Ultralight Sleeping Bag
Sierra Designs Mobile Mummy
$319, 2 lbs. 8 oz. (men’s regular)
Sizes: men’s regular and long ($290) and women’s ($300)
sierradesigns.com
Stepping out of my tent on our first morning in Arizona’s Aravaipa Canyon in the first week of April, I was greeted by an air temperature barely above freezing and a steady wind sailing through our camp at about 20 to 30 miles per hour. So I reacted in the only way that made sense: I wore my sleeping bag in camp. And I could do that and walk around easily (while my friends assumed postures of cold discomfort wearing their down jackets outside—or simply stayed in their tent) because my bag was the Sierra Designs Mobile Mummy 15° F/-9° C.
I stayed warm wearing the Mobile Mummy 15° F/-9° C around camp on evenings and mornings in those temps and slept in quite comfortably in it—not even having to always zip it up completely while wearing just a T-shirt, underwear, and socks—on nights ranging from just above freezing to the low 40s Fahrenheit. I also slept under the stars very warmly zipped up inside the Mobile Mummy on a late September night in the upper 30s in Idaho’s City of Rocks National Reserve. My wife found it more than warm enough on four nights backpacking in late summer in the Wind River Range, where the lows dropped into the 40s F—the kind of temps for which she prefers a 15- or 20-degree bag because she gets cold easily—and in similar temps for a total of four nights on three-day hikes on both the Skyline Trail in Jasper National Park and the Nigel, Cataract, and Cline Passes Route in the White Goat Wilderness of the Canadian Rockies in early August. In the White Goat Wilderness, we had very heavy dew both nights that soaked our tents inside and out, with the condensation inside getting our bag shells wet but not appearing to affect this bag’s warmth or loft at all.
Hi, I’m Michael Lanza, creator of The Big Outside. Click here to sign up for my FREE email newsletter. Join The Big Outside to get full access to all of my blog’s stories. Click here for my e-guides to classic backpacking trips. Click here to learn how I can help you plan your next trip.
After removing it from their product line for nearly four years, Sierra Designs has brought back the Mobile Mummy (which I’ve reviewed in its previous version), updating it with 55 percent partially recycled, 20-denier nylon ripstop fabric with a PFC-free, durable, water repellent treatment (DWR). That 20-denier fabric is heavier and more durable than what you’ll see in many backpacking sleeping bags.
Remaining unchanged in the Mobile Mummy are its long, two-way center zipper extending to the footbox and the zipper-less armholes with overlapping flaps to seal out drafts while sleeping. The center zipper is not only great forside sleepers, it makes sense for most users and I’ve long wondered why that’s not standard in most backpacking sleeping bags. The armholes, of course, enable you to extend your arms outside the bag while wearing it.
I can help you plan the best backpacking, hiking, or family adventure of your life. Click here now to learn more.
But understand that you still need a layer with warm sleeves on cold mornings—which means that a Mobile Mummy may not necessarily replace an insulated jacket, but it may allow you to bring a lighter jacket that’s augmented by this wearable bag. (You also may need an insulated jacket during the daytime or while on the trail and you can’t wear the Mobile Mummy for that—it would be far too warm and it doesn’t give your legs enough freedom of movement for real hiking.)
Most distinctively, when unzipped from the bottom end, the Mobile Mummy’s footbox can be lifted up and toggled to the outer shell so you can wear is like a very long down parka, even walking around camp in it. That’s why it made sense for SD to make the Mobile Mummy for sub-freezing temps (or even above freezing for users who get cold easily): On mild backcountry nights, you don’t need a wearable sleeping bag.
Stuffed with 18.6 oz./525g (in the men’s regular) of 800-fill power, water-resistant DriDown, the bag carries an ISO comfort rating of 27° F/-3° C and a limit rating of 16° F/-9° C. That high-quality down makes the bag reasonably warm for its weight and more packable than down bags with a lower fill rating and virtually any synthetic sleeping bag. The wide, front zipper draft tube is reinforced with stiff fabric to preclude any possibility of snagging, as are the ample draft tubes at the hood and armholes.
Like what you’re reading? Sign up now for my FREE email newsletter!
With a fit length of 72 ins./183cm and circumferences of 60 ins./147cm at the shoulders, 58 ins./147cm at the hips, and 40 ins./102cm at the feet (men’s regular), the bag feels adequately roomy even as its mummy shape remains heat-efficient and minimizes bulk when packed.
The non-adjustable hood (read: no cords in your face when sleeping on your side) features enough elasticity for a snug closure around your head and face and to move with your head even with the front zipper quite open—as it did for me flopping from side to side during nights. That conveniently eliminates the step of closing and opening the hood when entering and exiting the bag; and by just opening the front zipper a few inches, you can easily push the hood off your head when needed.
The bag packs into a stuff sack measuring 8×16 ins./20.3×40.6 cm, which is compact for a bag this warm. It’s also available in a men’s long and a women’s model.
Sierra Designs Mobile Mummy 15° F/-9° C
The Verdict
The ability to wear the Sierra Designs Mobile Mummy 15° F/-9° C makes it one of the most versatile sleeping bags for backpacking, but its warmth, moderate weight, high-quality down, center zipper, and comfortable dimensions and hood offer more good reasons to get one.
BUY IT NOW
You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking this affiliate link to purchase a men’s or women’s Sierra Designs Mobile Mummy 15F/-9C at sierradesigns.com.
See all reviews of sleeping bags and all reviews of backpacking gear at The Big Outside, and my “Pro Tips for Buying Sleeping Bags” and “10 Pro Tips: Staying Warm in a Sleeping Bag.”
And don’t miss my picks for “The Best Backpacking Gear” of the year.
Plan your next great backpacking trip in Yosemite, Grand Teton, and other parks using my expert e-guides.
Whether you’re a beginner or seasoned backpacker, you’ll learn new tricks for making all of your trips go better in my “12 Expert Tips for Planning a Wilderness Backpacking Trip,” “10 Tricks for Making Hiking and Backpacking Easier,” and “A Practical Guide to Lightweight and Ultralight Backpacking.” With a paid subscription to The Big Outside, you can read all of those three stories for free; if you don’t have a subscription, you can download the e-guide versions of “12 Expert Tips for Planning a Wilderness Backpacking Trip,” the 10 tricks for making hiking and backpacking easier, and the lightweight backpacking guide without having a paid membership.
NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker Magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See my Gear Reviews page at The Big Outside for categorized menus of all of my reviews and my expert buying tips.
—Michael Lanza