REASONS TO BUY
Warm and comfortable
REASONS TO AVOID
Heavy and bulky
Mountain Hardwear Lamina 15 - Women's Review
This warm and cozy synthetic bag is the heaviest and bulkiest product we tested
Credit: Mountain Hardwear
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Our Verdict
Mountain Hardwear has revamped their entire line of sleeping bags this year and updated the Women's Lamina 15. It is now an extremely bulky and thick synthetic bag that is very warm. This comfortable bag will keep you warm even if it gets wet, but is the heaviest product in this review, with an increased price tag. For most ladies looking in this price range, we would easily recommend several bags ahead of this one, but if you're looking for the warmest synthetic bag you can find, this could be a winner. Because of its bulk and weight, it's difficult for us to recommend carrying the Lamina any distance. This model could be a good choice for base camping or paddling trips where you're not carrying this heifer around on your back.Synthetic bags are generally better in wet climates because they don't lose their loft and so will keep you warm even when wet. A down bag will lose a considerable amount of loft when wet, even if treated with a hydrophobic coating. So, the Lamina could be a good choice if you anticipate spending a lot of time in a soggy climate.
Our Analysis and Test Results
This updated Mountain Hardwear bag is about the same as the previous versions we've tested, with an elevated price tag.
Performance Comparison
The Mountain Hardwear Lamina has two thirds of its loft on top for extra warmth.
Credit: Ian McEleney
Warmth
Warmth is an area where the Lamina exceeds. It is a warm and cozy sleeping bag. The Lamina is rated to 15 degrees Fahrenheit, although we're not sure if Mountain Hardwear EN tests their products, however, we think temperature rating seems accurate. The Lamina is about as warm as other synthetic models we tested. It has more synthetic fill on the top of the bag than the bottom, which is a more efficient use of the materials since we lay on the bottom materials and compress them, making them much less efficient. The Lamina also has large draft tubes and a hood to keep any cold air trying to get in, out.
The Mountain Hardwear Lamina is a bulky synthetic bag that will keep you warm even if it gets wet.
Credit: Ian McEleney
Weight
The Lamina is one of the heaviest bag in this review weighing in at 3.45 pounds or 55 ounces. All the synthetic bags in this review are on the heavier side, but this is over the top and we wouldn't choose to carry the Lamina any distance.
Comfort
This fluffy, warm synthetic behemoth is a comfortable and cozy item. It is a medium fit mummy-shape bag compared to the rest of the field, but not as roomy as the Trestles.
The Lamina has a large and fluffy hood with a huge draft collar to keep cold air out.
Credit: Ian McEleney
Packed Size
Although this product comes with a compression sack, it is the largest, least-compressible bag of the bunch. Squish all you want; it will still take up a lot of space in your pack. Down products compress much smaller and a better choice when weight and pack space are at a premium.
Two synthetic bags in their compression sacks, the Lamina and Trestles. Neither of which pack down as small as the other down products we tested.
Credit: Ian McEleney
Features
The Lamina is a pretty simple product without many bells and whistles. A new standard feature that many products have added is an anti-snag zipper. We were skeptical at first since these zippers are so huge and bulky, but they definitely prevent the zipper from getting caught on delicate liner materials, and so we are fans.
There is no way your zipper will get caught with the Lamina's anti-snag zipper.
Credit: Ian McEleney
Value
The Lamina has gone up in price recently with its "updates." Unfortunately, we can not call this a screaming deal anymore as other lighter and more compressible synthetic products retail for about the same price or less. It is still cheaper than most down bags in this review with a few exceptions.
Conclusion
The Lamina is a decent, warm, and comfortable bag, but it is hard for us to recommend as there are products that do everything it does but better. If you can get this on sale at a lower price it could be a good choice for wet condition base camping.
—
Jessica Haist
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