Exped Hummingbird Sleeping Bag Review
Review by Dan James
- Product:
- Exped Hummingbird (company site, Amazon
)
- What's Good:
- Extremely Light, Durable Shell, Comfortable, Plenty of Room, Built-in Stuff Sack
- What's Bad:
- Zipper end hits you in the face (Fixed in new model), Velcro closure of inside pocket can scratch you, not as warm as rated.
As the majority of my outdoor adventure occurs during the warmer months of the year, my MEC Raven -7c bag seemed a little overkill for all of my needs. I decided that a good “summer bag” would be a nice addition to my sleep system. It would also save me a few pounds in my pack.
After perusing the net and reading comparisons in Backpacker I decided on the Exped Hummingbird. The Hummingbird falls into the ultra-light category of sleeping bags. At just 19 ounces it seems almost weightless compared to my larger more traditional bags.
The bag, rated to Zero degrees Celsius, is stuffed with 700-fill goose down. There is not a lot of fill in this bag. If you’re a cold sleeper you’ll find this bag starts to crap out around 6 or 7 degrees Celsius. As there is not a lot of down the bag tends to develop noticeable cold spots around the knees.
Last season I used the Hummingbird for just under a month of nights. It traveled from dorm-style rooms in Ontario to the rugged outback of Newfoundland. The shell has held up marvelously. It still looks and feels brand new.
Sleeping in the bag is quite nice. The Pertex shell is soft and comfortable. It’s not too clammy. The cut of the bag is also quite a bit larger than my Raven. There is room to move in this bag. It’s closer to a barrel cut than a mummy.
A few design issues I’ve found with the bag:
- The zipper, when closed completely, tends to hit you in the face when moving around. I’ve managed to give myself quite a beating some nights while rolling around. A little Velcro retainer, or possibly a little hook, would be a nice addition. (Update: This has been fixed with a Velcro retainer in the newer model)
- The bag comes with a reversible pocket sewn in directly over your chest. The pocket when flipped is a very convenient stuff sack. While sleeping though the velcro can be scratchy if you haven’t aligned it perfectly.
Overall I’m quite pleased with the bag. The annoyances are just that and have not become major issues. I’ve adjusted my use of the bag to take into account the actual warmth of the bag, not its rated warmth.
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