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Mountain Hardwear Bozeman Flame Review

A warm, compact and roomy mummy bag. It's just a bit expensive and not as cozy as rectangular models
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Mountain Hardwear Bozeman Flame Review
Credit: Mountain Hardware
Price:  $109 List
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Manufacturer:   Mountain Hardwear
By Brandon Lampley ⋅ Review Editor  ⋅  May 19, 2015
68
OVERALL
SCORE
  • Warmth - 35% 7.0
  • Comfort - 25% 6.0
  • Features - 25% 6.0
  • Packed Size - 15% 9.0

Our Verdict

The Mountain Hardwear Bozeman Flame is discontinued — Spring 2019
REASONS TO BUY
Roomy for a mummy bag
Relatively light and compact for a camping bag
REASONS TO AVOID
No warm neck collar
Designed with generous dimensions for the shape (many backpacking bags are 6 inches narrower), this bag does a good job balancing the thermally efficient mummy shape with extra room for comfort. This bag is a little more roomy and comfy than the similar ALPS Crescent Lake 20, while the Crescent Lake is a bit warmer.

Our Analysis and Test Results

The Mountain Hardwear Bozeman Flame 20 is one of the most compact bags in this review, and the more roomy and comfortable of the mummy shaped bags we evaluated. We also like that the fleece-lined stuff sack can be turned into a comfy pillow.

Performance Comparison


mountain hardwear bozeman flame - the bozeman flame's hood fits great, and does a good job sealing in...
The Bozeman Flame's hood fits great, and does a good job sealing in warm air if you snug it up nice and tight around your face.
Credit: Brandon Lampley

Warmth


We slept OK in this bag in the mid 20s, but without a draft collar at the neck, you're left with cinching it super tight around the face to seal in warm air. We found that this bag was most comfortable in the mid 30s to low 50s range. We preferred the ALPS Crescent Lakes 20 mummy with its puffy, warm draft collar in colder temps. The Bozeman Flame is constructed with two layers of synthetic insulation; one is sewn to the nylon shell, and the inner layer is sewn to the polyester taffeta lining (offset-quilting). This bag does have a draft tube that backs the zipper, no cold seeping in there. The hood adjusts all the way around with an elastic cord, which is conveniently attached to the bag for one handed use.

mountain hardwear bozeman flame - we found this bag best suited to nights in the 30's and 40's.
We found this bag best suited to nights in the 30's and 40's.
Credit: Brandon Lampley

Comfort


Mummy bags like this one just don't score well in comfort in the camping sleeping bag category. Larger, rectangular shaped bags simply have more room and are less constricting. And while the taffeta lining is lighter than poly/cotton blends, it's just not as soft. That said, this is one of the widest synthetic mummy bags we've tested. The Bozeman Flame's zipper extends within 12 inches of the foot of the bag, and with two way pulls, you can ventilate the foot of the bag when too warm.

We believe that inexpensive synthetic mummy bags like this one are best suited for folks on a tight budget who car camp frequently, but occasionally pack their camping gear into the backcountry.

Features


There's nothing fancy about this model, just the minimum of simple features for function. Two small webbing loops are sewn into the foot of the bag for hanging it up, and the Velcro zipper closure flap folds over onto itself, hiding away the prickly part when not in use. The wide, stiffened backing for the zipper provided snag-free operation every time we opened or closed the Bozeman Flame's zipper. As mentioned above, a draft collar at the neck to further seal in warm air would be a big improvement for this model.

mountain hardwear bozeman flame - the sewn-in cord lock at the hood makes one handed tightening of the...
The sewn-in cord lock at the hood makes one handed tightening of the elastic cinch cords quick and easy.
Credit: Brandon Lampley

Packed Size


Our measured weight of this sleeping bag is 3 pounds, 8 ounces, which is among the lightest we tested in this category. Stuffed into its fleece-lined stuff sack, this is the second most compact bag we tested. That's right, half of the stuff sack is lined with soft fleece, making a nice pillow when you turn it inside out and stuff it with some extra clothing.

Best Applications


We feel this is a good crossover bag for folks that car camp a lot, but want a comfy sleeping bag that can also go on the occasional backpacking trip. It is the roomiest and most comfortable hooded mummy we've tested.

mountain hardwear bozeman flame - the bozeman flame (bottom) alongside the crescent lake; the bozeman...
The Bozeman Flame (bottom) alongside the Crescent Lake; the Bozeman Flame is a little roomier, but we found it not quite as warm.
Credit: Brandon Lampley

Value


While this is a good quality bag, at $120, we feel there are more affordable products that perform just as well. The similar ALPS Crescent Lake 20 is warmer, if slightly less comfortable, and rings up about $30 less.

Conclusion


The Mountain Hardwear Bozeman Flame 20 is roomy for a mummy bag, making it a good choice for cross over car camping and backpacking use. The roomy dimensions also make it an affordable choice for bigger folks looking for a budget backpacking bag.

Brandon Lampley