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Mountain Hardwear Pinole 20 Review

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Mountain Hardwear Pinole 20 Review (Mountain Hardwear Pinole 20)
Mountain Hardwear Pinole 20
Credit: Mountain Hardwear
Price:  $80 List
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Manufacturer:   Mountain Hardwear
By Chris McNamara and Max Neale  ⋅  Nov 5, 2012
62
OVERALL
SCORE
  • Warmth - 35% 7.0
  • Comfort - 35% 5.0
  • Packed Size - 10% 6.0
  • Features - 20% 7.0

Our Verdict

The Pinole 20 is No Longer Available as of May, 2015
REASONS TO BUY
Lightweight
Inexpensive
Anti-snag zipper
REASONS TO AVOID
Budget rectangular bags offer better value

The Mountain Hardwear Pinole 20 offers the best value of all synthetic mummy sleeping bags we've tested. The bag is comfortable, simple, reasonably lightweight and can be found for around $80. The Pinole straddles our three pound cutoff that divides general purpose and backpacking sleeping bags; it can be used for shorter summer backpacking trips if you don't mind carrying the extra weight. But other bags offer less weight, pack smaller, and cost only slight more. The Kelty Cosmic 20 is our top choice for budget backpacking and general use in a down sleeping bag.

The most luxurious general purpose sleeping bag we've tested is the Slumberjack Country Squire, a gigantic rectangular bag that doubles as a queen sized blanket. The Wenzel Grande offers the most warmth for the dollar and the Wenzel Conquest, the best value for summer camping and warmer weather applications.

Our Analysis and Test Results

Likes


The Mountain Hardwear Pinole 20 is the best value three-season synthetic mummy sleeping bag we've reviewed. The bag's construction and materials are simple and of reasonable quality. It has differentiated pull cords (one round, one flat), which allow you to distinguish the cords by feel in the middle or the night. The Pinole also has the same anti-snag zipper found on Mountain Hardwear's higher quality sleeping bags like the Phantom and Ultralamina.

The best part about the Pinole might not be the bag itself but its fleece lined stuff sack that doubles as a soft pillow. Simply flip the stuff sack inside-out, fill it with a layer of your choice, and you have a warm and comfortable pillow.

Dislikes


While the Pinole employs offset quilt construction (to avoid sewn-through seams and cold spots), we found its temperature rating to be rather optimistic. Our testers agree that a rating closer to 30 degrees is more accurate. This doesn't necessarily detract from the bag- it's made for summer use- but we do recommend layering up when sleeping in near freezing temps.

Value


Rectangular sleeping bags offer nearly the same warmth and cost as little as half as much as the Pinole.

— Chris McNamara and Max Neale
 
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