5 Days of Last Minute Gift Ideas: Day 2 is for anyone looking to lose weight!

Don't worry I am not going to recommend some low-fat, health conscious, trail snack or the latest exercise gadget. I am the one who loves backpacking so I can eat my forbidden guilty pleasures of Snickers and Top Ramen. 

I am however going to recommend an awesome sleeping bag for anyone who wants to shed some serious size and weight, but isn't quite ready to head toward the ultralight quilt option. Any of the Spark Sp sleeping bag series by Sea to Summit will score you major gift giver points! I tested the Spark Sp II and loved it... the official review is in the works, but know it gets 2 thumbs up. TheSpark Sp II regular length bag weighs in at 16.4 oz and compresses down to the size of a large grapefruit. This simple, but effective, bag features a 1/3 length zipper, 10D Nylon shell for minimal weight, and is filled with ULTRA-DRYDown™.  

Spark Sp I - Regular* // Fill Weight-6.3 oz // Bag Weight-12.3oz // EN Temp Rating- 46F/8C 
Spark Sp II - Regular* // Fill Weight-9.9 oz // Bag Weight-16.4oz // EN Temp Rating- 35F/2C 
Spark Sp III - Regular* // Fill Weight-14.1 oz // Bag Weight-22oz // EN Temp Rating- 25F/-4C 
*Long also available. Specs on website.

Gift Wrapping Tip: Compress it down and put it in a small box or gift bag. No one will ever suspect it is a sleeping bag.

Gift Giver Rating: Big Spender! $$$$

Review: Feathered Friends Spoonbill Sleeping Bag

The enjoyment of our Feathered Friends sleeping bag began on my first phone call to the Seattle based company, the person who helped me spent a good amount of time on the phone as we figured out the build of my new bag. We discussed down fill choices as well as the coating and material of the bag and color options.

The bag I chose was their award winning Spoonbill UL, which is a specialty bag that is built for two. It has the same fill as their 20 degree bag, but because two people are in it the rating of the bag is dependent on how warm a sleeper the residents are, Saveria is a warm sleeper so I knew we would be in good shape for our WTC snow camp.

When I received the bag it was in perfect AdventurUs colors, which was an added bonus. We were so excited we tried  to sleep in it on our bed for a couple of days, but it was a bit too warm for indoor use.

The first time we used it was on a weekend trip to Joshua Tree NP in late February, it was actually a little warm but with the half zips on either side we were able to regulate our temp very easily. We finally got to put the bag to the real test  over  a March 2 night / 3 day trip in the Eastern Sierras. Our first night was just under 9000 ft. near a stream on dirt where it dropped to 19 degrees, the only thing cold was my nose. It easily stuffed away, about the size of my 15 degree bag and Saveria carried it (don't feel too bad I carried the whole tent...and our Jetboil Sumo too). Our second night was just under 10,000 ft on snow above a lake, the temp felt warmer and was a perfect nights sleep.

We got a "regular" length, I am 6'2" and Saveria is 5'1", sorry 5'2" :)  and we both fit in easily with any clothes we wanted to stuff in the bottom.

My experience ordering to using the Feathered Friends Spoonbill could not have been better. A big thank you to them and a big recommendation to anyone looking for a great 2-person bag .