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Feathered Friends Flicker 40 UL Review

The highest scorer because of its versatile design that allows it to be a fully opened blanket or a fully zipped hoodless mummy
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feathered friends flicker 40 ul ultralight sleeping bag review
Credit: Feathered Friends
Price:  $469 List
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Manufacturer:   Feathered Friends
By Andy Wellman ⋅ Senior Review Editor  ⋅  Nov 4, 2019
73
OVERALL
SCORE


RANKED
#1 of 18
  • Warmth - 30% 7.0
  • Weight - 25% 5.0
  • Comfort - 20% 7.0
  • Versatility - 15% 10.0
  • Features - 10% 10.0

Our Verdict

The Feathered Friends Flicker 40 UL is the highest scoring ultralight sleeping bag in our review and an easy choice for our Editors' Choice Award. Versatility is a large part of what makes a summer bag great, and this one proved to be an optimal choice whether the temperatures were warm or cool and chilly. The full-length zipper and drawcords that enclose both the foot box and the neck collar allow you to zip and cinch this quilt up like a hoodless mummy, ensuring the warmth and fully wrapped snugness that you simply can't get with a non-fully enclosed quilt. And when the temperatures are hot it can be unzipped and un-cinched to form a large flat blanket with great ventilation. While it wasn't the absolute warmest or lightest bag that we tested, its best-of-both-worlds feature set and versatility pushed it over the top as our favorite ultralight sleeping bag. See it rated versus top competitors in our review of the best ultralight sleeping bags.
REASONS TO BUY
Highest scoring ultralight sleeping bag
Best features
And most versatile
REASONS TO AVOID
Not as warm as others (in the version we tested)
Neck draw cords loosen over time

Compare to Similar Products

 
Awards Editors' Choice Award Editors' Choice Award Best Buy Award Top Pick Award Best Buy Award 
Price $469 List
$469.00 at Feathered Friends
$470.00 at Amazon
Compare at 2 sellers
$335 List$549 List
$549.00 at Feathered Friends
$245 List
Overall Score Sort Icon
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Star Rating
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Bottom Line The best performing set of features that allow for the most versatile usageA very warm and lightweight full mummy with a full zipThe warmest quilt in our review also comes at a reasonable priceThe ideal bag when you need the warmth, but ounces matter tooA functional, versatile quilt well worth the low price
Rating Categories Feathered Friends F... Western Mountaineer... Enlightened Equipme... Feathered Friends H... Hammock Gear Econom...
Warmth (30%)
7.0
9.0
9.0
8.0
6.0
Weight (25%)
5.0
5.0
4.0
4.0
2.0
Comfort (20%)
7.0
6.0
6.0
7.0
7.0
Versatility (15%)
10.0
8.0
8.0
8.0
8.0
Features (10%)
10.0
7.0
8.0
8.0
8.0
Specs Feathered Friends F... Western Mountaineer... Enlightened Equipme... Feathered Friends H... Hammock Gear Econom...
Manufacturer Stated Temperature Rating 40F 32F 20F 30F 20F
Measured weight, bag only (ounces) 19.1 oz 19.0 oz 20.9 oz 23.2 oz (size Long) 25.0 oz
Stuffed Size 7" x 10" 6" x 12" 7" x 12" 7" x 10" 6" x 10"
Stuff Sack Weight 0.8 oz 1.0 oz 0.6 oz 0.8 oz 0.6 oz
Manufacturer Claimed Weight 20.0 oz 19.0 oz 20.2 oz 21.3 oz (size Regular) 22.2 oz
Fill Weight 8.4 oz 10.0 oz 13.0 oz 12.0 oz 13.2 oz
Shell Material Pertex Endurance UL 100% nylon ripstop 10D nylon fabric 10D Pertex Endurance 20D nylon taffeta
Fill Power 950+ goose down 850+ goose down 850 Downtek 950+ FP Down 800 fill duck down
Style Center zip mummy bag or unzip for quilt Hooded mummy Quilt Hooded mummy Quilt
Construction Continuous baffles Continuous baffle U-shaped baffled quilt Continuous horizontal baffles Box baffle consruction
Shoulder Girth 62" 59" 55" 58" 55"
Hip Girth 48" 51" 55" 52" 50"
Foot Girth 39" 38" 55" 38" 45"
Zipper Length Full-length center zip Full-length 1/3-length at bottom Full-length side zip 1/3-length at bottom
Sizes Regular, long, and wide 5'6", 6', and 6'6" Short/regular, regular/regular, regular/wide/ long/wide Regular, long Short, standard, long, wide-short, wide-standard, wide-long
Temp Options (degrees Fahrenheit) 20, 30, 40F 32F 10, 20, 30, 40F 20, 30F 0, 10, 20, 30, 40F

Our Analysis and Test Results

The Flicker 40 UL ended up as the top selection in this year's review because it simply did everything slightly better than the competition. The Flicker 40 is our highest rated bag because we liked that it opened up fully into a blanket for the warmest nights, or for two people. And unlike the other quilts, we were able to fully zip ourselves up and cinch the drawcords at the head and feet to be fully enclosed when we got chilled. No matter how warm the temperature rating or how much high quality down was used, we could never get the other quilts to be draft-free on chilly nights.

Not only were we thrilled with the versatility and design of this bag's unique features, but we enjoyed the attention to detail on other aspects of the Flicker 40 UL as well. The Pertex Endurance UL shell fabric is lightweight and naturally water-resistant, meaning there is no coating to wear off, and it offers great first-line protection against condensation inside a tent. The 950+ fill down lofts up nicely and is supremely lightweight. Attention to design detail, such as adding more durable fabric to the zipper baffle that cannot catch in the zipper, and including a neck collar to help seal in the warmth, further endeared this bag to our hearts. It is worth noting that while we tested a 40F version of this bag, it is also available in 20F and 30F versions, and for sleeping in the mountains in the spring and fall, we would probably order a warmer version in the future. It also comes in wide and long versions.

How to Get It:

Feathered Friends bags are not sold by major commercial or online retailers.

Find it online at: FeatheredFriends.com

Performance Comparison


feathered friends flicker 40 ul ultralight sleeping bag review - hanging out to watch the sunset and eat dinner in the award winning...
Hanging out to watch the sunset and eat dinner in the award winning Feathered Friends Flicker 40, on an overnight trip into the Uncompahgre Wilderness in Colorado.

Warmth


The Flicker 40 UL uses 8.4 ounces of the highest quality 950+ fill goose down to give it loft and warmth. The down is sewn into place using horizontal box baffles, which means there is no point at which the interior and exterior fabric of this bag meet, creating down "dead spots" or points where there is no insulation. It has a number of features that contribute to the overall warmth effect, such as the aforementioned full-length center zipper, lined the entire way by a reinforced draft tube, and a down-filled neck collar that has two buttons to hold it closed at the top of the zipper. The effect of all these features is that it is a reasonably warm bag, good to around 40F, but not as warm overall as the warmest bags in our testing, as evidenced by the chart below:


We tested this bag numerous nights at temperatures well above its 40F limit and found it to be very comfortable. We also used it two nights at, or even slightly below, its 40F limit, and while it did not keep us piping hot at those temperatures, we were still reasonably comfortable, and not suffering like we were when we tested other quilts to their lower-end limits. However, it is worth pointing out that at its best, this is still a 40-degree bag without a hood, and so it was not as warm as the warmest hooded mummy bags. We think this bag performs very admirably for a 40F bag, but would not hesitate to order either the 30F or 20F versions in the future for added comfort during chilly spring and fall trips into the mountains, and would recommend you do so as well if you want a truly three-season bag.

feathered friends flicker 40 ul ultralight sleeping bag review - the flicker 40 in grey kept us plenty warm with the side zipper all...
The Flicker 40 in grey kept us plenty warm with the side zipper all the way zipped on a night when the low temperature was certainly below 40 degrees. On the other hand, it was downright hot in the Patagonia 850.

Weight


Our size regular Flicker 40 UL weighed in at 19.1 ounces, slightly lighter than the 20 ounces advertised on Feathered Friends' website. While not included in our measurements, the included stuff sack weighed 0.8 ounces.


At 1 lb. 3.1 oz, this is indeed a very light sleeping bag and packs down small enough to easily carry with you during virtually any ultralight endurance activity. That said, it is not as light or as small as other 40°F bags we tested. The Flicker weighs virtually the same as other similarly designed quilts we tested, like the Enlightened Equipment Revelation 20, and ended up with a higher overall score. In our opinion, despite not being the lightest out there, this is still a very light bag, and we would even happily add the four ounces of weight to buy ourselves another 10 degrees of warmth with the Flicker 30 UL.

feathered friends flicker 40 ul ultralight sleeping bag review - the stuffed spark i on the left in its included compression sack...
The stuffed Spark I on the left in its included compression sack, smaller than a Nalgene! On the right is the Flicker 40, which is also really small inside its stuff sack, just not by comparison!

Comfort


According to Feathered Friends, our regular sized Flicker 40 UL is 6'6" long in blanket mode, and 6'0" long when the end is cinched. This should make it plenty long to suit a six-foot-tall person, and in our experience, this was true. With our feet comfortably in the bottom of the bag and the end cinched, the neck collar and baffle easily came over our shoulders and sat snuggly around our neck. We also found that when fully zipped up, enclosing one in mummy mode, the bag was spacious and comfortable throughout, without the claustrophobic constriction inherent in some mummy bag designs. We found that the Flite 15d ripstop nylon inner material was plenty comfortable against our skin, although it wasn't our number one liner material.


While certainly among the more comfortable bags in this review, we couldn't rate it as high as some of the other bags we tested. While comparatively it wasn't the absolute best, we genuinely can't complain about how comfortable this bag is.

feathered friends flicker 40 ul ultralight sleeping bag review - with the end of this bag tightened up into enclosed foot box mode...
With the end of this bag tightened up into enclosed foot box mode, there is certainly a little bit of length lost. However, it is still plenty long, shown here fully zipped up.

Versatility


We define versatility as the ability for a sleeping bag to be effectively and comfortably used in the most possible different situations, and there is no doubt that this is where the Flicker 40 UL truly shines. While we have already talked at length about how much we love the fact that this bag can be either a fully opened blanket or an enclosed mummy, no other bag in this test can say the same. It easily received the highest score in this metric:


One of the design premises of many of the quilts we tested is that laying on top of down insulation compresses it, rendering it ineffective. Quilts use this reasoning to simply not include a bottom side and instead are designed to wrap around a sleeping pad. Our hard-earned experience with regards to these designs is that logic aside, quilt designs that could be made fully enclosed were noticeably warmer than their non-enclosed counterparts, regardless of temperature rating. Simply put, air manages to leak in and out of a person's warmth envelope if not fully enclosed.

feathered friends flicker 40 ul ultralight sleeping bag review - on a chilly morning in the desert, we enjoyed the versatility of...
On a chilly morning in the desert, we enjoyed the versatility of being able to wear the Flicker 40 with our feet out and the zipper done up, at least until the sun hit.

Features


Yet again, the Flicker 40 UL received the highest score for features, a perfect 10. When considering features, we assessed how useful the features were to the design of the bag, and also how well they worked. Besides the full-length zipper, we loved how well the foot box drawcord worked on this bag. With one pull, this bag goes from a fully flat blanket to have a completely enclosed foot box. Unlike similar designs, there is not even the smallest hole left in the bottom of the bag for air to escape, and we found the drawcord easily stayed tight through many nights of usage.


feathered friends flicker 40 ul ultralight sleeping bag review - showing the neck collar and dual draw cords that can each be...
Showing the neck collar and dual draw cords that can each be tightened to seal off the warmth envelope on a cold night.

The quilt most similar in design to the Flicker 40 UL is the Revelation 20. As our Best Bang for the Buck Award winner, it is a very worthy alternative for those wanting a more budget-conscious choice, but we found that the drawcords on its foot enclosure, as well as around the neck, were simply too light and didn't snug up as well as those on this bag. The little quarter zipper and buckle combination of closing the bag was also not up to the standard of the high-quality zipper found on the Flicker 40 UL, and so it wasn't rated as highly.

feathered friends flicker 40 ul ultralight sleeping bag review - this is the foot box of this quilt, tightened all the way up for an...
This is the foot box of this quilt, tightened all the way up for an enclosed foot box in mummy bag mode. Also shown is the zipper which runs full length.

Value


Though not the cheapest bag we tested, it's also not the priciest. Since we called it the best overall ultralight sleeping bag, and think it is very versatile for different seasons, temperatures, climates, and uses, we think this presents a fantastic value. While we didn't rate for durability, we can also say we feel the workmanship displayed on this bag is top-notch. Highly recommended.

feathered friends flicker 40 ul ultralight sleeping bag review - emerging in the morning to pack up camp in the black canyon of the...
Emerging in the morning to pack up camp in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, we used the Flicker 40 as a simple blanket on this scorching summer night.

Conclusion


The Feathered Friends Flicker 40 UL sleeping bag is our best overall ultralight sleeping bag winner because it scored higher than the competition. Of particular note is how versatile it is, and how well its particular design features help it score above the rest. It shines as both a down blanket and hoodless mummy, and is plenty light and warm to be considered an ultralight enthusiast's dream piece of gear.

feathered friends flicker 40 ul ultralight sleeping bag review - waking up after a pleasant night spent in the uncompahgre wilderness...
Waking up after a pleasant night spent in the Uncompahgre Wilderness in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado, with the Patagonia model and Editors' Choice Flicker, side by side.

Andy Wellman