Marmot is making a big splash this season with their newly-introduced Plasma series of sleeping bags. Available in two temperature ratings — the Marmot Plasma 30 and Marmot Plasma 15 — as well as regular and long versions, these bags push the limit of just how light an ultralight down sleeping bag can be. Utilizing a 900-fill goose down for insulation, these bags weigh in at an astonishing 1 lb, 6 oz (+30F version) and 1 lb, 14 oz (+15F version)! You simply cannot buy a better sleeping bag.
The Backpacker Magazine Editor’s Choice award winners for 2011 were announced with the arrival of the new April “gear guide issue” of the magazine (available this week), and the Plasma sleeping bag took home one of the awards. Here’s what the reviewers had to say about the Marmot Plasma:
“Whether in Alaska, the Adirondacks, or Capitol Reef, the response was unanimous: the cloudlike Plasma kept even cold-sleeping editors toasty on chilly nights that flirted with the bag’s temp rating (in both the +15F and +30F versions). The trick? Every detail is focused on efficiency. The Insotect FlowGate system contours to your body, offering even insulation so none of the bag’s 900-fill down is wasted. Vertical baffles conceal smaller chambers spaced 10 to 15 inches apart; these cells help reduce cold spots by isolating the down and keeping it from shifting. And a 10-denier Pertex shell is 25 percent lighter than comparable shells; it’s so thin sunlight shines through, but we dragged the Plasma across slickrock like a toddler’s blankie with nary a lost feather. And the shell enhances ultrafast drying: four days of damp Denali trekking eventually soaked the footbox, but it dried with body heat after a few hours. A fat draft tube, snug collar, and deep, contoured hood seal the deal.”
The Marmot Plasma 30 and the Marmot Plasma 15 are both now available at Rock/Creek. UPDATE: The Marmot Plasma 15 has now also been named an Outside Magazine “Gear of the Year” award recipient.
Here’s a video from Marmot explaining the various features of the Marmot Plasma sleeping bags:
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