The Mountain Hardwear Rook is the latest iteration of Mountain Hardwear's lower price point women's sleeping bag. We think it is a decent value, is comfortable and warm, and could be a good choice for folks looking to up their backpacking game with a down sleeping bag. It's not the lightest, warmest, or cheapest of the bunch, but it's a decent all-arounder. We would bring this bag out on the trail with us on multi-day backpacking trips, and if paired with a warm sleeping pad it could be used from spring to fall. We wish its down fill was slightly higher quality to help lighten up the bag a bit.
Mountain Hardwear Rook - Women's Review
This middle of the line down bag will keep you comfy and warm out there for a decent price
Price: $280 List | $209.97 at Backcountry
Pros: Comfortable, warm, decent price
Cons: Low quality down fill, heavy
Manufacturer: Mountain Hardwear
Cons: Low quality down fill, heavy
Manufacturer: Mountain Hardwear
By Jessica Haist ⋅ Review Editor ⋅ May 14, 2020
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Our Verdict
Compare to Similar Products
Our Analysis and Test Results
The Rook rolls into our review with pretty average, middle of the pack scores. We think it's a decent choice for short to medium length three-season backpacking trips.
Performance Comparison
The Rook will keep you warm and cozy on cool backcountry nights.
Warmth
This bag is EN comfort rated at 15 degrees Fahrenheit. From our testing, the Rook does feel warm and cozy on cool nights. It is a more roomy mummy shape than others we've tested, so there is the potential for it to not be quite as warm as other, snugger fitting bags since there's more room for cold air to live. We do like the lofty hood insulation and drawstring around the hood to cinch the opening closed for extra warmth.
Weight
Weighing in at 2.6 pounds, the Rook is not the heaviest bag in the bunch, but it is by far not the lightest either. We attribute this to its low quality, 650 fill power down which takes much more filling to accomplish the same amount of warmth as less of a higher 800+ fill would. This results in a heavier, less compressible bag overall. The Rook comes with an included compression sack, which itself weighs 4.4 ounces. If you want to save a few ounces, consider purchasing a lighter weight compression sack.
The Rook's hood fits well and the bag is a roomier mummy shape.
Comfort
Standard comfort for a middle of the road bag. The shell materials don't feel as soft as other higher-end bags, and its 650 fill down isn't as cozy and lofty as other, 800+ fill bags we've tested. The fit of the bag is a standard mummy, lots of room in the feet, snugger around the hips with a nice fitting hood. Folks who feel claustrophobic in a slimmer fitting mummy will find that the Rook has a little more wiggle room.
The included compression sack is too large and we think the Rook would compress down smaller with a smaller sack.
Packed Size
We were pleasantly surprised by how compressible the Rook is. This bag is way more compressible than the included compression sack gives it credit for and could be compressed much smaller than you're able to with the included one. You could purchase a smaller and lighter compression sack for this bag that would enable it to pack down much smaller.
Features
The Rook is a relatively simple sleeping bag. It does come with a nice anti-snag zipper pull, there is no included pocket and does not have many bells and whistles - which is ok. We prefer bags with simple designs that don't have over-complicated features to add weight.
We like the Rook's anti-snag zipper.
Value
The Rook is a decent value product. It's right on par with other competitors of similar quality and weight. If you can find it on sale, even better! We like that it comes with its own mesh storage bag as well as an included compression sack.
The Rook is Mountain Hardwear's lower price point down bag.
Conclusion
The women's Mountain Hardwear Rook is a decent middle of the road product that could be a good choice for someone looking for a quality down bag, but can't drop the cash for a top of the line one. We think it is warm and comfortable, but wish it was slightly lighter. We like its simple design and how compressible it is. We'd recommend purchasing a lighter and smaller compression sack to make it an even smaller package in your pack.
— Jessica Haist