Feathered Friends Flicker 40 UL Review

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.

Performance Comparison

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.