columbia University. Since graduating Kelly moved to Colorado and still patrols, manages a fitness & cycling program for a large climbing gym and works full-time in corporate wellness. When she isn’t helping improve the fitness of others or teaching the next generation of patrollers, you can usually find her on or near rocks – jumping off of them on her skis, avoiding them while guiding friends through whitewater, biking over them, or climbing to the tops of them. Connect with her on Instagram @Kelly_ventures.
