REASONS TO BUY
Soft lining fabrics
Good for summer time
Light and compact
REASONS TO AVOID
Not warm
Marmot Mavericks 30 Review
Credit: Marmot
RELATED: Best Camping Sleeping Bags of 2024
Our Verdict
The Marmot Mavericks 30 is an all synthetic bag that has the most unique features of the bags we tested. First, the semi-rectangular shape creates a lot of room, but saves weight by tapering from head to foot. An additional half length zipper lets you completely fold down the top torso portion of this bag. This is great in warm weather, and also when you want to sit in a chair and read a book while wrapped up. The warm back of the bag can be behind you while the front folds into your lap out of the way.
The luxuriously warm and comfortable Slumberjack Country Squire 0, our Editors' Choice winner, is the best general-purpose rectangular sleeping bag for cold weather. Our Best Buy winner Kelty Callisto 30 is more versatile for warm weather, and could also be used backpacking in a pinch.
Our Analysis and Test Results
The all synthetic materials, semi-rectangular, Marmot Mavericks 30 is the roomiest, most comfortable lightweight camping bag we tested. It can't handle cold weather, but the features and insulation are great for warm weather camping.
Performance Comparison
We found the Mavericks most appropriate for warm weather use, but pushed the limits for sleeping in the cold. A hat and hood extend the useful range.
Credit: Brandon Lampley
Warmth
Built with offset-quilting, two layers of synthetic insulation are sewn to the synthetic shell and liner fabric separately. This is the most efficient way to seal in warmth with the minimum of insulation. In warm weather you'll leave the top of the bag completely open, but for cool nights cinching it down above your shoulders seals in warm air. Like all rectangular bags, it lacks a hood, so sleeping with a hoodie or warm hat is necessary in cold weather. With a baselayer and light hoodie, we slept OK down to the high 30s, but 40s is more its comfort zone. This is the most comfortable bag we tested for warm nights and we'll use it all summer car camping. The Wenzel Conquest is another favorite for summer car camping. It's larger and has a cotton flannel lining, plus unzips into a queen-size blanket.
This semi-rectangular bag has a unique feature for our test group, two zippers to allow the chest of the bag to fold away for warm weather. We like it for sitting in a chair while keeping legs and waist warm.
Credit: Brandon Lampley
Comfort
This semi-rectangular bag has a medium amount of room inside. It is two inches narrower than the Kelty Callisto, and just a little wider than the shoulder girth of the two mummies we tested. The extra space at hips and legs level is more comfortable than a mummy. The upper 12 inches of the inside of the Mavericks 30, along with the footbox, is lined with a soft polyester fabric instead of the slippery taffeta. This is a great feature that feels good next to your face or bare feet; we like to sleep with no socks when it's warm out! In addition to the main zipper that extends to within 8 inches of the foot of the bag on the left side, a shorter right side zipper can be unzipped down to waist level. Fold the upper bag down and ventilate the foot at the same time in the summer.
A soft, synthetic fabric lines the top portion of this bag for comfort, and the cord locks for cinching up the top opening are sewn to the bag for one handed adjustment.
Credit: Brandon Lampley
Features
This bag does not have Velcro closure flaps for its two zippers, but we found they stayed put when fully zipped up just fine. Two small loops sewn into the foot make hanging to air out or dry simple and quick. We found the zipper stiffening to work well (they never snagged when zipping up), and this bag has draft tubes behind both zippers. Due to the double zipper design, separate elastic cords allow you to easily tighten the top and bottom of the opening independently, and with one hand.
Packed Size
Weighing in at 4 lbs even, the semi-rectangular Mavericks 30 is a half pound heavier than the Mountain Hardwear Bozeman Flame and ALPS Crescent Lake 20, two of the mummy bags we tested. Stowed in the included compression stuff sack though, this is the most compact of the models we tested when packed away.
The Mavericks, ALPS Crescent Lake, and Bozeman Flame side-by-side.
Credit: Brandon Lampley
Best Applications
Spring, summer, and fall car camping are the obvious places to use this roomy but light and compact bag. This bag also makes an excellent liner for larger rectangular bags for use in frigid temperatures. The Mavericks 30 inside a Country Squire or Wenzel Grande would see you through subzero nights.
Value
The Marmot Mavericks 30 is a good quality bag, but at $110, there are budget bags that perform just as well. The roomy shape and unique fold down front create a very comfortable bag that some folks will love at the price.
Conclusion
While there are warmer and more comfortable bags, the Mavericks 30 has some neat features for summer car camping. We like how the front folds down, especially when sitting and reading.
—
Brandon Lampley
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