Is this the best sleeping bag?

I love gear! And I especially love quality gear. Today, PEAX dropped their new sleeping bag, the SOLACE 15. This isn’t your normal sleeping bag; this is a sleeping bag all sleeping bags aspire to be. It’s simply more than a sleeping bag.

I was fortunate enough to use this sleeping bag all fall; honestly, it’s my favorite backcountry hunting sleeping bag of all time. And in saying that, it’s the perfect bag for literally any backcountry pursuit. I’ve used a lot of different sleeping bags over the years, and we carry some great ones in our GOHUNT Gear Shop, but this sleeping bag has grown on me this fall.

Sleeping bags have pretty much stayed the same over the years. You grab a sleeping bag and toss it in your backpack. Then, once you get in camp, that sleeping bag just stays in your tent. But... it should be more than that.

So, what sets this bag apart?

No longer, when you wake up early in the morning will you need to unzip your sleeping bag and lose all that heat that was trapped in your bag. 

With the SOLACE 15, you can keep the sleeping bag on and slip out your hands through their Arm Free Port so you can accomplish things around camp like making breakfast, drinking a hot cup of coffee, or even stoking the fire at night. The arm ports are basically a zipperless, self-closing baffle design. I'm a huge fan of the zipperless arm ports, it not only saves weight, but makes it super comfortable since there is nothing that might feel strange against your body when you're sleeping. And from what I've experienced, I don't lose any heat or get any drafts, as the baffles system of the arm ports overlap against the sleeping bag.

I’m a side sleeper, and I really enjoy the center zip when sleeping on my side, that was an area I wanted to test, since my shoulder would be along the zipper when on my side. Also, I found the shape/material of the bag, moves and sort of stretches with me when I sleep. Plus... the three-way zipper allows you to regulate your temperature at night easily.

Small details matter to me. What I love is that the hood and foot box have extra protection on them. They have a higher denier fabric and a stronger water-resistant coating. That matters to me because in previous sleeping bags, since I'm 6'5" tall, my head and feet would sometimes move and touch the side of my shelter at night, and then when I woke up in the morning, my bag was covered in moisture. Then, if I packed up my camp and moved, well, now I just put my sleeping bag in a stuff sack wet, and there it would sit all day.

More than a sleeping bag

Also, a sleeping bag doesn’t have to be just a sleeping bag. Now you can use all of that warm insulation you packed into the mountains, and have a functional layer that you can also wear while glassing. This sleeping bag is a full-on extension of your clothing system with jacket-like features. You can sort of think of the SOLACE as a wearable sleeping bag.

It's not just a sleeping bag; it’s also a hybrid bag

What I mean by that is this sleeping bag can easily be converted into a quilt. You can stow away the hood, unzip the bag, and then flip it over and use this sleeping bag as a quilt. Win, win in my book!

The nitty gritty details of the bag

How does it compare to other sleeping bags?

I’m sure some will ask the differences between this PEAX bag and the SITKA Kelvin AeroLite 30 Sleeping Bag. For full disclosure, I have used that SITKA sleeping bag on several backcountry mountain hunts. While I really enjoyed that bag, I like that the PEAX SOLACE avoids adding extra zippers for their arm ports, thus shedding some weight and some awkwardness. The bag's fit also seems to be better with my body build on the PEAX bag. And since the PEAX sleeping bag is down, I can compress it a lot smaller than the SITKA sleeping bag, and that means more room in my backpack.

When compared to another bag I've used a bunch, the Stone Glacier Chilkoot 15, in my 100% personal opinion, the PEAX bag has slightly better features than the Stone Glacier bag. I've also noticed more condensation issues on the outside of the Chilkoot than when I've been in the PEAX bag. Both bags are very roomy, so if you love something with more room, you'd be happy with either bag. Another area is warmth. I haven't had an exact way to test this, but to me, the PEAX SOLACE 15 feels a lot warmer than the Stone Glacier Chilkoot 15 does. While I've used the Stone Glacier bag a lot and had a great run with it on backcountry hunts, for my style of hunting and trying to use things on hunts that serve multi-purposes, I'll be taking the PEAX sleeping bag on my hunts moving forward after testing it this fall.

Please keep in mind that I don't get a dime from any of these companies, so I'm truly writing this with an objective opinion. I've had great luck with both, but I like one more.

Again, at the end of the day, I like that we all have choices when it comes to gear, and as a hunter, ultimately, you need to find what works for you and a system you trust.

Here is a quick summary of my personal highlights about the PEAX SOLACE 15 sleeping bag:

In conclusion

If you’re looking at sleeping bags for the upcoming season and want something that is more than just a “sleeping bag,” I highly suggest taking a look at the PEAX SOLACE 15. In my mind, it's always been tough having a piece of gear in my kit that only serves one purpose on a hunt. And with this new sleeping bag, I now have the option to take it with me on a cold or windy morning, and I can comfortably sit and glass for mule deer. Dual purpose, warmer, and feature-rich!

One more last thought: there have been a plethora of times when I wished I had my sleeping bag with me when I was way too far from camp. With this new multi-purpose sleeping bag, I’m going to be more inclined to keep the bag in my backpack while I hunt throughout the day, knowing that I can use it to glass, and then if I get stuck out on the mountain due to a storm or worse, I will now have the means to stay safe if I need to make a quick camp for the night away from my shelter. This is something I would have never been able to do back in the day because, before this, a sleeping bag was pretty much just left at camp since its only purpose was for sleeping at night.

I've been thoroughly impressed with the PEAX SOLACE 15 sleeping bag this fall. As I've stated before, it's the ultimate backcountry sleeping bag in my opinion.