If you treat it right, a good sleeping bag will last a few decades. Of course, that means dishing out a little extra dough in the beginning and investing in quality materials. That鈥檚 why, four years ago, I bought the ($300). It聽has been on every backcountry and car-camping聽trip with me since and it鈥檚 one of my best gear purchases ever. It comes with REI鈥檚 lifetime guarantee and has a few smartly designed features that have proven themselves over the years. If you鈥檙e in the market for a new sleeping bag, here are some reasons why you should consider聽the Joule.
Features
This sleeping bag is made from some of the best but most economical materials on the market. Stuffed with 20 ounces of 700-fill duck down, the Joule has an exterior of lightweight ripstop nylon taffeta,聽and the down is treated with a water-resistant polymer coating, which protects the feathers in the event that moisture leaks through the bag. While the聽coated down will still compress when soaked,聽it will retain more loft when wet or damp than uncoated down.
As an added precaution to keep the down dry, REI cleverly put extra waterproof fabric on the hood, sides,聽and footbox to help resist the moisture you would normally gather from the inside of your tent walls.
Sleeping with a partner? This bag zips together with any other REI sleeping bag, creating a double bag.
Most sleeping bags are noisy and abrasive because they鈥檙e designed to be durable, not necessarily comfortable against your skin. The Joule鈥檚 face fabric hits the sweet spot. It鈥檚 super soft to the touch, but in the four years I鈥檝e owned it, it鈥檚 never punctured鈥攅ven with my rowdy husky nestling in it with me.聽The warmth of the high-fill-power聽down has saved me on multiple occasions鈥攖he most salient being when I got caught in a storm in the Boundary Waters and was continually drenched by four-foot waves in my canoe. Once I reached the shore, trying to stave off hypothermia, I wrapped myself in my soggy sleeping bag and it kept me warm.
Size and Fit
My favorite part about this bag is how lightweight it is鈥攋ust two pounds two ounces. Plus it packs down to the size of a large grapefruit in ,聽making it a viable backpacking bag. A true聽three-season sleeping bag, it has a weight-to-warmth ratio that鈥檚 much more impressive than other sub-$400 bags鈥. Between trips, I store my Joule聽on a hanger in my closet to allow the down to breathe, resist clumping, and enjoy聽a longer life.聽
This bag has a women-specific fit, which means it is a little wider in the hips, leaves less room in the shoulders, and has extra insulation in critical heat-loss areas.聽I鈥檓 a petite, around five foot four inches, and I find it roomy enough to use car camping when comfort, not lightness,聽is my priority. But if you tend to be claustrophobic or don鈥檛 like the fit of traditional mummy bags, I would suggest the regular wide size, which provides an extra four to six inches across and is overall less constricting.
Price
For what you get, the Joule might be the most cost-efficient bag on the market. Sure, it could have slightly more compressible 800-plus-fill goose down聽and feature name-brand materials instead of REI鈥檚 proprietary ones. But a two-pound down bag for $300 is almost unheard-of, especially one that has resisted abuse like my Joule.聽