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Marmot Angel Fire Review

A favorite of many trail ladies out there, the Angel Fire earns high marks across the board and would be an excellent addition to any backpacker's kit.
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Price:  $240 List | $179.25 at Backcountry
Compare prices at 3 resellers
Pros:  Comfortable and warm
Cons:  Not light, hood draw cords hard to use, large for a women's sleeping bag
Manufacturer:   Marmot
By Jessica Haist ⋅ Review Editor  ⋅  Nov 19, 2018
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74
OVERALL
SCORE

RANKED
#10 of 15
  • Warmth - 25% 7
  • Weight - 25% 7
  • Comfort - 20% 8
  • Packed Size - 15% 7
  • Features - 15% 8

Our Verdict

The Marmot has come out with a new version this year of their classic Angel Fire sleeping bag. We've seen many women on the trail with this product. It is a very comfortable and warm down bag, and think it deserves a warmer EN rating than its 30.4 designation. This year's version has a new additional zipper on the side that opens up the whole top of the bag, and it seems to be much larger than previous, fitting someone who is 5'11 in it. We think this bag is pretty middle-of-the-road, it will keep you warm in cold temps, but isn't particularly light or compact.


Compare to Similar Products

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This Product
Marmot Angel Fire
Awards  Editors' Choice Award  Best Buy Award  
Price $179.25 at Backcountry
Compare at 3 sellers		$414.00 at Feathered Friends$528.95 at Amazon
Compare at 3 sellers		$329.95 at Amazon$299.96 at Backcountry
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Overall Score Sort Icon
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Star Rating
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Pros Comfortable and warmHigh-quality down, warm, lightweightHigh-quality down, warm and lofty, light, a top tier productComfortable, lightweight, excellent materials, not constrictingLightweight, compressible, comfortable
Cons Not light, hood draw cords hard to use, large for a women's sleeping bagSizing not for everyone, fabric is a bit noisyVery expensiveComforter sometimes does not stay tucked inExpensive, not particularly warm
Bottom Line A favorite of many trail ladies out there, the Angel Fire earns high marks across the board and would be an excellent addition to any backpacker's kit.This high-end bag will keep you warm and comfortable from Spring to Fall in all conditions.The Flame is a new, high-quality backpacking sleeping bag at a high price.A great, high-quality choice at a relatively low price for those looking for a lightweight bag that doesn't sacrifice comfort.This lightweight sleeping bag is a great choice for alpine climbing or fast and light adventures.
Rating Categories Marmot Angel Fire Egret UL 20 Sea to Summit Flame 15 Cloud 800 Rab Neutrino 400 - Women's
Warmth (25%)
10
0
7
10
0
10
10
0
9
10
0
7
10
0
7
Weight (25%)
10
0
7
10
0
10
10
0
9
10
0
10
10
0
10
Comfort (20%)
10
0
8
10
0
9
10
0
9
10
0
9
10
0
8
Packed Size (15%)
10
0
7
10
0
8
10
0
9
10
0
9
10
0
9
Features (15%)
10
0
8
10
0
8
10
0
8
10
0
8
10
0
7
Specs Marmot Angel Fire Egret UL 20 Sea to Summit... Cloud 800 Rab Neutrino 400 -...
EN Comfort Rating (F) 30.4 20 (not EN rated) 15 26 21
Fill Type Duck Down Goose down Duck Down PFC-Free DriDown Ethically sourced European Goose down
Total Weight (lb.) 2.49 lb 1.72 lb 1.95 lb 1.7 lb 1.7 lb
Total Weight (oz) 39.8 oz 27.5 oz 31.2 oz 27.4 oz 27.2 oz
Women specific features Women's Specific Fit - more Insulation in Key Areas Extra fill in footbox and chest Women's specific fit - more insulation in key areas More insulation per square inch than men's version Women's specific fit
Fill Power 650 950+ 850+ 800 800
Fill Weight (oz) 23.5 17.3 oz (medium) 22.9 oz 14.8 oz 14.1oz
Material 30d 100% Nylon DWR 1.18 oz/yd | 30d 100% Nylon Ripstop DWR 1.5 oz/yd Pertex Endurance UL Ultralight 10D Nylon Shell 15d nylon risptop Pertex Quantum
Neck Baffle Yes Yes Yes No Yes
Pocket Yes - Internal Stash Pocket and Heater Pocket in Footbox No No No Yes
Sleeping Pad Sleeve No No No Yes No
Zipper Length 63" & 13" 62" 56" N/A 62"
Shoulder Girth 57 in 54 in 60 in 59 in 60 in
Hip Girth 58 in 56 in 58 in 58 in 56 in
Foot Girth 46 in 38 in 40 in 39 in 38 in
Stuff Sack included? Stuff sack and storage bag included Stuff sack and storage bag included Stuff sack and storage bag included Stuff sack and storage bag included Stuff sack and storage bag included

Our Analysis and Test Results

The Angel Fire performs well throughout all metrics and is a decent choice for shorter backpacking trips.

Performance Comparison


The Marmot Angel Fire is a great choice for tall women.
The Marmot Angel Fire is a great choice for tall women.

Warmth


We are surprised to see that the Angel Fire's EN comfort rating at just 30.4. The Angel Fire kept us warm on cool and frosty nights and think it should be rated much warmer than that, maybe in the '20s. It has a 650 fill power, providing an average level of warmth. We love its cozy draft collar with a drawcord, adding more warmth. This bag feels lofty and warm in most summer and shoulder season conditions. As with most of the other bags we tested, the Angel Fire has water-resistant treated down insulation to help the bag keep its loft when damp. It's shell materials are not DWR coated.

The Angel Fire is only EN Comfort Rated to 30 degrees but we think it is actually much warmer than that!
The Angel Fire is only EN Comfort Rated to 30 degrees, but we think it is actually much warmer than that!


Weight


This Marmot bag weighs in at 39.8 oz. We're surprised it is lighter than the previous version, as Marmot has added another small zipper to the other side, adding some weight. It's shell materials must have been slimmed down. Overall, it's not the lightest option out there but still functions well for short backpacking trips. One of the lightest bag we tested was the Rab Neutrino, tied with 2 other products.

Comfort


We think the Angel Fire is very comfortable. It seems like Marmot has increased this bag's size and we found it very roomy. Our tester's 5'11 husband tried it out and fit in it just fine (although a little snug in the shoulders). So, if you're a tall lady, this bag is a fine option.

Jessica Haist zipping up the Angel Fire's small additional zipper. We don't think this zipper adds much additional benefit to this bag.
Jessica Haist zipping up the Angel Fire's small additional zipper. We don't think this zipper adds much additional benefit to this bag.

The roominess increased this bag's comfort. However, it does mean more cold air to heat up and therefore potentially less warm. We like the anatomical foot box (although this could be sized down as well) and the cozy hood. It also had plenty of room in the shoulders to move around and add extra layers if necessary. We find the Angel Fire's extra zipper unnecessary as it detracts from the comfort most of the time. It is nice if you want to take your arms out of the bag and hang out in your sleeping bag, but we didn't find ourselves doing that much. We also didn't like that the second zipper would poke us in the face when mostly done up.

If you will be spending lots of time in your bag but want your arms to be able to move around freely you may like the additional zipper feature.
If you will be spending lots of time in your bag, but want your arms to be able to move around freely you may like the additional zipper feature.

Features


We like the Angel Fire's features. We were skeptical about this bag's giant "zipper garage" and thought it was a gimmick to please people who have complained about the zipper catching in the past. After some use though, we have decided that it works and is probably worth the extra grams it weighs. Many other bags now feature this type of zipper pull, including our Editors' Choice, the Egret.

We like the interior stash pocket and the warm neck baffle seen here on the Angel Fire.
We like the interior stash pocket and the warm neck baffle seen here on the Angel Fire.

We also love the interior pocket that keeps stashed items warm and easy to access while bundled up. We wish the hood's drawcords were different materials so it would be easy to tell them apart in the dark. We didn't think the extra zipper was necessary and seemed too short to fully serve the purpose of freeing your arms, instead just making things more awkward and heavy.

The Angel Fire's snaggles zipper does help to avoid most - but not all fabric snags.
The Angel Fire's snaggles zipper does help to avoid most - but not all fabric snags.

Best Application


The Angel Fire is a good introductory backpacking sleeping bag that will keep you warm on any camping trip and cozy on short backpacking trips. We wouldn't recommend it for extended backcountry missions where weight should be an important consideration. It's a good choice if you want to have a bag that two different height people can use since it really fits someone who's 5'11".

Value


The Angel Fire got bumped back down twenty bucks to $240 this year. That is just a decent value, however, we'd probably splurge on something that performs at a higher level, or consider the Kelty Cosmic 20 - Women's.

The Marmot Angel Fire is very comfortable however it is much larger than a standard women's bag including the articulated foot box which could be much smaller.
The Marmot Angel Fire is very comfortable, however, it is much larger than a standard women's bag, including the articulated foot box, which could be much smaller.

Conclusion


The Angel Fire is a classic option that offers great comfort and warmth at a decent weight.


— Jessica Haist