20°F
1 lb. 2.6 oz.
12.6 oz. of 950-fill down
: Hoodless design hits the sweet spot of weight and performance..
No zipper and very thin fabrics.
REI Co-op’s own offerings have been impressive in recent times with a robust selection of high-quality backpacking equipment at a price that is competitive. The most recent Magma 15 is an example in the point that for $399 you can get a high-end as well as warm bag for backpacking packed with 15.9 tons of down that’s 850 percent filled (REI also offers a 30 degree variant at $349). In terms of paper quality, the Magma 15 is to the top brands, but it’s less damaging to your pocket (competing versions made by Feathered Friends as well as Western Mountaineering cost $479 and $540 for each, respectively). The Magma isn’t expensive by any means–down is among the most expensive insulations and with good reason. However, it’s an excellent value particularly with a coupon for members.
However, in actual use in reality, in actual use, the REI Magma 15 has some flaws. Despite its impressive temperature rating We’ve observed that the bag isn’t exactly as warm as it claims to (that’s among the main reasons we’ve chosen to include the 15-degree version in lieu of 30). It’s hard to pinpoint precisely what’s going on, but the different baffle spacing might be the reason for it. The baffles on the lower portion of the body seem to be much bigger than the upper part which could be why it has left our feet and legs feeling a bit cold. Furthermore the shell isn’t as comfortable as the luxurious, high-end look of bags like Feathered Friends and Western Mountaineering. It’s hard to find a better deal in terms of weight and warmth, which earns the Magma an enviable position at the top of our list of choices.
