The Women's Cat's Meow has slimmed down on unnecessary features included in previous versions. It's added warmth by putting insulation in all the right places, piling more on top and less on the bottom, making it more effective. It's new shell and insulation materials makes it super compressible as well! This is our favorite synthetic sleeping bag (and our Top Pick), and a great option for wet or humid weather.
Performance Comparison
The Cat's Meow is our favorite synthetic bag winning a Top Pick award.
Warmth
The Cat's Meow is rated at an EN comfort rating of 22-degrees Fahrenheit. This temperature rating is slightly warmer than average, and we would agree that the Cat's Meow performs in a similar way. This bag is warm and cozy, keeping us warm on cold nights, be it dry or wet! Much of its ample warmth is attributed to its new design.
The North Face has gotten clever with constructing the Cats Meow. They have moved the majority of the insulation to the top layer and just left a thin layer on the bottom. We think this is super smart and way more efficient. Insulation keeps heat in by trapping air molecules in the loft. This air warms up, keeping you warm. Any insulation that is under your body is being compressed, and therefore not lofty so it is ineffective at containing heat and keeping you warm. Your sleeping pad is what should be keeping you warm and insulating you from the ground, not the insulation on the bottom of your sleeping bag. The Cat's Meow does a great job keeping you warm with its clever design.
Not only that, but the loft is made of synthetic fibers that will retain its warmth, even when wet. This adds to its overall warmth in all types of conditions. Our verdict? This is a super warm synthetic option that will keep you warm in all sorts of conditions, down to 22-degrees Fahrenheit.
The North Face Women's Cats Meow has most of its insulation on the top of the bag to take full advantage of the heat storing loft.
Weight
Weighing in at 2.5 pounds, the Cat's Meow is a light synthetic bag. In comparison to down competitors, it's not as lightweight, but our top option if you're in search of a synthetic bag that offers a lightweight design.
One way to lighten your load with this product is to choose a different compression sack. The Cat's Meow's included compression sack weighs 4.2 ounces, which is an unnecessary weight. By purchasing a lighter sack, you can shave off the ounces, making it a more viable option for adventures that require lightweight gear. While this is fairly lightweight for short backpacking trips, it is not our favorite for long adventures that will have you trudging for hours, day after day, for months on end. Avoid it for super long thru-hikes.
We like that The North Face slimmed down the Cat's Meow's features and it is now a lighter and more versatile bag.
Comfort
We love the Cat's Meow's new soft shell and liner materials. They are very comfortable and feel soft on the skin. It is also nice that this bag still has a thin layer of synthetic on the bottom layer so you don't feel the more coarse materials that would otherwise cause discomfort. Sleeping in it is plush and comfortable, offering a nice sleep all night long.
The fit of this bag is on the snug side. Our 5'5 tester, who is usually exactly the right size for most women's products found that she could barely get her head into the hood making it felt slightly claustrophobic. We couldn't find any sizing materials on TNF's website, but Amazon says that the max height for size Regular would be 5'6. We think it is closer to 5'4. We did not get a chance to try out the long, so we are unsure how large that size is.
The North Face Women's Cats Meow is a bit of a snug fit for a regular size woman. Our 5'5 tester found she could barely get the hood up.
Packed Size
As with most synthetic bags, the Cat's Meow is not very compressible. As we mentioned, compression sack is huge and bulky. We like the idea of a compression sack for synthetic bags, but it should be smaller. We can synch the Cat's Meow's compression straps all the way down and it could still be synched smaller. While most synthetic bags aren't as compressible as down options, this stands about the rest. Other down bags that sport additional features are not as compressible as the Cat's Meow and it offers a little more versatility in this feature. overall, this is a great packed size amoung synthetic sleeping bags.
The Cat's Meow's included compression sack is too large for this bag and could be much smaller. Here we see it cinched down, but it could be compressed further.
Features
We were pleasantly surprised when we received the Cat's Meow and discovered that The North Face had eliminated the "hand warmer pocket" that had been inside this bag's previous version. (Buyer beware, the description on The North Face's website still says a "hand warmer pocket" is included).
We thought that feature was very unnecessary and added bulk and weight. The North Face has streamlined the features to create a much more versatile and higher performing product.
The Cats Meow is quite warm, especially when you cinch down the hood to keep all the warmth in.
Our favorite sleeping bag feature is the small stow pockets many manufacturers include inside their bags. Unfortunately, this product does not have one and we wish it did!
Best Application
We think the Cat's Meow is a great all-around choice for all your camping needs. It is light enough to carry on short backpacking trips. It could be a good choice for activities where your kit is in danger of getting wet like boating trips or in rainy climates like the Pacific Northwest. Synthetic insulation will keep you warm when it gets wet since it can maintain its loft, unlike down products.
Value
Retailing for $189, this is a great value product! It's a very light and compressible synthetic option. Its insulation will keep you warm when wet, making it a great option for humid or wet weather. Its compressibility makes it decent for short backpacking trips while its warmth is sufficient for cold nights. Overall, it performs well for a lower price. If it didn't already win a Top Pick Award, we would probably give it a Best Buy Award!
The North Face Women's Cats Meow is a great choice for wet or humid weather. Take it rafting or through the rain on the coast. It'll keep you warm and cozy through it all.
Conclusion
The upgrades in material, features, and weight to the Cat's Meow makes it our favorite synthetic bag and a Top Pick. It is by far the lightest and most compressible synthetic bag we've tested and we are impressed. It's a clever design of having most its insulation on the top where it is most effective makes it a very warm bag as well. At a low price, we recommend it for car camping and short backpacking trips.
