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The AstraLite is a premium-grade product.
The AstraLite is a premium-grade product. (Photo: Andrew Skurka)

Long-Term Review: Western Mountaineering AstraLite

An ideal quilt for summer and fall in the Mountain West

Published: 
The AstraLite is a premium-grade product.
(Photo: Andrew Skurka)

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During one week聽in April, three separate people聽asked me about the 聽quilt, which聽I鈥檝e used for about 30 nights鈥攚hile scouting the Yosemite High Route in August 2018, on guiding trips in Sequoia and聽Kings Canyon National Parks a month later, and while enduring cold and wet conditions in West Virginia in May 2019.聽

I can鈥檛 recall another quilt that has garnered such interest, and I attribute that entirely to the manufacturer. Western Mountaineering has been making premium down sleeping bags and insulated clothing since the early 1970s in San Jose, California. And it鈥檚 still owned by Gary Schaezlein, who cofounded the brand with Jeff Jones.

The AstraLite is the first sleeping quilt from Western Mountaineering. It weighs a sweet 16 ounces聽and is appropriately rated to 26 degrees Farenheit, making it perhaps the warmest-per-weight quilt on the market. It鈥檇 be ideal for the Mountain West from about May through mid-October and the desert Southwest in the spring, fall, and most of the winter. I would not recommend it for humid or rainy climates. If you backpack primarily east of the 100th聽meridian or west of the Cascades, look elsewhere.

As a top quilt, the AstraLite performs wonderfully in a hammock or on the ground. (If you鈥檙e a calm sleeper, utilize its pad-attachment system聽and/or use it inside of a bivy sack.)

The AstraLite is a premium-grade product: made in the USA,聽with 850-fill humane European goose down, 4.5 inches of loft, seven-聽and ten-denier聽shell and liner fabrics, respectively,聽and an insulated neck yoke, plus top-notch craftsmanship and customer service.

But you鈥檒l pay for it. At $420, the AstraLite is more expensive than the best offerings from direct-to-consumer brands like Enlightened Equipment, Katabatic, Nunatak,聽and ZPacks.

AstraLite Versus聽NanoLite

The AstraLite was launched simultaneously with , which is lighter (11 ounces) but less warm (rated to 38 degrees). If I were to review the NanoLite specifically, my comments would be mostly the same.

The AstraLite and NanoLite are identical in every way besides聽loft (which is a function of their respective fill weights and baffle heights). They share the same down quality, shell and liner fabrics, baffle construction, pad-attachment system, dimensions, and neck yoke.

If I backpacked primarily in the warmer desert Southwest, I鈥檇 probably get more use out of a NanoLite, because its comfort range overlaps more with the prime backpacking months. But in the Mountain West, it鈥檇 be suitable only for the warmest summer nights聽or for warm sleepers.

The NanoLite is lighter (and less warm) than the AstraLite. In the Mountain West, it鈥檇 be a summertime-only product. It鈥檇 get more use in the warmer Southwest.
The NanoLite is lighter (and less warm) than the AstraLite. In the Mountain West, it鈥檇 be a summertime-only product. It鈥檇 get more use in the warmer Southwest. (Andrew Skurka)

Warmth

In the summer, I get , and I usually cowboy camp, making me more vulnerable to radiant heat loss and nighttime katabatic winds. To push a sleeping bag or quilt to its advertised comfort-temperature rating, I expect to sleep in most of my clothing (a hiking shirt, shorts and underwear, trekking pants, a fleece midlayer, and a hooded down jacket).

When I used the AstraLite, nighttime temperatures in Yosemite that聽August were in the low-to-mid-thirties; in Sequoia-Kings in September, they were in the mid-to-high twenties; and in West Virginia in May, they were in the low forties (and it was wet). I was comfortable on all trips聽and concluded that the AstraLite鈥檚 26-degree rating was fair and appropriate.

To remain comfortable on the September trips, when the lows were regularly at the AstraLite鈥檚 comfort limit, I swapped the Big Agnes Insulated AXL ()聽for a warmer , and more often I used the AstraLite鈥檚 draft-closure system (see below).

I see little sense in a quilt that is rated for temperatures colder than the high twenties. Beyond this threshold, high-loft head insulation is absolutely mandatory, and at that point, you might as well use a traditional聽mummy bag, which is simpler and less vulnerable to drafts.

Sizing

The AstraLite and NanoLite are both available in two lengths:

  • A five-foot-eight-inch聽version, for sleepers less than six feet聽tall
  • A six-foot-four-inch version, for sleepers between six feet聽and six feet six inches

With quilts, it can be difficult to make sense of the width spec, which Western lists as聽鈥渦p to 68 inches.鈥 More helpfully, the AstraLite and NanoLite are based on Western鈥檚 UltraLite mummy bag, which has a slimmer profile of 59, 51, and 39 inches at the shoulder, hip, and foot, respectively.

Insulated Draft Yoke

The chief downside of sleeping quilts is their draftiness. Active sleepers have an especially tough time, constantly revealing their noninsulated backsides or breaking the seal between the quilt edges and the pad. But even calm sleepers like me lose heat around the shoulders and neck.

The AstraLite reduces drafts with a comfortable neck yoke. To employ, snap the two top corners together, and tighten the cinch cord that runs through the quilt鈥檚 top hemline.

The yoke聽makes a significant difference in nighttime comfort, especially when temperatures are approaching the quilt鈥檚 comfort limit. But it still does not rival the cocoon sensation of a mummy bag or the warmth of the hideaway hood on the (notably heavier) Sierra Designs Nitro quilt.

The neck yoke reduces drafts by cinching gently around the neck.
The neck yoke reduces drafts by cinching gently around the neck. (Andrew Skurka)

Pad-Attachment System

The AstraLite has three 3/8-inch elasticized webbing loops on its underside, through which a sleeping pad can be inserted. This creates a seal between the edges of the quilt and the sleeping pad, making the quilt function more as a true top bag.

The loops are simple and effective, but they are a little fussy. I found it best to slide a partially inflated pad through the loops, adjust as necessary, and then fully inflate the pad.

I removed the uppermost loop, which is a few inches below the top hemline. When this loop is engaged, it feels as if you鈥檙e attached to a backboard, which defeats a primary selling point of quilts: their free-form nature.

On the back of the AstraLite, there are three 3/8-inch elastcized grosgrain webbing loops. (I removed one.) A sleeping pad can be inserted into them, to create a tighter seal between the quilt and pad.
On the back of the AstraLite, there are three 3/8-inch elastcized grosgrain webbing loops. (I removed one.) A sleeping pad can be inserted into them, to create a tighter seal between the quilt and pad. (Andrew Skurka)
Side view of the pad-attachment system when engaged
Side view of the pad-attachment system when engaged (Andrew Skurka)

Moisture Resistance

Based on its performance in the High Sierra last year, I was inclined to give the AstraLite a hearty thumbs-up. It offers a lot of warmth for just 16 ounces. But after using it for two three-day cold and wet trips in West Virginia, my endorsement is now qualified.

I don鈥檛 know the exact cause, but the AstraLite (and presumably the NanoLite, too) floundered in consistently wet conditions. My quilt never came into direct contact with moisture (e.g., splatter, a dunking), but it was wetter than other bags: clients observed this聽during a midday 鈥,鈥 and it was very evident to me after the trips when I was drying my quilt.

As a result of it absorbing ambient humidity, the AstraLite was far less warm, performing more like the NanoLite than a dry AstraLite. This issue presented itself slightly on my earlier trips, but in the semiarid Mountain West, it was much less noticeable.

The list of potential explanations is short. Either the down (which is not treated to be more water-resistant) has poor resistance to moisture, or the fabric breathability is low. Either way, this is a lovely product for semiarid and arid climates聽but not a great option for humid ones.

Especially in the footbox, the AstraLite performed poorly in consistently wet conditions. The bag was not exposed directly to moisture but simply absorbed ambient humidity.
Especially in the footbox, the AstraLite performed poorly in consistently wet conditions. The bag was not exposed directly to moisture but simply absorbed ambient humidity. (Andrew Skurka)

Competition

Sleeping quilts cannot be EN/ISO tested (the independent test that mummy bags undergo to get their temperature rating). And without this apples-to-apples rating, when purchasing a聽quilt, we鈥檙e unable to definitively answer the fundamental question: What is the most thermally efficient bag with my required price point, dimensions, materials, construction, and company values?

Product聽specs can shed some insight, but that聽requires (e.g., loft, fill weight, length, and width), none of which are independently verified and/or held to an industry standard.

The good news is that buyers have more choices鈥攊n both the number of brands and the number of excellent products鈥攖han ever before. If you do a little bit of homework, such as online reviews聽and聽ideally an in-person inspection, you鈥檙e almost guaranteed to be happy with your purchase.

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