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Feathered Friends Vireo UL Review

Tailor-made for light and fast ultralight backpackers, fastpackers, mountaineers, and FKT enthusiasts that demand both warmth and a light weight
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Feathered Friends Vireo UL Review
Credit: Justin Simoni
Price:  $449 List
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Manufacturer:   Feathered Friends
By Justin Simoni and Andy Wellman  ⋅  Feb 28, 2024
72
OVERALL
SCORE


RANKED
#3 of 17
  • Warmth - 30% 6.8
  • Weight - 25% 8.5
  • Comfort - 20% 8.0
  • Versatility - 15% 6.0
  • Features - 10% 5.0

Our Verdict

The Feathered Friends Vireo UL is a specialty bag designed for use while traveling fast and light on the trail or above a mountain ridgeline. This hoodless mummy completely cuts out the zipper to save weight and bulk, and while it has a temperature rating of 25°F for the lower body, it uses less down fill on the upper body, which is rated to 45°F. Pair it with your insulated jacket for instant weight savings while staying warm below freezing. At 16.4 ounces, it is indeed very light. The lack of zippers, or really any other features save a top cinch strap, means that this bag compresses down tightly and fits into packs that may already be bursting with gear.
REASONS TO BUY
Exceptional warmth to weight
Best for FKTs and lightning quick mountain adventures
Simple
REASONS TO AVOID
Less versatile than other bags
Cannot unzip at all to wear as a blanket or dry out
Harder to climb in/get out
Editor's Note: This review was updated on February 28, 2024, after fully retesting the Vireo.

Compare to Similar Products

 
Awards Top Pick Award
Best for Moving Fast and Light
Editors' Choice Award
Best Ultralight Hooded Mummy Bag
Top Pick Award
Most Versatile Quilt
Best Buy Award
Best for a Tight Budget
Top Pick Award
Best Synthetic
Price $449 List$550 List
$469.95 at Backcountry
$469 List
$469.00 at Feathered Friends
$270 List$200 List
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Star Rating
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Bottom Line The only mummy bag that uses more down fill in the foot box and less around the torso, to take advantage of the clothing you have with youStay warm and comfy in this excellently executed bagAn awesome set of features allows you to use this bagin a surprising amount of different temperatures and situationsA functional, versatile, and well-featured quilt well worth the low priceYour best bet for an ultralight quilt if down fill just doesn't work for you
Rating Categories Feathered Friends V... Therm-a-Rest Hyperi... Feathered Friends F... Hammock Gear Econom... Enlightened Equipme...
Warmth (30%)
6.8
9.0
4.0
6.7
5.5
Weight (25%)
8.5
6.5
7.4
4.8
5.3
Comfort (20%)
8.0
8.0
7.0
7.0
7.0
Versatility (15%)
6.0
6.0
10.0
8.0
8.0
Features (10%)
5.0
8.0
9.0
8.0
7.0
Specs Feathered Friends V... Therm-a-Rest Hyperi... Feathered Friends F... Hammock Gear Econom... Enlightened Equipme...
Manufacturer Stated Temperature Rating 25°F lower half, 45°F upper half 20°F 40°F 20°F 30°F
Measured Weight (bag only) 16.2 oz 21.4 oz 19.2 oz 25.8 oz 24.6 oz
Stuff Sack Weight 0.8 oz 1.6 oz 0.8 oz 0.6 oz 0.6 oz
Stuffed Size 7" x 10" 6" x 8" 7" x 10" 6" x 10" 8" x 17.5"
Manufacturer Claimed Weight 16.7 oz 20.0 oz 20.0 oz 22.2 oz 23.8 oz
Fill Weight 9.4 oz 12.5 oz 8.4 oz 13.2 oz 20.4 oz
Shell Material Pertex Endurance UL 10D Nylon RipStop w/DWR Pertex Endurance UL 20D nylon taffeta 10d Ultralight nylon fabric, DWR finish
Fill Power 950+ fill goose down 900 fill RDS Nikwax hydrophobic goose down RDS 950+ goose down 850 fill duck down 4oz/yd² Climashield Apex synthetic insulation
Style Hoodless, zipperless mummy Hooded mummy Center zip mummy bag or unzip for quilt Quilt Quilt
Construction No hood, no zipper and a variable fill Horizontal box baffle consruction Continuous baffles Box baffle consruction Baffle-less, no sewn-through seams
Shoulder Girth 64" 57" 62" 55" 54"
Hip Girth 48" 49.5" 48" 50" 47"
Foot Girth 38" 43" 39" 45" 40"
Zipper Length No zipper 1/2-length side zip at top Full-length center zip 1/3-length at bottom 1/4-length at footbox
Sizes 62", 68", and 74" Small, regular, long Regular, long, and wide Short, standard, long, short wide, standard wide, long wide Short, regular, regular wide, long wide
Temp Options (degrees Fahrenheit) 25, 45°F 20, 32°F 20, 30, 40°F 0, 10, 20, 30, 40°F 20, 30, 40, 50°F

Our Analysis and Test Results

The Vireo UL has a few different design elements not found on any other sleeping bag in this review. It is the only mummy bag to forego a zipper completely. We love the unique variable fill: the bottom half of the bag is rated to 25°F, and the top half to 45°F. The idea is to use an insulated jacket you're probably carrying anyway to keep you warm at night. Because this sleeping bag is meant to be paired with a bulky jacket, the fit in the torso is one of the most spacious of any mummy bag we tested, and on warm nights, you can always sleep in this bag without the jacket at all, keeping your bottom layers thinned out as well.

Performance Comparison


feathered friends vireo ul - home for 10 days! an ultralight fkt setup for the colorado trail...
Home for 10 days! An ultralight FKT setup for the Colorado Trail using the Feathered Friends Vireo UL, a DCF tarp, tyvek sleeping bag cover, UL pillow, 6-panel closed cell foam pad, carbon trekking pole, and a 1000 fill puffy jacket. Taken at Snow Mesa, outside of Lake City.
Credit: Justin Simoni

Warmth


The Vireo UL has a variable fill of 25°F on the lower body and 45°F on the upper body. It is hard to discern the difference in lofting insulation between the two halves. To accomplish this, Feathered Friends uses 9.4 ounces of 950+ fill goose down, which is amongst the highest-rated down of any bag we tested. The baffles are horizontally oriented, rather wide, and sewn through.


While it doesn't have a hood, we still found this bag to be pretty warm, and the top does have a simple cinch to help with drafts. We tested it primarily while backpacking and camping out on climbing trips and found that on nights when the low temperature was in the 40s, we still felt comfortable without needing to add our puffy down jacket. On a colder trip on the Colorado Trail in October, we experienced the changing of the season, and we were happy to have a 1000-fill puffy.

In our hot water bottle overnight test, the Vireo came out more impressive than some 20°F rated bags, even with its 25°F-rated bottom. We feel that this rating is realistic or perhaps even generously conservative.

feathered friends vireo ul - the foot of the vireo holds more down than the top and is designed...
The foot of the Vireo holds more down than the top and is designed for you to wear an insulated down coat while sleeping.
Credit: Justin Simoni

Weight


We tested a 74-inch long Vireo UL, which is the longest size available. Our test bag weighed 16.4 ounces, slightly lighter than the advertised 16.7 ounces, and the included stuff sack weighed an additional 0.8 ounces. This makes the Vireo one of the lighter sleeping bags in our test.


The high-quality 950+ goose down comes in at 9.4 ounces or 57% of the bag's total weight. A 10D shell and 15D liner don't add much to the overall weight, nor does the single top cinch. There's really not much fluff to this bag except for the feathers themselves.

feathered friends vireo ul - the vireo ul barely tips the scales over a pound.
The Vireo UL barely tips the scales over a pound.
Credit: Justin Simoni

Comfort


Since this is a hoodless mummy bag that is only meant to come up over the shoulders while being worn, the size choices are a bit short compared to most that we tested. For this test, we went with the 74-inch option. This length easily fit our head tester's 5'11" frame, comfortably coming over the top of the shoulders. While the legs and feet of this bag are quite narrow, the torso and upper body region are the widest and most spacious of most of the mummy bags we tested, significantly adding to overall comfort. This bag felt downright palatial when we didn't wear an extra jacket inside it. Even with a down jacket on, as it is designed to be used, the upper body is not too restricting.


With no zippers and only one single drawcord at the neck, there were virtually no features or cords on the Vireo that could annoy us while sleeping, helping it score near the top of our ratings.

feathered friends vireo ul - the generous opening of the vireo is one of its best design choices...
The generous opening of the Vireo is one of its best design choices, making it easier to get in and out of, while also helping keep you comfortable when you use the bag with an insulated jacket.
Credit: Justin Simoni

Versatility


With no zipper or enclosure system of any sort, this bag isn't the most versatile. Not only is it a pain to wriggle in and out of, but it is literally impossible to ventilate built-up heat on a warm night. Used in the mountain setting as it is designed to, this shouldn't be a problem, but if you intend to stretch this bag's usage to camping at the base of a mountain or for simple backpacking trips, then it's a tad annoying.


The variable fill of this bag does add to the versatility a bit, as you always have the option of wearing an insulated jacket on cold nights or foregoing any extra layers if it's warm and they aren't needed. We also like how the outer shell fabric is made of naturally water-resistant Pertex Endurance UL fabric, lessening the chances of water being an issue in the mountains.

Getting into this zipper-less wonder takes a bit of inch worming, but isn't too hard after a few practice wiggles.
Credit: Justin Simoni

Features


With very few features, there is not a ton to discuss, except to say that the lack of features is what helps the Vireo achieve such a light weight — an enduring feature in itself.


We do like how the single cord at the head of the bag is made of static cord, as opposed to a stretchy bungee cord, and its buckle does a fine job of holding the cord tight. Like many of the other bags, we still had the complaint that the long cord, when fully tightened, dangles in one's face and near the neck.

feathered friends vireo ul - pretty much the only feature to speak of on this zipper-less mummy...
Pretty much the only feature to speak of on this zipper-less mummy bag was the single draw cord around the neck opening. It worked just fine.
Credit: Andy Wellman

Should You Buy the Feathered Friends Vireo UL?


The Vireo UL is a specialty bag designed with alpine climbing and fast and light missions in mind. Its variable fill is meant to take advantage of the insulation you are already carrying with you in the form of an insulated jacket, thereby saving weight. With no zipper, getting in and out may take a little practice. That said, the very spacious fit was among the most comfortable we tested. Overall, this is an adequate lightweight bag for backpacking and fastpacking during the shoulder seasons.

feathered friends vireo ul - the 15d flite ripstop nylon shell is a great complement to the 950+...
The 15D Flite ripstop nylon shell is a great complement to the 950+ goose down fill.
Credit: Justin Simoni

What Other Ultralight Sleeping Bags Should You Consider?


If the “no zipper” idea isn't working for you, Feathered Friends also offers the Feathered Friends Flicker 40 UL, a full-zippered quilt. The Flicker is all about versatility, but you'll pay a weight penalty in return. For another lightweight bag, consider the Sea to Summit Spark Ultralight 28, which compresses down incredibly well with the included compression sack and is perfect for small-volume backpacks. Also, look at quilts to get a similar warmth-to-weight ratio. The Western Mountaineering AstraLite is a serious quilt that forgoes a lot of the features found in many others to save weight.

feathered friends vireo ul - the feathered friends vireo ul packs down well in its provided xxs...
The Feathered Friends Vireo UL packs down well in its provided XXS stuff sack, but you can get even better compression using a third party compression sack.
Credit: Justin Simoni

Justin Simoni and Andy Wellman