REASONS TO BUY
Cheap
Anti-snag zipper
Sturdy materials
Versatile synthetic insulation
REASONS TO AVOID
Moderate warmth-to-weight ratio
Doesn't compress well
Limited extra features
Mountain Hardwear Lamina 30 Review
An affordable workhorse with solid all-around performance
Credit: Mountain Hardwear
Our Verdict
The Lamina may not be the perfect sleeping bag, but we certainly admire its gumption. Up against other bags that cost more than three times as much, it held its own. Its best quality is its versatility, particularly the performance of its synthetic insulation when wet. It also offers respectable warmth in a reasonably comfortable package. Where this bag does worse is in weight and packed size. That's understandable though when you're comparing a sub-$200 bag, like the Lamina, with ultra-premium competitors. When compared with more similarly priced bags, it does much better.
In terms of the absolute best backpacking sleeping bag bargain, our testers prefer the lighter and more packable Nemo Kyan 35, but the Lamina is still a solid synthetic choice.
Our Analysis and Test Results
Mountain Hardwear recently redesigned their entire sleeping bag line up. The Lamina had long been thought of as a solid synthetic bag, and the redesigned version lives up to that reputation.
Performance Comparison
Synthetic bags like the Lamina often have a smooth baffle-less construction because there is no risk of the insulation moving around. Some sleepers find this more comfortable because no stitches disrupt the interior fabric.
Credit: Jack Cramer
Warmth
The Lamina receives an EN lower limit rating of 27°F. In our tests, this rating felt accurate compared to other bags with similar temperature ratings. For the whole review this is a nice middle-of-the-road performance which we think most users will find warm enough for spring and fall but not too warm for summer.
Most bags we tried had a comfort rating roughly 10 degrees higher than their limit rating. Without a great sleeping pad and extra layers, you will probably be happier in temperatures just down to the comfort rating.
Credit: Jack Cramer
Weight
A size long Lamina tipped our scale at 2.28 pounds. This is just heavier than average for backpacking sleeping bag, but it's still light enough not to be a huge bother. It's also happens to be the same weight as an 800 fill power down bag that offered a similar amount of warmth. We thus believe that this bag's Thermal.Q insulation achieves a respectable warmth-to-weight ratio for a synthetic fiber.
Comfort
The dimensions of this bag are near the average. None of our testers complained about it feeling overly constrictive. Nor did any of our testers rave about it being especially comfortable. Overall, it has a similar feel to other budget, all-around mummy bags. These kinds of bags will be fine for most people, but side and stomach sleepers may appreciate one of the specialty bags that has a more generous lower body cut.
The Lamina comes with the sturdy compression sack seen here. It does a great job compressing the bag but weighs an ounce or more than some other sacks.
Credit: Jack Cramer
Packed Size
The Lamina comes with its own effective (if slightly heavy) compression sack. With this included sack, it packed down to close to the 8.6 liters in compressed volume we measured using a quality third-party compression sack. This packed size is among the largest in this review. However, for a bag of this price, it compresses pretty well.
Versatility
Although synthetic insulation doesn't always offer the best performance in weight or packed size, it has substantial versatility benefits. In wet conditions, the Lamina's Thermal.Q insulation easily beats down feathers by maintaining up to 50% of its warmth even when soaked. This bag's usable temperature range, however, is diminished by its ¾-length zipper and lack of a neck baffle. This means it's likely to feel less than comfortable on the hottest or coldest 3-season days.
This bag has a great anti-snag zipper slide and convenient pull tabs that are easy to locate in the dark.
Credit: Jack Cramer
Features and Design
The Lamina has a fairly basic mummy bag design. It doesn't have a neck baffle to seal heat in or a stash pocket to store your headlamp. Its hood and overall dimensions are also pretty spartan. One feature we really like is its zipper. It has an anti-snag slide and convenient pull tabs on the inside and outside of the bag.
Down seems to have captured a larger share of the sleeping bag market recently. We had a hard time finding quality synthetic options to add to our review. The Lamina, however, proves that synthetics can still compete and deserve consideration by all backcountry travelers.
Credit: Jack Cramer
Value
The Lamina fulfills all the requirements of a backcountry sleeping bag, and for a list price under two hundred dollars. That's pretty rad. For twice as much you can get a lighter, loftier ultra-premium bag, but you're not guaranteed to sleep any better. For this reason, we consider this bag to be a great value and an awesome budget sleeping bag.
Conclusion
The Mountain Hardwear Lamina 30 is a standard workhorse sleeping bag. It weighs a half pound or so more than some nicer down bags and doesn't pack quite as small, but grab one without taking out a loan. It's also filled with synthetic insulation that won't clump or lose all its warmth if it gets wet. That should improve your peace of mind for particularly wet climates or activities. So if you're looking for a great deal, the Lamina is definitely a good choice.
—
Jack Cramer
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