I looked at one of these when I was in REI in the USA recently, and it's nice, but as a synthetic it's not the most compressible of bags and you're left with a pretty big lump even under maximum stuff-age. But it is cosy, and cut quite wide at the shoulders in typial Marmot fashion.
Marmot deserves kudos for this launch. It's about time more manufacturers started to embrace green practices and, given similar recent announcements from the likes of Osprey, it's comforting to see the tide beginning to turn.
I am wondering how down fares on the green stakes? Given it is a renewable resource, a bi-product of farming and lasts for decades, I would be surprised if recycled petrochemically-sourced fibres were really that good in comparison.
I agree that the more the manufacturers can do, the better. But cynical little me is always a bit suspicious of 'green-wash'. The front page of the Klattermusen site has the best green advice IMO: "Don't buy a jacket unless you really need one". But if we all applied this rationale, then the outdoors brands would struggle to sell anything - recycled or otherwise. And they'd be forced to reduce the longevity of garments, à la incandescent light bulb, in order to stoke the replacement market.
Of course, it would never be a bad idea to use recycled fibres for the construction of a sleeping bag - down or synthetic. So I commend Marmot and other environmentally aware brands for doing so. Perhaps if we all turned off the heating and slept in our sleeping bags, we could justify their existence in the house!
as the owner of at least one down sleeping bag, I wonder if you too hear the ghostly squawks of geese being force-fed for foie-gras when you lie awake in your tent? At least recycled marmots are a quieter option...
