Mountain Hardwear - Phantom™ 15F/-9C

Do you feel cold from the ground, or around and on top of you? Your feet cold? Need more details. I'm guessing you know about sleep system ratings system ....comfort, survival, extreme....Manufacturers often quote the survival or extreme cold rating of the bag/quilt, which can be misleading especially for cold sleepers. I'm also a cold sleeper. Try a mummy sleeping bag with a spacious hood, make sure it is not too short for your height. With a COMFORT rating of -10C at least. Some 3 season bags are warm enough. Wear a snowmobile/ski mask(works as a toque in the daytime). Not sure what the coldest temps you want to be out at? For a better winter bag, needs to be comfort rated to -20C. I use the xtherm also, and 1 ccf pad underneath, and that's good to -10C with my 3 season down bag(an old MH Phantom) and an light BA apex overquilt(stops condensation). Mind you at that temp I put some spruce boughs under my tent, this is not alway possible. For colder I add another ccf pad.And I use the winter bag instead. But that weighs almost 2kg...however, it's really only half kg more than weight of the 3season bag and the apex quilt combined. That system works to -25C for me. Also, using a pee bottle helps. So you don't need to get up at night. If it's a Nalgene you can use it as your 'hot water bottle' and keep it inside your bag after use. Disgusting but works. Being cold/fearing cold can make you wanna pee more than is humanly possible.

Late to the Party, but the Mountain Hardwear Phantom bags are no longer a good value proposition (not to imply that they were before), but you can get a Western Mountaineering Kodiak MF (Microfiber) for $850 or the Storm Shield Version for $985. The Phantom Windstopper 0 degree starts at $1,100. Western Mountaineering is made in the US and so some of the tariff-related inflation is not hitting them as hard, making them a better value proposition. Not to mention Western Mountaineering makes the best down products in the world. Other folks have mentioned Gryphon Gear. Another awesome option. You may need to wait a while to get one though. Feathered friends is great too but I think Western Mountaineering is amazing. My recommendation, Get a Kodiak MF. The Microfiber fabric may look unassuming at first, but it is incredibly durable, tightly-woven fabric with excellent weather/water resistance and it breathes super well, critical for multi-day winter outings. I have a Puma Storm Shield and while I love the fabric and the fortress feel, a laminate fabric like that takes a long time to pack into a stuff sack. It just traps air like a balloon. The microfiber is a dream fabric. A proper microfiber fabric where the filament count is equal to or higher than the denier of the fabric.

The difference between the Phantom and the Bishop Pass is weight - they're both down bags, but use different fill powers to achieve the same temp ratings at different weights. Phantom -18C weighs 2lbs 10oz and the Bishops Pass -18C weighs 3lbs 2.1oz. Not a huge difference for the price, but if weight is a major concern it could be worthwhile. FWIW I've got the Phantom in -40 (non goretex), -18 and a Ghost Whisperer -9 and they're great bags. My wife has the -29 Lamina and it's fantastic, just heavier and bulkier than the down offerings. I wouldn't hesitate to get the Bishops Pass if it fits your budget and you don't mind the few extra ounces. You can use the extra $$$ to pick out something else on their website.

For posterity, the sizing is indeed important.  The non goretex versions are "performance mummy cut" which mean these are smaller.  The goretex ones are the ones you bring for expeditions, these are the big bullet proof tankers known as "Expedition mummy cut".   Inside the Expedition Cut, you can gear up with your belay down jacket and stuff, theres more room and then you can get a -18c instead of a -40c for example. The beefier goretex expedition one is interesting if you sleep straight outside in winter, with no tent.  It stop wind and melting snow wont wet the sleeping bag.   For serious winter stuff you can add a VBL in that melting pot of kit to manage humidity and dew point but its not in the main subject. Things to remember: - Performance cut; - Expedition cut. I personally have the blue and red MHW -40c goretex, the -18c, the -18c goretex and the -9c. Each sleeping bag have its particular usage in my activities.

My current down mummy one from Mountain Hardwear that I got for a crazy deal (<$90). There are zippers on both sides and the toe area. I move a lot in my sleep, and the slightly wider area up top makes it easier. (It's wide enough for my arms to go to my shoulder area, even zipped up.) It's a huge step up from my previous one, a cheap synthetic mummy.

It's really a personal choice. I would suggest you try the MH sleeping bag. It's a free way to test a type of sleeping bag. Worst case, you buy another one later. I personally use down sleeping bags because they are lighter and compress better. But they are more expensive and take a lot longer to dry if it gets wet.