Mountain Hardwear Ultralamina 15 Review

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The Mountain Hardwear Ultralamina 15 is undoubtedly the best quality three-season synthetic bag we’ve reviewed. This high performance cocoon is filled with Thermic Micro fibers, our favorite synthetic insulation, and contained by superlight 20-denier tafetta and 20-denier ripstop nylon. These materials are soft and silky, and the insulation is light and feels more like down than the heavy Army blanket of most other synthetic bags.

Looking at the numbers, the Ultralamina is our top-rated bag. It receives this designation because it’s the warmest and most comfortable bag in its class as well as the second lightest.

The primary factor enabling the Ultralamina’s high warmth to weight ratio is its unique Welded Lamina construction. This method uses an adhesive to bind the insulation and shell material. The result is a flat, stitch-free seam that’s lighter, warmer, and more water-resistant than a traditional seam. The bag is more water resistant because there are no holes for water to permeate; it’s lighter because there are no seams; and it’s warmer because the insulation isn’t pinched at the seams (see illustration below).


The Ultralamina 15 in action: You’re bivying in Wyoming’s Wind River Range. The elevation is above 10,000ft, you’re exposed without a tent, looking for some shut eye before your pre-dawn ascent of the large and looming granite wall above. It’s cold, windy, and spitting light snow. In these conditions, the Ultralamina’s welded construction enables it to outperform all other bags in its class. The seamless design makes the bag more windproof and more water-resistant. When frost and snow melt, water will need to penetrate the nylon shell before it enter the insulation; there are no stitched seams to aid in the process. Welded Lamina construction reduces the Ultralamina’s material weight (everything except fill) to a meager 11 ounces. That’s less than half that of other bags in this class.

Another feature that sets the Ultralamina apart from the competition is its zipper design. The bag has dual entry quarter zips, each of which reaches to the top of your hips. While we normally prefer a full-length zipper, this design is better suited to the cold and wet conditions that this bag is made for. For example, when both you and your sleeping bag are wet, it’s less likely you’ll need a full-length zipper for ventilation. It’s also probable that you’ll be tent bound for at least a day on long trips and expeditions that cross multiple climates. For these occasions, two zippers makes reading and tent time far more comfortable. Why? You can poke both arms out while keeping your core covered.

Most sleeping bags with dual zippers are uncomfortable when the hood is fully cinched. Fortunately, Mountain Hardwear did an excellent job at addressing this problem with the Ultralamina. There are three good characteristics about the hood area: one, the bag has differentiated pull cords (one round, one flat) so you can tell what you’re tightening by feel not sight; two, an elasticized draft collar allows one to reach outside the bag without loosening the pullcord; and three, like most Mountain Hardwear bags, the hood is compact and only needs to be tightened in temperatures near the bag’s limit. These three attributes make the hood area more comfortable than most other sleeping bags.
Overall, the Ultralamina 15 is the warmest, most compressible, and second most comfortable three-season synthetic sleeping bag we reviewed.

Dislikes
The Ultralamina 15 is not made for car camping. The dual quarter-length zippers provide little to no ventilation for your feet and don’t allow you to unzip the bag fully for use as a blanket. Therefore, the bag is less than optimal in hot weather. It’s designed for weight conscious backpackers and climbers who expect to get wet and possibly sleep wet.

On the whole, we believe the Ultralamina’s is an excellent sleeping bag. There is, however, one annoying drawback to its dual zipper design: the front (elasticized) pull cord could use a better cinching mechanism. As is, the cord can only be tightened by jamming it between one of several small notches in a round plastic device (see photos). While this is lighter than a traditional cincher, it’s considerably less functional; we found that the cord loosens over time or pops loose all at once. Although this isn’t a serious drawback, we’d prefer to have a fully functional traditional style cincher.

Another nuisance: As with most Mountain Hardwear bags, the zippers are extremely prone to snagging. The Ultralamina is worse because there’s no anti-snag strip on the inside of the zipper. Thankfully this bag has very short zippers.

Cost: This a very expensive synthetic sleeping bag.

Best Application
The Ultralamina 15 is built for cold wet weather. It’s best for unprotected alpine bivys or extended trips that span multiple climates.

Value
This is the most expensive synthetic bag we’ve reviewed. It’s also the best. When compared to other bags in the same class it’s a good value because it’s made with high quality materials. This bag is also a good value when compared to down bags with the same temperature rating ($350+).

Other Versions
The Ultralamina is available in a zero degree version and a women’s cut in the Mountain Hardwear Ultralamina 15 - Women's. It also comes in a long version.