MEC Raven Sleeping Bag Review (-7C)
Review by Dan James
- Product:
- MEC Raven Sleeping Bag -7C (company site)
- What's Good:
- Light, Warm, Comfortable, Value, Draft Tube.
- What's Bad:
- Not Warm When Wet.
I've used my Raven sleeping bag for an entire season now. I've been in it from extremely humid summer weather to very cold fall nights that were below freezing. I have nothing but good things to say about this bag. As I'm six feet three inches tall I purchased the long version of this bag. It is the perfect length for me. My wife, who is considerably smaller than I, has the small version of the bag. We are very pleased with both bags.
The Raven is a great all around three season bag. My long version of the bag comes in at 1.6 kg, the small version is 1.4kg. Both weights are very manageable. One thing about the bag that surprised me is how comfortable it is. The lining is very smooth and the down makes it feel like you are laying in a cloud, which is a very good feeling after a long day’s hike.
During the summer months we camped a few nights in sweltering heat and humidity. With the zippers open and an arm out, we were able to regulate the temperature quite well. There was a little dampness on the bag in the mornings, but hanging them outside the tent for a few minutes was a quick remedy.
During the fall we were able to test the warmth of the Raven. We spent three nights in the Mount Washington valley in October. Two of the nights fell below freezing. The others we were camping with had mostly regular old Canadian Tire sleeping bags. In the morning they complained of no sleep and shivers the whole night. We, on the other hand, had been toasty warm the entire night. At some points we even had to take the mummy hoods off and unzip a little, it was too warm! The draft tubes along the zippers were a great help. They kept the area near and around the zipper as warm as the other areas of the bag.
The Raven is a down sleeping bag. Like all down sleeping bags, if the down gets wet it loses its ability to retain its loft, and thus its heat retaining abilities.
If you’re going to be doing any hiking, or need to squeeze your bag into a tight kayak space, we strongly recommend a compression stuff sack. Down compresses very well. If you can get a water resistant stuff sack that is even better.
All in all the Raven is a fantastic all around mummy-style sleeping bag.
Comments
Rosemary - December 7, 2005 5:22 am
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