Feathered Friends Spoonbill UL Review
Our tried-and-tested opinion on Feathered Friends' flagship 2 person sleeping bag
YOUR EXPERT
Josiah is a long-time outdoorsman/adventure seeker, whenever he's not doing his day job
as a structural engineer. Read More
I've tested a few different products from Feathers Friends, and I feel this is one of the best sleeping bags in their range. If you are an outdoor lover looking to lighten the load of a 2-person bag without trading off comfort, Feathered Friends have the best solution- the Feathered Friends Spoonbill UL.
Your sleeping bag should be made to a high standard, and Feathered Friends will give you that and so much more! I love the design and quality of this bag. It is worth every dime!
This Feathered Friends Spoonbill UL review will discuss my experience with this sleeping bag, its unique features, material, size, and pros and cons.
Let's get to it!
Overview
I decided to buy the Feathers Friends Spoonbill UL as an option to save weight and space while climbing. I have been using this bag for close to two years, and I must say that I love it!
Colin Haley nailed it by making this wonderful creation to accommodate guys who fancy high-altitude mountaineering and backpacking.
The Spoonbill UL sleeping bag works significantly for everything from casual backpacking to high mountain climbing. This bag will give you the warmth you need, even as you enjoy magnificent views from cold mountain spots.
The award-winning two-person sleeping bag allows you and your partner to share the same bag and maximize the benefits of sharing body heat. To fully enjoy this awesome feature, my partner and I plan on taking this bag to higher even peaks this year.
Features
The Feathered Friends Spoonbill UL double bag has half-length zippers to allow you and your partner to access the bag easily without interfering with each other's sleep.
During one of our adventures, I was amazed by the performance of this bag. I needed to take a leak in the middle of the night but did not want to wake my partner. The zipper's strategic position allowed me to get out of the bag quickly. She didn't realize I had woken up.
The two half-length zippers on the sides of the sleeping bag also help in releasing extra heat during warm nights. Now, if you notice that the body heat between you and your partner is leading to sweating, just unzip the bag and enjoy the cool breeze at night.
Like most sleeping bags, the Feathered Friends Spoonbill UL doesn't have insulation at the bottom. For this reason, it would also be helpful to carry a sleeping pad if your feet are prone to getting cold.
We carry sleeping pads to our mountaineering adventures. We get so comfortable by placing our Spoonbill UL sleeping bag on them as we can lay down and watch the stars together.
The bag has an integrated collar and hood for each user to provide warmth throughout the night. Before purchasing the Feathered Friends Spoonbill UL sleeping bag, I owned several sleeping bags that lacked an integrated collar hood. I found it uncomfortable because cold air would get to my ears. With this one, I feel warm all night.
Looking for a smaller, synthetic bag? Read our Marmot Trestles Elite Eco 20 review
Shape and Design
Unlike other double bags, the Feathered Friends Spoonbill UL has ergonomically designed hoods with separate drawcords. One of the concerns people often have when they encounter a sleeping bag that accommodates two people is the drawcord.
What happens if I pull the drawcord from my end without alerting my partner? Don't worry! The sleeping bag has been crafted so that the drawcord will not strangle the other when one person adjusts one side. Well, for me that's a plus on the design and the bag's safety!
The hood and neck baffle design are the key features that separate the Feathered Friends Spoonbill UL from other two-person bags like 'zpacks twin quilt. This design provides excellent insulation for the body and prevents heat loss at night. The hood seals your neck, head, and shoulders in warmth for the entire night.
This sleeping bag has a tapered shape for maximum thermal efficiency. Often people tend to sleep folding their knees to avoid the dead space around the feet.
With some of the other sleeping bags' designs, there is a lot of dead space around the feet that require heating. If you use the Feathered Friends Spoonbill UL, you get to enjoy less dead space due to the tapered shape giving your feet the much-required warmth.
Material
The Feathered Friends Spoonbill UL sleeping bag has a light polyurethane fabric on the inside, which provides substantial water resistance. This material helps you worry less about due, rain, or even water splashes if you are sleeping near a river.
The sleeping bag has a lightweight Pertex Endurance fabric and a NEW Dyneema floor fabric that offers significant warmth to weight ratio. QUALITY AND COMFORT in one sleeping bag for two!
This sleeping bag is made with fill power 950+ goose down and fill weight of 23 0z for the regular size and 24 oz for the long size.
Weight
When it comes to weight, the Feathered Friends Spoonbill UL has an excellent warmth-to-weight ratio. If weight savings is a speck in your sleeping bags, then this one will amaze you. It packs down to a size that will save a lot of space in your carry bag.
The two-person bag has an average weight of 38.3oz for the size regular and 40oz for the long size bag. You can therefore walk and climb as you carry the sleeping bag without worrying about its weight.
Size
The Feathered Friends Spoonbill UL sleeping bag comes in two length sizes
The length of the regular size is about 6 feet
The length of the long size is about 6.6 feet
- It is light
- It provides great warmth
- It is durable
- Has the best weight to warmth ratio for couples
- Has a light polyurethane fabric
- Has a tapered shape
- Comes with separate drawcords
- It is a higher budget bag
- Doesn't have insulation at the bottom.
Take Away
If you want to enjoy warm nights with your partner, the Spoonbill UL two-person sleeping bag is your best choice. Its weight savings are top-notch. Make your purchase today to enjoy this comfortable and cozy sleeping bag. You might also like to compare it with our review of the Hummingbird YF 20.
