REI Flash Sleeping Bag
Description
Field Notes: With an EN Comfort Rating of 32-degrees, the Flash leans toward the summer side of three seasons. Female testers found that, paired with a 4-season insulated sleeping pad and long johns, they were comfortable down to 32-degrees. Tested in car camping and backpacking scenarios, testers favored Flash as an everyday bag in milder climates.
Pros: The regular size weighs a negligible 1 lb. 10 oz. and was one of the most compressible bags tested (even compared to more expensive – but warmer -- mountaineering bags). The thin layer of PrimaLoft Sport made for concern about staying warming, but it performs solidly to keep your lower half warm when paired with an insulated pad.
Cons: Flash is not as warm as other bags tested, particularly the TNF Kazoo, which was a tester favorite when temperatures dropped to the mid to low 20s.
Favorite Feature: Testers were energized by the feather weight of this tiny-packing sleeping bag. When required to downshift from 65L to 50L packs, Flash fit the bill to conserve packing volume for other essentials.
Tester Comment: “This bag is so easy to take — and packs so small. While I’d like to take it on every trip, it does get chilly around 32 degrees. Flash fits 8 out of 10 trips I’m planning this year.”
Bottom Line: If 3-season means summer plus late spring and early fall, this bag is a winner. Look elsewhere if you want an ultra-warm bag and don’t need such extreme packability.
Key Features:
- With a European Norm (EN) comfort rating of 32°F, this bag is suitable for 3-season use
- REI double-protection design combines water-repellent fills with waterproof/breathable fabric at the hood, sides and footbox, the areas most likely to touch a damp tent wall
- Designed to fit a woman's body, this bag offers increased room at hips, decreased room at shoulders and extra insulation in critical heat-loss areas
- On top of the bag, where superior loft and warmth are key, is water-repellent 700-fill-power duck down
- On the bottom is resilient Primaloft® Sport insulation, which performs well in a compressed under-bag space
- Ripstop nylon shell also features a durable water repellent (DWR) finish to further protect the bag's insulations
- Performance fit keeps weight low and thermal efficiency high
- REI in-the-round design puts vertical baffles in side walls to wrap you in warmth and create a better fit than bags that use only horizontal baffles
- Contoured hood, insulated face muffler and full-length draft tube all work to keep warmth in
- Differentiated hood and neck drawcords simplify adjustments; antisnag zipper works smoothly
- Any REI backpacking bag can be zipped to any other REI backpacking bag; women's bags zip on the right, men's on the left
- The women's REI Flash Sleeping Bag includes a nylon stuff sack and a large cotton storage bag
- European Norm (EN) is an independent third-party temperature rating, allowing accurate comparisons across brands with other EN-rated bags
Size: Regular, Long
Weight: [Regular] 1lb. 11oz. [Long] 1lb. 14oz.
Materials: [Shell] Ripstop Nylon, [Insulation] 700-fill duck down (top) and PrimaLoft Sport (bottom),
