Buying inexpensive gear is one of those penny-wise-and-pound-foolish situations: you may think that you’re saving money with a Walmart sleeping bag, but between the lack of comfort and the inevitable repairs and replacement you’re actually better off buying quality.
But a quality bag is north of $200, and a quality tent is even more. Outdoor Vitals entered the market to solve this problem with direct-to-consumer gear that uses all of the same materials as the high-end boys (YKK zippers and real down) but sans all of the mark-ups. Some of their sleeping bags are as low as $59.95.
Their new MummyPod (funded on Kickstarter) goes one step further by combining the mummy bag onto a hammock. So now you don’t even need a tent, which saves space in addition to coin and packweight.
Their construction is pretty clever: the hammock is connected via clips to the cords that secure it to the tree, allowing you to slip the bag on and off of the hammock. Once it’s on you can enclose the bag around your feet and shoulders for maximum heat retention.
The YKK zippers can be accessed both inside and out of the bag, and have an anti-snag guard that keeps it from catching on the waterproof lining or insulated interior.
These bags are really for cooler weather or higher elevation trips, but if that’s where you’re headed, this is your bag.
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