Mountain Hardwear Bozeman Flame Review

The Mountain Hardwear Bozeman Flame 20 is one of the most compact bags in this review, and the more roomy and comfortable of the mummy shaped bags we evaluated. We also like that the fleece-lined stuff sack can be turned into a comfy pillow.

Performance Comparison

Warmth

We slept OK in this bag in the mid 20s, but without a draft collar at the neck, you're left with cinching it super tight around the face to seal in warm air. We found that this bag was most comfortable in the mid 30s to low 50s range. We preferred the ALPS Crescent Lakes 20 mummy with its puffy, warm draft collar in colder temps. The Bozeman Flame is constructed with two layers of synthetic insulation; one is sewn to the nylon shell, and the inner layer is sewn to the polyester taffeta lining (offset-quilting). This bag does have a draft tube that backs the zipper, no cold seeping in there. The hood adjusts all the way around with an elastic cord, which is conveniently attached to the bag for one handed use.

Comfort

Mummy bags like this one just don't score well in comfort in the camping sleeping bag category. Larger, rectangular shaped bags simply have more room and are less constricting. And while the taffeta lining is lighter than poly/cotton blends, it's just not as soft. That said, this is one of the widest synthetic mummy bags we've tested. The Bozeman Flame's zipper extends within 12 inches of the foot of the bag, and with two way pulls, you can ventilate the foot of the bag when too warm.

Features

There's nothing fancy about this model, just the minimum of simple features for function. Two small webbing loops are sewn into the foot of the bag for hanging it up, and the Velcro zipper closure flap folds over onto itself, hiding away the prickly part when not in use. The wide, stiffened backing for the zipper provided snag-free operation every time we opened or closed the Bozeman Flame's zipper. As mentioned above, a draft collar at the neck to further seal in warm air would be a big improvement for this model.

Packed Size

Our measured weight of this sleeping bag is 3 pounds, 8 ounces, which is among the lightest we tested in this category. Stuffed into its fleece-lined stuff sack, this is the second most compact bag we tested. That's right, half of the stuff sack is lined with soft fleece, making a nice pillow when you turn it inside out and stuff it with some extra clothing.

Best Applications

We feel this is a good crossover bag for folks that car camp a lot, but want a comfy sleeping bag that can also go on the occasional backpacking trip. It is the roomiest and most comfortable hooded mummy we've tested.

Value

While this is a good quality bag, at $120, we feel there are more affordable products that perform just as well. The similar ALPS Crescent Lake 20 is warmer, if slightly less comfortable, and rings up about $30 less.

Conclusion