Kelty Cosmic Down 20
Words in italics came directly from website or box.
http://www.kelty.com/p-457-cosmic-down-20.aspx
Kelty Comic Down 20 was provided by Kelty for the purpose of this review.
When cool summer nights call, snuggle into the Cosmic 20? Down Sleeping Bag and snooze. This bag offers great value for the investment, and the 550 Fill-Down means low-weight but high warmth so you will be comfortable even through the brisk fall nights.
Bag Features:
- Slant-baffle construction
- Top baffle collar
- Insulated hood baffle
- Zipper draft tube with anti-snag design
- Internal liner loops
- Sleeping pad security loops
- Hang loops for storage
- Ground-level side seams prevent heat from escaping
- Differential cut to maximize loft and warmth
- Stuff sack included
- 3/4-length, two-way locking zipper
- FatMan and Ribbon™ drawcords
- Captured cordlock
Materials:
Insulation
550 fill-power down
Shell material:
50D polyester taffeta
Liner material:
50D polyester taffeta
Specification:
Temp Rating: 20° / -7°C
Shape: Mummy
EN 13537 confirms:
Women sleep colder than men using the same sleeping bag in the same outdoor temperature.
-The best recommendation for women is the comfort limit (32F/0C)
-The best recommendation for men is the lower limit (21F/-6C)
Ratings are based on the user wearing long underwear, socks and a hat, sleeping on a 1” thick insulated pad.
Size Short:
Fits to: 5′ 6″ / 168 cm
Length: 72” / 183 cm
Shoulder girth: 58” / 147 cm
Fill weight: 18 oz. / .5 kg
Total weight: 2 lb. 3 oz. / .98 kg
Stuffed diameter: 8″ / 20 cm
Stuffed length: 13″ / 33 cm
Size Regular:
Fits to 6’ / 183 cm
Length: 78” / 198 cm
Shoulder girth: 62” / 157 cm
Fill weight: 20 oz. / .56 kg
Total weight: 2 lb. 8 oz. / 1.12 kg
Stuffed diameter: 8″ / 20 cm
Stuffed length: 13″ / 33 cm
Size Long:
Fits to 6’6” / 198 cm
Length: 84” / 213 cm
Shoulder girth: 64” / 163 cm
Fill weight: 23 oz. / .64 kg
Total weight: 2 lb. 12 oz. / 1.23 kg
Stuffed diameter: 8″ / 20 cm
Stuffed length: 14″ / 36 cm
As I am with all the gear I test, I was very excited to receive the Kelty Cosmic Down 20 in the mail. Unfortunately, I do no have a camping trip planned until the end of the month so I decided to test it in my hotel room while on a business trip. I am 6’3” 180 pounds so I requested the long size which fits a person up to 6’6”. I pulled the bag out of the included stuff sack which is 8” diameter x 14” long stuffed. I received the Macaw Green color bag that has a tonal graphic pattern that I really think is cool compared to my other plain, bland colored sleeping bags. It also comes in a solid Cedar Green. The first thing I noticed was the two zipper pulls on the two way zipper had 2” pull cord on them which makes it very easy to open and close the bag.
Kelty says the bag has a zipper draft tube with anti-snag design and it lives up to that claim. I pulled the zipper up and down several times and I never snagged the fabric as I do on my other bags. I did notice one issue when I was pulling the zipper down. The zipper goes ¾ of the way down the bag and on two occasions I went too far and the zipper came apart at the end. It was very difficult to put it back on track to zip the bag up again while I was inside. I would hate to have to put it back on track in the dark and cold.
Once I was zipped up in the bag, I felt snug but did have enough room to move around without getting all twisted up in the bag and it was plenty long for me. The insulated hood baffle easily draws up around my head by the pull of a string that easily locks into place. It also has a top baffle collar that cinches up around your upper chest to keep wind from blowing down into the bag. One other concern I found was the cords to cinch the hood baffle and the top baffle collar are tied together on the end that form a loop large enough to go over my head when I pulled them tight. I was able to remedy that by untying them. My feeling is this should be done at the factory.
The bag also has sleeping pad security loops to keep from sliding off the pad. I did not test this when I was on my hotel camping trip but will on my next camping trip. It also has hang loops for easy storage. It is recommended to keep your bag loose or hanging when storing and not in the included stuff sack. The bag easily goes back into its stuff sack.
I slept well in the Cosmic Down 20 bag while on my hotel camping trip and look forward to its first true test the last weekend of February. More to come.
Update #1
Going on a February camping trip one would think it would be a perfect opportunity to see how well a twenty degree sleeping bag does in cold weather. I went camping over the weekend and unfortunately it did not get down in the 20’s but it did dip down to 36 degrees for a short period of time one of the mornings. Even though it was not the perfect weather to test my Kelty Cosmic Down 20, it was a great weekend for camping.
After my hotel camping trip, I was very excited to actually get out in the woods and test my bag. I arrived at the campsite after dark and set up camp. After hanging out by the fire for a little while, I was ready to give my sleeping bag a real test. The temperature when I went to bed was 55 degrees so I stripped down to boxers and slipped into the bag. As stated in my first review, the temperature ratings are based on the user wearing long underwear, socks and a hat, sleeping on a 1” thick insulated pad. I was on a Thermarest sleeping pad that was approximately 1” think. I slipped into the bag but only zipped the bag half way up and was not too hot and able to fall asleep. I woke up in the middle of the night a little chilly and zipped the bag all the way up and fell right back asleep. When I woke up in the morning, the temperature was 42 degrees and I was not cold at all in the clothes I slept in. I had enough room in the bag to move around without it getting twisted all up.
The second night was cooler than the first. The temperature was 44 degrees when I went to bed but not expected to drop much through the night. I dressed the same as the first night but I added a stocking cap. I started zipped all the way up but did not draw up the insulated hood baffle. I slept soundly in my Kelty Cosmic Down 20 until around 5AM. I woke up a little chilly. I checked the temperature and it was 36 degrees. At that point I tightened up the insulated hood baffle and cinched the top baffle collar that attaches with a Velcro strap and I was warm enough to go back to sleep until daylight.
The Kelty Cosmic Down 20 stuffs easily into its included 8 inch x 14 inch stuff sack and takes up very little room inside my back pack. The bag has security loops to keep the bag from sliding off the pad. My pad does not have a way to attach to my sleeping bag so I was not able to test the loops. I would need to carry small string to tie one loop to another to be able to use the loops with my pad. Fortunately I found a flat site to pitch my tent so I did not have the issue of sliding off my pad. When I got home, I removed the bag from the stuff sack and hung it up by its hang loops as recommended by Kelty.
Overall I am very satisfied with the bag. On my camping trip, I did not have the issue of unzipping the bag too far causing the zipper to come apart at the end and having to reattach it. It kept me warm even though it did not get as cold I as I was hoping it would. I look forward to my next camping trip in March to use the bag again. Maybe we will have some freaky cold weather in South Carolina in March and I can really see how the Kelty Cosmic Down 20 does in the cold.
Final Update (not)
As I expected, the weather was too warm to do a cold weather test on my Kelty Cosmic Down 20 on my camping trip over the weekend. The temperature was 60 degrees when I went to bed and a nice 51 degrees when I woke up. Even though the temperatures have not reached the lower limit of the bags rating on any of my trips, I have been very satisfied with the bag up to this point. It does well in cooler temperatures and I have been able to sleep comfortably in temperatures ranging from 36 degrees to 60 degrees by keeping the zipper opened or closed. For the cooler nights I would pull the insulated hood baffle over my head and cinch the top baffle collar for extra warmth. The issue I had on my hotel camping trip of the zipper separating when I unzipped the bag too far and having difficulties reattaching it has not been an issue on real camping trips. The long size I tested gave me 6 inches longer in the length and 2 inches in the shoulder girth over the regular size bag so I did not feel in was stuffed in the bag like a sausage and I had enough room to move around, but not too much where there would be big air pockets of cold. I really like how easily the bag stuffs in the stuff sack or the bottom of my backpack. Remember, don’t leave your sleeping bag in its stuff sack while you store it. Make sure you hang it by the hang loops (recommended by Kelty) or keep it in a loose, well ventilated bag.
This typically would be my last update on the bag but since I was not able to test the bag at the lower limit of the rating, I will plan to do another update next winter when the temperatures drop again. Like I said in the above paragraph, I have been very satisfied with this bag and look forward to using it on all my future camping trips.
Designed by Tim Sainburg from Brambling Design
