WM Sycamore

[phan_TOM]

Hi all, I added a new sleeping bag to my kit a few months ago and thought I'd do a quick review of it (now that its been out a few times)
especially seeing that I had so much difficulty in finding a decent review of it anywhere else online. I have an old army issue sunshine ellis
fairydown bag from my time in the services (manufactured in 1994 I think) which is a great bag but is a full on beast and I was after something
lighter, warmer and semi-rectangular as I just feel a bit too confined in a mummy bag.

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So far the Sycamore has been everything I hoped that it would be. The construction is top notch, it feels great to the touch and it has all the
features you would expect from a company like Western Mountaineering plus its lighter, warmer and packs smaller than my old bag, Yeah baby!.

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I have the 180cm version which is 905g (I havent weighed it to check though) and rated to -4°C which seems about right. I've taken it down to
-5°C so far (before the cloud rolled in) with lightweight polypro thermals, thick wool socks and a wool beanie and was comfortable all night, I
did have more layers on standby but happily didn't need them. I can't rate the waterproof qualities of the microfibre yet as it only had a light
misting each night and a little bit of rain splash but I like the fact that it relies on a really tight fabric weave as opposed to a DWR which can wear off.

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The bag is quite spacious and there is plenty of room for layers inside it so I'm sure I could comfortably take it lower if needed but as I will only
occasionally camp where it goes below zero I was more interested in the options for venting when it gets too warm. There is a full length zip
down one side which can be zipped up or down allowing you to hang a leg out if need be and the foot area has another zip which gives another
option for controlling the temp or hopping outside in the night to answer the call of nature while staying warm, ahhh luxury... The bag can also be fully
opened up and used as a quilt which is great.

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High loft down is used and a continuous baffle construction which lets you move the down around to further regulate the temp. There are nice
thick draft tubes around the zips and wide tape to stop the zips getting snagged which I enjoy compared to my other bag which was always getting
the zips caught up and jammed.

Overall I'm really happy with it. I think it has a good size/weight/comfort ratio and its so versatile that I can't see myself needing to change for a
long time.