![]() Here’s how they describe the Flylite: “It was designed as a product to celebrate our 50 year commitment to manufacture the lightest, most compressible sleeping bags in the world. The flylite was first released in 2020 in a limited edition platinum color (pictured here), but they ended up deciding to keep in their lineup after receiving such positive feedback from their customers. This allows some adjustment depending on the conditions and where the user wants the insulation positioned. All of their Extremelite bags, including the FlyLite reviewed here, use a continuous baffle construction, which means the chamber on the top and bottom of the bag are connected and down can be moved throughout. The down they use is almost always above 900 fill-power, although they state 850+ on their bags to compensate for real-world performance. They’ve clearly given their designs and construction techniques an exceptional amount of thought over the last 50 years, using terms like “Reverse Differential Hood” and “Differential Cut” in their product descriptions, referring to a larger piece of fabric inside the hood for loose down placement and a small inner shell fabric in the body to eliminate excess fabric and cold spots. Narrowing down on what bag best suits you depends on your body size and shape, how much room you want, the temperature rating, the bag’s shape (wide, rectangular, mummy, etc.), and the weight and packability of the bag. With more than 30 bags, Western Mountaineering has one of the most extensive lineups we’ve seen. The geese that supply the brand’s down are never live-plucked or force-fed, and their supplier in Europe raises the geese for breeding, not strictly for poultry, so they generally have much longer, happier lives. They’ve been manufacturing sleeping bags in the US for over 50 years and continue to exist as a small independent company with closely held roots and dedication to their craft. I’ve used many exceptionally nice sleeping bags and quilts over the years, but in my experience, some of the best have been from Western Mountaineering. ![]() It’s promising to see mainstream brands offering bikepacking-friendly variations of some of their products, and the materials used are often more environmentally friendly, with more recycled materials and fewer harmful chemicals being used. Sub-two-pound tents are everywhere, impossibly tiny sleeping pads are the norm, and sleeping bags and quilts somehow keep getting lighter without sacrificing warmth. It’s an amazing time in the world of lightweight camping gear.
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