Companion forum thread to:

Therm-a-Rest Haven Down Top Bag Review

it needs 800 fill to show off its true weight advantage over mummy bags


what was the R value of you pads when testing ... en rating assumes an R-value of 5 ... which means 2 pads or a downmat

For those of us who answer the call to nature 1 or more times per night, it seems that this bag would be a difficult proposition; too bad the hood opening isn't a bit larger. That and 800 fill down could make it quite attractive, IMO.

Getting out of the Haven is actually really easy. I usually use it with a Prolite pad as, in my experience, offers easier entry and exit (the pad goes inside vs. being strapped to the outside). The idea of getting out of the bag is simply, while laying on your back and putting your hands up near your head, throwing the arms outward. As you do this, the bag flies off and allows easy exit. Conversely I usually struggle getting out of a bag with a zipper. I'm either laying on it, it sticks as I try to zip it off, or it has snagged some of the material close to the zipper.

I made a hoodless quilt with the same bottom elastic system a few years ago. It works great. It keeps itself tucked in like magic. It is faster to get in and out of than a regular bag. You can stick out an arm or leg anytime to cool off. It is very convenient to grab items outside the bag or keep both arms out & read. As soon as you pull an appendage in, the elastic snaps back under instantly - no zipper to fool with. It automatically compensates for the size & clothing level of the user. I hope this design becomes more popular since I can't get the best fabrics to make the ideal bag myself.

A hood on a top bag doesn't make sense unless you always sleep on your back. On your side, you would either have your face in the side of the hood or have your back exposed.

This bag seems to have baffels which trap down underneath you which is a waste. It should at least allow the down to move to a useful location. Mine has the last few inches around the hole as a single layer of fabric. This controls drafts at a low weight and doesn't waste insulation.

Eric, thanks for pointing that out. I suppose they made those baffles for customers that would never think about down shifting. Unfortunately that's frustrating for those of us that intentionally shift down to optimize performance.

I'm glad this was reviewed. I found out about this bag on another site and I was especially curious to find out more about how easy or difficult it is to get out of this bag quickly. This is definitely a bag I'll consider in the future.

"A hood on a top bag doesn't make sense unless you always sleep on your back. On your side, you would either have your face in the side of the hood or have your back exposed."

Glad I'm a back sleeper. I have been using WM PODS (30F and 15F) with modified bottoms for years. Both have zippers, hoods and 800-850 fp down. Unfortunately WM never sorted out their pad attachment system, so without modifications it was not appealing to many. Very warm, and with my modifications they both come in around 40 grams lighter than the off-the-shelf versions.

Lynn,

What were the modifications that you made to the WM Pod system?