REASONS TO BUY
Comfortable
Warm
Roomy
REASONS TO AVOID
Heavy
Bulky
Mountain Hardwear Bishop Pass 15 - Women's Review
This middle-of-the-pack sleeping bag is comfortable, warm, and fine or short backpacking trips and car camping excursions
Credit: Mountain Hardwear
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Our Verdict
The Mountain Hardwear Bishop Pass 15 is a decent choice for an all-around backpacking bag. It falls squarely in the middle of the pack of women's bags, and there is not much remarkable about it. Its rating of 15 F is pretty accurate in our experience, keeping us warm throughout nights dipping well below freezing. The size "Women's Regular" is much longer than the stated 68" length (5' 6"); our 5' 11" tester was able to fit into it comfortably and it is on the roomy side in general for a "mummy" bag. It is a little heavy to be lugging on long backpacking trips, but we'd take it out for weekend jaunts. There's nothing wrong with this bag, but it also doesn't wow us.
Compare to Similar Products
 This Product
Mountain Hardwear Bishop Pass 15 - Women's | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards |  | ||||
| Price | $280.00 at REI Compare at 3 sellers | $340 List | $206.99 at Backcountry Compare at 2 sellers | $168.95 at Backcountry Compare at 2 sellers | $154.95 at Evo Compare at 4 sellers |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Pros | Comfortable, warm, roomy | Comfortable, lightweight, excellent materials, not constricting | Comfortable and warm | Comfortable, inexpensive, recycled materials | Good price for a down sleeping bag, warm, comfortable |
| Cons | Heavy, bulky | Comforter sometimes does not stay tucked in | Not light, hood draw cords hard to use, large for a women's sleeping bag | Heavy, bulky | Low quality down fill, heavy, packed size, no storage sack |
| Bottom Line | This middle-of-the-pack sleeping bag is comfortable, warm, and fine or short backpacking trips and car camping excursions | A great, high-quality choice at a relatively low price for those looking for a lightweight bag that doesn't sacrifice comfort | This bag earns high marks for comfort and is a decent backpacking choice, but has added 4 ounces it the most recent iteration | This well priced synthetic bag is a great choice for your car camping needs | This competitively priced down sleeping bag is a good entry-level bag for backpackers looking to hit the trail on a budget |
| Rating Categories | Mountain Hardwear B... | Sierra Designs Clou... | Marmot Angel Fire | Marmot Trestles Eli... | Kelty Cosmic 20 - W... |
| Warmth (25%) | |||||
| Weight (25%) | |||||
| Comfort (20%) | |||||
| Packed Size (15%) | |||||
| Features (15%) | |||||
| Specs | Mountain Hardwear B... | Sierra Designs Clou... | Marmot Angel Fire | Marmot Trestles Eli... | Kelty Cosmic 20 - W... |
| ISO/EN Comfort Rating | 15 F | 26 F | 27 F | 20 F | 25 F |
| Fill Type | 650-fill-power down | PFC-Free DriDown | Duck down | HL-ElixR synthetic fibers | 550-fill duck down |
| Measured Weight | 2.5 lbs | 1.7 lbs | 2.7 lbs | 2.8 lbs | 3.4 lbs |
| Total Weight | 39.7 oz | 27.4 oz | 43.6 oz | 44.0 oz | 54.0 oz |
| Fill Power | 650 | 800 | 650 | Synthetic | 550 |
| Women specific features | Additional insulation | More insulation per square inch than men's version | Women's Specific Fit - more Insulation in Key Areas | Women's specific fit | Increased foot room |
| Fill Weight | Unspecified | 14.8 oz | Unspecified | Unspecified | 20.7 oz |
| Material | 20D Ripstop Nylon | 15d nylon risptop | 20D 100% nylon mini ripstop, 30D 100% nylon, DWR finish | 20-denier recycled ripstop polyester | 20D 400T nylon, PFC-free C0 DWR finish |
| Neck Baffle | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Yes | No | Yes - Internal Stash Pocket and Heater Pocket in Footbox | Yes | Yes | |
| Sleeping Pad Sleeve | No | Yes | No | No | No |
| Zipper Length | 66 in | N/A | 63 in & 13 in | 53/15 in | 59 in |
| Shoulder Girth | 60 in | 59 in | 56 in | 58 in | 58 in |
| Hip Girth | 50 in | 58 in | 56 in | 58 in | 52 in |
| Foot Girth | 40 in | 39 in | 46 in | 45 in | 40 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 only |
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Our Analysis and Test Results
This roomy and warm bag kept us cozy on cool fall nights. It's on the heavy side for extended trips but short weekend excursions or car camping are this bag's sweet spot.
Performance Comparison
The Bishop Pass is a good choice for weekend jaunts into the mountains.
Credit: Ian McEleney
Warmth
The Mountain Hardwear Bishop Pass is a pretty warm and cozy bag. Its EN Comfort rating is 15 F. We had this bag out in freezing temperatures and it kept us very warm. The Bishop Pass has a slightly roomier mummy fit, which means there is more space inside. Roominess is a bonus for comfort; however, it means it's not as warm. When there is extra space inside your bag it takes your body more effort to heat up that "dead" air. This bag does have a cozy neck baffle to stop any warm air from escaping through your neck hole, as well as a baffle along the zipper to keep drafts out, helping to keep you warm. It also has a cozy hood you can cinch down to keep the heat in.
The Bishop Pass has a cozy hood that you can cinch down to keep warm air in.
Credit: Ian McEleney
Weight
Weighing in at 2.5 pounds, the Bishop Pass is in the middle of the pack in terms of weight. For a regular backpacking bag, we wish it was lighter. It has low quality, 650 fill power down that contributes to its weight, where bags with higher fill power will be just as warm with much lighter down fill. The Bishop Pass shell materials are not very lightweight either, but they are less delicate than others. The price and sturdier shell fabric make us less fearful of treating this bag rough.
Comfort
This is where the Bishop Pass shines. It is a roomy and comfortable bag. As we mentioned above, Mountain Hardwear calls this shape the "Performance Plus Mummy cut" allowing for more comfort than a traditional mummy bag so you can move around more freely. We think the liner material is soft and cozy.
The Bishop Pass has a roomier "mummy" fit than standard mummy bags that adds to its comfort.
Credit: Ian McEleney
Packed Size
The Bishop Pass comes with a regular stuff sack, not a compression sack. It packs down relatively small and would go even smaller if a compression sack was used. Because of its low-quality 650 fill down, it is less compressible than other, higher quality products overall.
The Bishop Pass comes with a regular stuff sack, not a compression sack. It will compress much smaller than this if you get a compression sack.
Credit: Jessica Haist
Features
This bag has very few special features. We appreciate its anti-snag zipper pull. There is a nice internal stash pocket that has no zipper, which we like. Otherwise, we appreciate the simple, streamlined design of this bag.
We like the Bishop Pass' cozy neck and zipper baffles as well as the included interior pocket (which was hard to find at first!).
Credit: Jessica Haist
Value
The Bishop Pass is a decent value for what you get, and its price point is right in line with other bags of similar quality. If you're looking for a bag for long carries and can save up an extra $100, we'd recommend holding out for a step up in quality that will pack smaller and save those ounces on your back.
This comfortable bag has plenty of room for lounging and reading your book.
Credit: Ian McEleney
Conclusion
A decent, all-around bag, the Mountain Hardwear Bishop Pass will keep you warm and comfortable on cool mountain nights. We wish it was a little lighter and smaller. This would be a good choice for car camping or reasonably short backpacking trips.
—
Jessica Haist
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