Marmot Trestles 30 Review

Marmot offers sleeping bags across the price spectrum. Their ultra-premium Phase 20 scored pretty well in our standard backpacking sleeping bag. Meanwhile, the lighter Phase 30 won a Top Pick Award for water resistance in our ultralight sleeping bag review. The bargain basement Trestles 30, however, didn't do nearly as well in the budget backpacking sleeping bag category. Read on to learn why we think Marmot is better at premium bags.

Performance Comparison

Several bags in this review (including the Trestles 30) are advertised as backpacking sleeping bags but are really better suited for car camping due to their substantial weight.

Warmth

The Trestles is filled with 33.8 ounces of synthetic Spirafil insulation. This amount if insulation is substantial compared to other budget backpacking sleeping bags. However, on the industry standard EN test is receives a modest 26°F lower limit temperature rating. Our testers think this rating is accurate, which makes this bag well suited for all but the coldest 3-season conditions.

This sleeping bag's EN temperature ratings are about average for a 3-season model.

Weight

A consequence of this bag's substantial insulation is correspondingly substantial total weight. On our scale, a size long weighed a whopping 3.54 pounds. This figure is heavier than most budget sleeping bags, including the REI Trail Pod 30 which costs ten dollars less. We thus believe the Trestles provides a subpar warmth-to-weight ratio, even after you factor in its affordable price.

Comfort

Often heavier sleeping bags are heavier because they're designed to be more comfortable. But that's not necessarily the case with the Trestles. Its 62-inch shoulder girth is fairly generous but not as roomy as the REI Trail Pod 30 or Kelty Cosmic 20. Its durable fabrics are unfortunately stiff and not as soft as some of the other budget sleeping bags, such as the Big Agnes Husted 20. The Trestles thus scores slightly below average in overall comfort.

The Trestles dual compression/storage sack is pretty good at squeezing down to minimum volume. It's a little tight, however, for long-term storage.

Packed Size

This bag comes with a large sack that doubles as compression and storage sack. In both these functions, it performs adequately, but at 4.2 ounces, it's on the heavier side. In our packed size test with an after-market compression sack, the Trestles achieved a minimum volume of 13.1 liters. This bag is fairly large and will take up a substantial portion of all but the biggest backpacking packs.

The Trestles' 1/4-length accessory zipper certainly improves ventilation. However, we believe there are lighter and more effective ways to improve overall versatility.

Versatility

Versatility is the one area where this bag shines. You can count on its synthetic insulation to keep you warm even if it gets soaked. The ¼-length accessory zipper is also great for venting excess heat on warmer nights. We only wish this accessory zipper was a smaller size to cut down on the bag's overall weight.

Features and Design

Although we like the venting options that the accessory zipper offers, we believe this additional zipper would be more useful if it were tacked on to make the main zipper longer. Then the bag could be fully unzipped into a quilt like the Klymit KSB 35. The accessory zipper location also requires there be separate drawstrings to tighten the chin and forehead regions of the bag's hood — a minor convenience and slight weight increase. Our testers were still able to appreciate the Trestles convenient stash pocket, but there appear to be a few ways its design could be better.

The Trestles has a convenient stash pocket next to the main zipper for storing a phone or headlamp.

Best Applications

You will really like this bag's accessory zipper if you get an opportunity to open it up on a warm summer night. However, its considerable weight means that you probably won't want to carry it too far from the trailhead.

Value

The Trestles is one of the cheaper sleeping bags marketed for overnight backpacking. It has a few features that we like, but its considerable weight isn't ideal. The REI Trail Pod 30 costs $10 less, and we consider it a better novice sleeping bag. The Trestles, therefore, is not a particularly great value.

Conclusion

When you're sleeping in it, the Trestles performs pretty well. Its accessory zipper, in particular, is great for adjusting your warmth as temperatures and your metabolism fluctuate throughout the night. Its substantial weight and packed size, however, make it less than desirable for carrying it into a real backcountry camp. For $10 less, we consider the REI Trail Pod 30 a better budget sleeping bag.