Review: Feathered Friends Petrel UL 10 Women’s Sleeping Bag
The Feathered Friends Petrel UL 10 is the Seattle-based company’s warmest three-season, women-specific sleeping bag. The Petrel UL 10 is built with extra fill in the chest and footbox based on regions with need for additional warmth, and it is incredibly lofty and lightweight. The bag packs down small and expands for maximum warmth-to-weight and comfort.
Review continues after video.
Feathered Friends Petrel UL 10 Women’s Sleeping Bag
Overview
MSRP: $539
Weight: 33 ounces (medium)
Temperature Rating: 10 degrees
Fill: 950+ goose down
Fill Weight: 21.3 ounces
Shell Material: Pertex® Endurance UL 10-denier water-resistant/breathable fabric
Feathered Friends has been building sleeping bags since the early 1970s, making their products right in Seattle out of high-quality, durable components. Smart construction and purpose-driven design are obvious, and this bag provides incredible warmth-to-weight ration, comfort, and ease of use. It has a generous draft collar, a deep hood, and is lofted with luxurious 950-fill down.
Circumstances of Use
After trying a quilt for a few seasons, I’ve returned to the mummy bag and this is where I’ll stay. I took the Petrel UL 10 on an early-spring backpacking trip in Utah, with conditions ranging from desert nights in the 20s to camping on a pass at 9,000 feet at around 10 degrees. I also used it in a blizzard in Idaho, and a frigid overnight in Montana. Temperatures during testing ranged from 10 degrees to 38 degrees Fahrenheit, with most nights in the high teens to low 20s.
Features
Hood: The bag comes with the classic mummy hood and drawcords to cinch it tight. The hood felt a little shallow, which is one of the only things I’d change about the bag.
Drawcords: Located right next to your chin, the two drawcords are easily used to tighten the hood, and they stay locked in place without fail.
Zip guards: The zippers come with a plastic keeper to prevent fabric snags. These felt a little bulky to me, but they can pop off with a screwdriver. I left them on, because zipper snags are insanely annoying, so it was worth having the small amount of extra bulk around the zippers.
Draft collar: The bag comes with a large, soft draft collar which provides significantly more down around your neck, helping trap the heat. It is placed perfectly and doesn’t feel constricting.
Draft tube: This was new to me, an extra layer of down padding that protect you from drafts through the zipper. It never got caught in the zipper, and it has a snap to really secure the collar in place.
Comfort and Sizing
This sleeping bag is incredibly comfortable to move around in. It pulls up tightly over your shoulders and can be easily zipped and unzipped from the bag. The drawcords are easy to tighten around the hood. Feathered Friends’ women’s bags are built to fit the female body, with more space in the hips and narrower through the shoulders. This optimizes space for warmth retention while not having additional bulk where we don’t need it, and the additional width at the hips lets you curl up or tuck your knees.
This bag is available in Small and Medium lengths, dimensions pictured above. It is also available in Lupine (pictured in the feature image) and Tangerine (my model).
Temperature Rating / Durability
This bag is as warm as advertised. The 950-fill down lofts high and creates a protective buffer that traps and accumulates heat quickly. Thanks to the draft tube, draft collar, and drawcords, I never felt like I was losing heat. One night was spent above 30 degrees, and I unzipped the bag halfway to allow ventilation.
I haven’t saturated the water-resistant face fabric despite condensation in my tent, and while I always protect my down items, knowing there is some wiggle room is reassuring. The zippers are durable and hefty, and the snaps are secure. As with all down, wash it each season according to down specs, and make sure to store it at full loft when not in use.
Packability
I stuffed the bag into this 10-liter stuff sack, and using the compression straps, I was able to get the sleeping bag down to roughly the size of a basketball. It fit nicely in the bottom of my 45L pack. When I pulled it out of the stuff sack for each night, the 950-fill down lofted high, making for a prime warmth-to-weight ratio.
Pros
Incredibly warm and well built. The fit is cozy but not constricting, and the size medium was spacious enough to move and sleep in whatever positions I wanted to, without worry of constriction or large air pockets for cold accumulation. The draft collar keeps the heat where it needs to be, and the zippers are hefty, durable, and easy to maneuver without catching on the draft tube or liner fabric.
Cons
I would love a deeper hood, as it felt a little shallow and slipped off my head a few times without the drawcords cinched all the way. If you feel like the zip guards are too bulky, they are removable. However, they’re there to prevent the fabric from getting snagged in the zipper, so it’s up to personal preference.
Overall
This is one of the highest quality sleeping bags on the market, and while the price might be a stopper, it’s worth the investment. I never got cold, and found it incredibly comfortable to sleep in. The bag is optimally sized and shaped, constructed with detail and care, and accurately rated. Take good care of this bag and it might be the last sleeping bag you ever need. I would recommend this bag to any hiker looking to invest in top-quality gear. The warmth-to-weight ratio, thoughtful design, and beautiful construction have made this sleeping bag a staple in my backpacking setup.
Feathered Friends also makes the Women’s Petrel YF 10, with 900 fill and 35 ounces for $459. The Hummingbird UL 20 is a great option for a men’s bag, and was named one of our Top Sleeping Bags of 2018.
This product was donated for purpose of review.
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Comments 4
Super helpful review! I can’t decide between this and Egret UL 20. I don’t go winter/snow backpacking too often but I figure if I’m investing in a new sleeping bag at this price, I might as well get the lowest temperature rating. Thoughts?
I would go for the 10-degree. You don’t have a huge weight penalty, and a sleeping bag like this is such high quality it might be the last one you need to buy. I comfortably use this bag throughout the winter also, just with an added layer.