The North Face Cat's Meow - Women's Review

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. This is a good value bag for a tight budget, and a good option for wet or humid weather.

Performance Comparison

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 similarly. This bag is warm and cozy, keeping us warm on cold nights, be it dry or wet.

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 smart design. It also has a hefty neck baffle and draft tube to help keep things snug and cozy.

Not only that, but the loft is made of synthetic fibers that will retain their 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 cozy in all sorts of conditions, down to almost 20-degrees Fahrenheit.

Weight

Weighing in at 3.4 pounds, the Cat's Meow has gained almost a pound from the last version and we're super disappointed in this bag's new weight. Because of this, we would no longer recommend it as a good choice for backpacking.

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 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. The one weight-saving strategy The North Face uses is a half-length zipper; unfortunately, this wasn't enough to save much weight.

Comfort

We love the Cat's Meow's 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 very snug. Our 5-foot, 5-inch tester, who is usually exactly the right size for most women's sleeping bags (which often come in a single "women's" size) found that she could barely get her head into the hood, making it feel slightly claustrophobic, and, could barely zip it up around her shoulders. We couldn't find any sizing materials on TNF's website, but Amazon says that the max height for size Regular would be 5 feet, 6 inches. We think it is closer to 5 feet, 4 inches, and for folks who are on the slimmer side.

Packed Size

As with most synthetic bags, the Cat's Meow is not very compressible. As we mentioned, the compression sack is huge and bulky. We like the idea of a compression sack for synthetic bags, but it should be smaller and have less weight. We can cinch the compression straps all the way down and it could still be cinched smaller. This recent version of the Cat's Meow has lost its competitive edge over other synthetic bags in this category - it is very bulky and its materials are not very compressible.

Features

We like the large neck and draft tube baffle that keeps warm air in and cold air out. The white color of this bag is a bit disconcerting since it is pristine-looking in a world of dirt and could show stains very easily.

We were happy to see the addition of a small stow pocket. It is convenient for keeping a headlamp or phone warm, preserving batteries, and at hand should they be needed in the night. Almost every other product we tested now has an anti-snag zipper, but the Cat's Meow does not.

Value

We think the current price makes the Cat's Meow a decent value product. Its insulation will keep you warm when wet, making it a great option for humid or wet weather. It is no longer under the $200 mark and since its changes have not been for the better we can't give it a best value award any longer.

Conclusion