Updated for 2015, the Lost Ranger from Big Agnes is a classic sleeping bag that has been redesigned with the hopes of improving on the already highly regarded original. With roomier contours, and a tighter sleeping pad sleeve, the LR 15 manages to achieve this goal.
Further improvements come in the form of a more open hood, for easier side sleeping and rolling around, without having the hood in your face so much. The sleeping compartment itself is also longer, extending even beyond most sleeping pad lengths, giving you more wiggle room to slide around inside your sleeping bag.
The Lost Ranger 15 weighs 2 lb 15 oz and is stuff with 650 fill Downtek water resistance down. An integrated pad sleeve allows you to slide your sleeping pad inside the bag, preventing mid night slip offs from the pad, and improving thermal efficiency by better trapping in warm air against your sleeping pad. The lining is nylon taffeta, a softer, more enjoyable alternative to slick and clammy rip-stop. The shell is a low denier water-resistant rip-stop nylon. A long YKK zipper rides the side of the sleeping bag, allowing easy entry and exit, with a foot zipper for venting. A mesh storage sack and nylon stuff sack is included with the $279 price.
What I liked
The Lost Ranger bags have always been some of the roomiest I’ve ever tested, and the new 2015 redesign only improves on the already spacious interior. Better mapping, with a wider should and hip allow easier rolling and flip flopping in the night, without being so large as to create large cold spots. There is plenty of room to sleep in any position you like, even a semi-fetal position if the bear outside your tent won’t go away. There is no sliding off your sleeping pad with this bag. You’re attached well, but you never feel trapped.
The hood has a nice draft collar, cinchable in the event that the temperatures just won’t stop dropping. Zippers and toggles stay mostly out of the way of your face, and the hood itself also makes a nice pillow booster on warmer nights.
The bag is quite warm, warm down to the advertised 15 degree rating. Pairing a sleeping pad creates a nice, oven like seal that holds in all of your body heat. Down fill now also lines the length of the sleeping pad/sleeping bag seal, gently tucking under the sleeper, eliminating an drafts that the older models might have had. A long side zipper allows the bag to be used comfortably for warm sleepers all the way into the 40’s, thanks to lots of venting.
The Lost Ranger is fairly light, thanks to having no insulation on the bottom of the sleeping bag (it’s not needed when paired with an insulated sleeping pad) which saves several ounces of weight and fill. It also packs down small enough to not take up a lot of room in a backpack.
Water resistant finish and fill provides protection against a failing tent, or lots of condensation.
The new look has a lovely, somewhat retro yet modern aesthetic.
What I didn’t like
Cold sleepers may find it difficult to heat up the large interior compartment.
Working a sleeping pad into the sleeping bag into the pad sleeve in a cramped tent can be a challenge. I found it easiest to partially inflate the sleeping pad, then insert, finishing off the inflation once it’s inside.
Overall
The Lost Ranger 15 (2015) only improves on a classic. Larger internal space paired with an improved thermal design improves comfort without sacrificing warmth or weight. Downtek adds security on those damp weekends, while a long side vent allows for use in the spring and fall, as well as winter. If you’re looking for a warm, roomy sleeping bag, you can’t go wrong with the Lost Ranger.
Thanks to Big Agnes for providing this sleeping bag for review. We couldn’t do it without you. Full disclosure is available on our about us/contact us page.
TreeLineBackpacker 