Sleeping Bags

Mountain Hardwear Lamina Eco AF -9C Sleeping Bag | Review

A synthetic winter sleeping bag that the manufacturer claims is ‘Eco AF’ – but does it stand up to that bold claim?

Why We Chose the Mountain Hardwear Lamina Eco -9C Sleeping Bag: Eco-friendly, warm, innovative

Price: £260
Weight: 1090g
More info: mountainhardwear.com

The first thing you might notice about the new Lamina Eco AF sleeping bag from Mountain Hardwear is the name. Yes, ‘Eco AF’ means exactly what you think it does – which is not only a bold statement in itself, but also a pretty audacious name for a product, especially from a major US brand like Mountain Hardwear.

The second thing you’ll probably notice is the striking colour. Or more precisely, the lack of colour, since it is white. That might seem a strange design choice for a bit of outdoor kit, particularly a sleeping bag, but just like the Columbia Outdry Eco Shell that was released a couple of seasons back, there is a good justification for it. The Lamina Eco AF sleeping bag is white because it is undyed – which saves thousands of gallons of waste water in the production process, i.e. a very good thing for the planet.

In fact, sustainability is at the heart of the product. The bag itself is made using recycled fabric, insulation and trims. The shell and lining is 20 denier 100% recycled ripstop nylon, with a PFC-free durable water repellent (DWR) coating. The insulation, meanwhile, is 70% recycled Thermal.Q polyester fill. The lab guys at Mountain Hardwear claim that, in terms of outright performance, this is the closest synthetic fill comes to goose down. The nylon compression sack and storage sack that are included with the bag are also made from recycled fabrics.

The bag’s performance is as impressive as its construction. It is lighter and more compact than the rest of Mountain Hardwear’s Lamina range, but uses the same unique stitch-free construction to hold the insulation in place, eliminating cold spots caused by traditional stitched baffles. It certainly feels cosy once you climb inside, and though you might look – and feel – a bit like a silkworm, you’ll stay snug as a bug in the proverbial rug.

Packs down to just 20cm x 42cm. Photo: Chris Johnson

There's an impressive amount of loft to the fill. Photo: Chris Johnson

Clever design features lock in maximum warmth, from the tailored hood and shaped collar baffle to the contoured foot box. The fit is described as ‘performance mummy cut’, which feels close but not restrictive, maximising warmth for weight by reducing dead space inside the bag. If you want to get the tape measure out, the regular size measures 52 inches in circumference at the hips and 58 inches at the shoulder.

You can size up or down to suit too, as the bag is available in three different sizes, as well as the option of a left or right-hand two way zip. This affords the opportunity for ventilation if you do start to overheat, and it also means that two bags with opposing zips can zip together if you feel like spooning your tent-mate (hey, it’s a recognised survival technique, ok?).

The specs are decent too. The Lamina Eco AF -9 weighs in at just over a kilo, which is very competitive compared to most other three-to-four season synthetic bags. It has impressive loft but a compact packed size of just 20cm x 42cm, and you could probably compress it even further if needed.

Overall, we like this bag a lot. Mountain Hardwear are really pushing the envelope here in performance terms as well as sustainability, and for that they should be commended.

Trade Secrets

“The official name for the product is Lamina Eco AF. For those close to the manufacturing process it means ‘Alternate Fabrication’ but to consumers it means something completely different! The MHW design team put this in at the end as another way of saying it’s as sustainable as it can possibly be.”