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Patagonia 850 Down 30 Review

This bag is high performing and is made with quality materials; it remains a high scorer across the board
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Patagonia 850 Down 30 Review (Patagonia 850 down 30)
Patagonia 850 down 30
Credit: http://www.patagonia.com/
Price:  $400 List
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Manufacturer:   Patagonia
By Ian Nicholson ⋅ Review Editor  ⋅  Jun 3, 2017
70
OVERALL
SCORE
  • Warmth - 20% 7.0
  • Total Weight - 20% 7.0
  • Comfort - 20% 7.0
  • Packed Size - 15% 7.0
  • Versatility - 15% 7.0
  • Features & Design - 10% 7.0

Our Verdict

Patagonia has launched a new line of sleeping bags; their experience making outdoor equipment is noticeable, particularly with this bag's features, materials, and design. Patagonia didn't just follow the mold and come out with another generic 20° or 30° F model; instead, they opted for several designs that help set their bags apart from the norm. The Patagonia 850 Down 30 is a solid all-around 3-season bag for backpacking and climbing. While it's lighter and smaller than average, it didn't blow the competition away. It was a high scorer in nearly every category but missed an award because it wasn't the absolute best at anything (ie it wasn't the lightest nor the most compressible option).
REASONS TO BUY
Lightweight
Compressible
Dimensions strike a nice balance between efficiency and comfort
Middle zipper makes hanging out and performing chores a breeze
Cozy foot box
REASONS TO AVOID
Center zipper is less versatile
Internal fabric wasn't our favorite

Our Analysis and Test Results

The Patagonia 850 Down 30 is lighter and more compressible than most models on the market and its half-length zipper is comfortable to hang out and perform morning chores in without having to get out of the bag. It is functional and comfortable while staying clipped in during alpine or big wall ascents, though it fundamentally limits, albeit only slightly, its temperature regulation.

Performance Comparison


patagonia 850 down 30 - the 850 down 30 is a high performing and reasonable versatile bag...
The 850 Down 30 is a high performing and reasonable versatile bag geared for summertime backpacking and alpine climbing. It's lighter weight and more compressible than most models with a few cool and unique design features that help it excel at certain applications, particularly alpine and big wall climbing.
Credit: Ian Nicholson

Warmth


The 850 down is rated to 30° F and features "850-fill-power Traceable Down. We tried, but couldn't find the volume of down used per bag in their 30° F model. While we don't know an exact amount, it's fair to say it's a significant amount - Patagonia didn't skimp on fill, which is evident when you see its impressive loft, especially for its temperature rating.

patagonia 850 down 30 - the 850 down 30 uses a sewn-through construction which is common in...
The 850 Down 30 uses a sewn-through construction which is common in down jackets but is less frequently used in sleeping bags. While a baffled construction is far more common than a sewn-through design, we didn't feel like it was an issue sleeping a little under 40° F with this bag.
Credit: Patagonia

The 850 Down 30 uses a sewn-through construction, which generally speaking, is not as warm as a more classically designed box baffled bag; the sewn points can create cold spots because there isn't any insulation in the spot where the stitching is. That said, despite this construction style, we were impressed by how warm this bag was, finding it comparable to other 30°-35° F bags, like the Mountain Hardwear Hyperlamina Spark 35 or the Sierra Designs Backcountry Bed 700. It wasn't as warm as the Western Mountaineering MegaLite.

patagonia 850 down 30 - despite its sewn-through design, the 850 down 30 is average in...
Despite its sewn-through design, the 850 Down 30 is average in warmth among 30° F models, though we'd say many people will want to add a few layers if sleeping below 35-40° F.
Credit: Ian Nicholson

The 850 Down 30 maintains enough warmth despite its sewn through construction. It sports a lot of solid loft. This bag uses long vertical baffles through the center of the bag which stabilize down better than continuous horizontal baffles, keeping down where you need it, minimizing it from shifting over time. Some folks like continuous baffles because you can intentionally shift down around to help regulate warmth, but in reality, for a bag of this temperature rating, we think most people are pretty unlikely to do this and will be happier overall with the down staying evenly distributed. Patagonia goes on to make sure that the goose down they used is all 100% traced from farm to factory to help ensure the birds in the supply chain are never force-fed or live-plucked.

patagonia 850 down 30 - we do appreciate that patagonia goes out of their way to make sure...
We do appreciate that Patagonia goes out of their way to make sure that their goose down is responsibly-sourced, ensuring that the birds in their supply chain are never force-fed or live-plucked.
Credit: Ian Nicholson

Weight


At 1 pound 10 ounces, this bag is certainly lighter-than-average, but not by an extravagant amount. It's similar in weight to the Western Mountaineering MegaLite, but the MegaLite is noticeably roomier and remained slightly warmer overall. Its the same weight as the 25° F REI Co-op Igneo 25 and within 5-6 ounces to some of the lightest bags in our review, like the Sea to Summit Spark III and the Marmot Phase 20. Both the Spark and Phase are warmer and lighter. Overall, this bag is fairly lightweight but not a considerable amount. We found this marginally disappointing considering its sewn-through construction as we certainly get, and support, making some comfort sacrifices for weight savings. However, in this case, you make a small sacrifice for a heavier bag. This is the primary reason the 850 Down 30, while pretty sweet overall, didn't win an award.

patagonia 850 down 30 - the internal fabric is the same as patagonia uses on their houdini...
The internal fabric is the same as Patagonia uses on their Houdini jackets and feels decent against our skin. Overall it wicked away moisture better and felt less clammy when we were hot but wasn't as silky or “cozy” feeling as many other high-end models. We do think it's worth noting that this is likely one of the most durable internal fabrics among the bags we tested.
Credit: Ian Nicholson

Comfort


The lining is made from the same fabric as their incredibly popular Houdini wind shell. This fabric is 100% nylon ripstop; this is more durable than most other models and is very quick to dry, but was only average for its feeling against our skin. Don't get us wrong, we love the Houdini as a wind shell, but it was just so-so of a feeling against our bare skin. It is worth noting though that when it was hot, the Houdini fabric felt less clammy than other more silky feeling nylon materials.

patagonia 850 down 30 - the 850 down 30 features a rad foot-box design that for back...
The 850 Down 30 features a rad foot-box design that for back sleepers is the straight-up best in our review. We also think that for folks whose feet get cold easily this bag does a slightly better job at feet minimizing the amount of insulation that is compressed, and as a result insulating more effectively.
Credit: Ian Nicholson

The 850 Down 30's foot box is the best design in our review. It not only provides plenty of room for a backpacker's feet, regardless of being a belly or a back sleeper, but it was also warm. The design performed a superb job of wrapping around the wearer's feet, minimizing the amount of insulation that would get compressed. Our testing team felt that this bag finds a nice balance of thermal efficiency, effectively retaining heat without feeling too tight. The Patagonia 850 Down 30 felt similar to other performance-oriented mummy bags and while it may be slightly snugger in dimension around the leg area, it offers plenty of space to not feel cramped in its torso, as well as the ability to add layers, extending this bag's temperature range if necessary.

patagonia 850 down 30 - this is the stuff sack included with the 850 down 30. while...
This is the stuff sack included with the 850 Down 30. While lightweight, overall it didn't didn't do a great job at minimizing the packed volume of this bag and we found that with an aftermarket stuff sack we could compress it to nearly half the size. While this bag was reasonably compressible, we expected it to pack down even smaller with its sewn-through design.
Credit: Ian Nicholson

Packed Size


This bag packs up smaller-than-average but similar to its overall performance in weight; it didn't quite produce as small of a compressed size as several other models, which again was surprising considering its sewn-through (AKA not baffled) design. The Marmot Phase, Sea to Summit Spark III, and Western Mountaineering MegaLite all compressed smaller but remained warmer. The 850 Down 30 does come with a lightweight stuff sack but it didn't do a great job of minimizing the packed volume of this bag. We found that with an aftermarket compression sack, we could compress this model to nearly half the packed volume versus using the included stuff sack.

patagonia 850 down 30 - our entire testing team straight up loved the half-length front...
Our entire testing team straight up loved the half-length front zipper because while marginally less versatile for regulating temperature, it was awesome to hang out, cook, and drink coffee in.
Credit: Ian Nicholson

Features & Design


This bag has one of the better-designed hoods in our review; it was both comfortable and effective at trapping heat. Its half-length front zipper was an incredible feature while cooking or simply hanging out and enjoying our morning coffee - without having to get out of our bag. Even after some initial skepticism from several of our testers, everyone who used it ended up loving it. While a little specialized, we also appreciated the front zips two-way zipper, making sleeping while tied in and wearing a harness much warmer and more comfortable while alpine or big-wall climbing. Also fitting into the small but nice features, climbers will appreciate the stout clip-in point near the foot of the bag, which helps secure your bag to your portaledge, or help to keep it from blowing away.

patagonia 850 down 30 - the hood featured on the 850 down 30 is one of the better designs in...
The hood featured on the 850 Down 30 is one of the better designs in our review because it's incredibly comfortable and retains heat well. Not surprising; it looks pretty similar to the hood featured on several of Patagonia's down jackets.
Credit: Ian Nicholson

Versatility


This bag only offers so-so versatility from a temperature regulation standpoint. The front zipper, while sweet for hanging out on cold mornings cooking and drinking coffee, doesn't effectively facilitate the temperature regulation that we've come to expect from a full-length side zipper. Not only is the half-length less overall distance to ventilate on hot nights (versus this bag's half-length design), but our testers found the front zipper to be a little all-or-nothing when we unzipped it. We noticed ourselves getting cold quickly as the front zipper opened all the way versus the side-zipper, which acted more like a flap. There is plenty of room to add layers to this bag, which you'll likely want to do if sleeping below 35°-40°F.

Best Applications


This bag is best for summertime backpacking and alpine climbing where it will likely be 30° F and above. We found this bag great down to around 35°-40° F, but most folks will want to start to layer up below 40° F. It's weight and packed size, while not the best, are certainly decent enough for the most backpackers on adventures ranging from overnight to thru-hiking. We'd easily take this bag on carry-over style alpine routes. It isn't warm enough (even with layers) for most spring ski tours or early season mountaineering -unless you're willing to punch your ticket to suffer town.

Value


At $400, this bag is in line with other models featuring 800-850 fill-power down, rated to around 30° F. For example, it's the same price as the Sea to Summit Spark III and the Marmot Phase 30 (we reviewed the identical but slightly warmer Phase 20 at $460); however it's heavier than either of those bags. We think the 850 Down 30 by Patagonia brings respectable value, as it is a unique and higher performing bag, at a higher (but not top-tier) price.

patagonia 850 down 30 - the 850 down 30 is a very good sleeping bag that our review team...
The 850 Down 30 is a very good sleeping bag that our review team liked a lot, but it just isn't the best sleeping bag and thus just barely missed out on our review. Also just because it wasn't the best doesn't mean its not still lighter and more compressible than most options and offers several features that climbers will appreciate.
Credit: Ian Nicholson

Conclusion


The new Patagonia 850 Down 30 is a solid high-performing bag with several sweet features, offering better-than-average weight and packed volume. It wasn't the best overall and we expected it to be slightly lighter and more compressible, especially considering its sewn-through design. It remains a sweet option that will excel at a number of summertime activities and its internal dimensions strike a solid balance of comfort and thermal efficiency. Its half-length front zipper serves a higher purpose than we originally thought and now is at times, hard to live without.

Other Versions


Patagonia also makes the similar in design though baffled and warmer 850 Down Sleeping Bag 19 F (which looks mega sweet!!!) and a half-length elephants foot called the Hybrid sleeping bag.

Ian Nicholson