About this Review: This review is my honest opinion of the sleeping bag, which I purchased with my own money in March of 2019.

My take

The Big Agnes Roxy Ann 15-degree bag is a great women's specific down bag option that will keep them warm on chilly nights but not feel too confining and hot on summer camping trips!

About the gear

• Model: Roxy Ann 15-degree bag
• Size: Regular
• Material: Down
• Temperature Rating: 15 degrees

About me

• Height: 5’3”
• Weight: 115 lbs
• Experience: 25+ years of hiking/backpacking

Test conditions

• When I bought this: March 2019
• Days tested: 150+
• Pack: Deuter AirContact Core 50
• Total pack weight: 30ish lbs
• Used for: Car camping, backpacking, crashing on friends’ couches.
• Where I’ve used it: Utah desert and mountains, Oregon coast, California desert and coast, Idaho mountains.
• Seasons I’ve used it in: Spring, summer, fall.

How it performs

What I was looking for

I am a pretty cold person, and I was previously using an REI brand 32-degree synthetic sleeping bag. I needed to use a liner inside my bag and an old military-grade cover outside my sleeping bag to stay warm on all but the warmest summer nights. When purchasing this sleeping bag, I was looking for something that would keep me warm without the hassle of using a liner and a cover.

I knew I wanted a down sleeping bag since it was more packable and lightweight so that it would be better for backpacking than a synthetic bag. I was also trying to minimize my gear, so I wanted a three-season bag that would keep me warm in fall and spring, even summer.

Why I chose this gear

I decided to buy this particular product because I had heard good things about Big Agnes, and when feeling the face fabric, it felt like the most comfortable 15-degree down-filled option.

I knew I wanted a down bag because of the weight and packability. Synthetic-filled bags are better at retaining heat when wet, but I knew that I would primarily use this bag in dry conditions. I live in Utah and camp a lot around here and rarely find myself backpacking in any rain or snow, so to me, the heat retention bonus of synthetic when it’s wet did not outweigh the need for something lighter and packable.

I also considered the Nemo Disco bag, which is a 15-degree down-filled bag that weighs a bit less but being that I am always cold, I didn’t think the gills on the front, which allow one to dump heat without unzipping the bag, would be a useful feature for me.

What I love about it

• Durability: I have had this bag for over three years now, and it has held up really well. I have spilled coffee and other things on it a few times and been able to wipe it right off. I will mention that it’s important to take good care of it by washing it occasionally with a specific wash, such as Grangers Down Wash, and store it out of the stuff sack, but aside from that, it does not have rips, holes, or stains, which is pretty impressive for how much it is used!
• Packability: This bag comes with a stuff sack, and it is packable! It fits into the stuff sack quite well and can still be compressed. So I toss it in the bottom of my backpacking bag and put everything else on top of it, and it packs down pretty well.
• Warmth: This bag has kept me warm on some pretty cold nights. I find that I can just sleep with it open in the summer, and it does really well. I don’t feel too hot, and in the spring and fall, I can sleep comfortably without getting too cold.** **I will mention that occasionally when I find I am getting a bit colder than normal in this bag, it's always been because it needs to be washed. The down compresses together when it's stored or hasn't been washed for a long time and loses some of its insulation capabilities, but so far, if I wash it with some downwash, it bounces right back and keeps me warm on my next trip.
• Comfort: The Roxy Ann bag is so comfortable to sleep in. The face fabric is really soft, and it makes no noise at all, unlike many bags. I find the down much more comfortable than my old synthetic bag. There is also a hood that I can cinch down on very cold nights to keep my head and face warm, and I find that to be comfortable as well. The shape of this bag also contributes to its comfort. I have plenty of room to move around inside without feeling too constricted, as I have in some bags that are a bit narrower.
• Shape: This bag has a semi-rectangular shape. I chose this because I think mummy bags are too constrictive. Other than that, the shape wasn’t a huge concern over other features such as face fabric and fill type.
• Features: I really like that this bag has a small pocket near the top of the zipper. I wear contacts and am extremely blind without them. I usually sleep with my next day’s contacts in this little pocket so that I can easily find them when I wake up.
• Versatility: The degree rating of this bag makes it quite versatile. I have slept with it zipped it up on cold nights and unzipped it on warmer nights. I have also used it as a blanket at friends’ houses when crashing on the couch and haven’t woken up feeling too hot.
• Car Camping: This bag is excellent for car camping. That is what I primarily use it for. It is comfortable and keeps me warm even when I am sleeping in the bed of my truck. (Sleeping in the bed of a truck is a little colder than in a tent on the ground. The ground offers some insulation that a raised platform does not.)

Issues I’ve encountered

• Weight: This bag weighs 2.75 lbs; lighter than almost all synthetic bags, and is on the heavier/middle side of the scale for down bags of this temperature rating. The Nemo Disco, which I mentioned above, is 1.8 lbs, and many other options are around 2.3 lbs. It's not a huge difference, and I use this for car camping more than backpacking, so it's not the biggest deal. But if I were an avid backpacker looking for something for primarily backpacking, I would look for something slightly lighter.
• Weather Resistance: Since the Roxy Ann is a down bag, it is not super weather resistant. I wouldn’t want to be in a situation where this bag is wet and the only option I have for sleeping because I would end up being pretty chilly. There is no durable water repellant on the outside, and it’s not hydrophobic down, so it would soak the water up and take a long time to dry. The lack of weather resistance is part of why the face fabric is so comfortable, but it isn’t very weather resistant. Durable water repellant usually makes the face fabric feel a bit thicker and not as soft.
• Backpacking: This bag is fine for backpacking but not my first choice if backpacking was the primary type of camping I did. It’s an awesome and comfortable bag, but a bit on the heavier side. I have used it for backpacking trips for a few days or overnights, and it has done great. It’s not terribly heavy, but it's just not the lightest choice for backpacking sleeping bags.
• Pad sleeve: This bag has a sleeve to slide my sleeping pad into on the back. It is supposed to keep my pad secure while I sleep, but as someone who tosses and turns a lot during the night, I can say it's not useful. I used it a few times; however, I woke to the pad on top of me because I moved around so much. It also makes it slightly colder on the "bottom" because there is less insulation there, assuming that I will have a pad that keeps me somewhat insulated in that spot. It's also part of why this bag is so heavy, so as someone who doesn't use that feature, I wish it wasn't such a large contributor to the weight.

Favorite moment with this gear

My favorite moment with this gear was when I slept in the bed of my truck with a friend in Joshua Tree on our way to the California coast. I didn’t have a topper on my truck at the time, and it was really windy. My friend had a zero-degree bag, and I was a little worried that I would be cold with my 15-degree bag given the wind, but I zipped my bag up, cinched the face cinch down, and slept awesomely. We woke up to a beautiful view and were ready to finish our drive!

Value for the money vs. other options

Personally, I think this bag is a great deal. It’s relatively lightweight, super comfortable, durable, and under $300. Other bags, such as the Disco I mentioned above, are closer to the $350 price point. While I think it’s worth spending more on a lighter bag if backpacking is the primary goal, I am happy with this price point for an occasional backpack that I mostly use for car camping.

Final verdict

The Big Agnes Roxy Ann 15-degree bag is a reasonably priced, super durable sleeping bag. It keeps me warm, and I get a great night's sleep three seasons out of the year. I have had it for over three years now and put at least 150 nights on it without serious damage or issues. With proper storing and washing, this bag will last me a long time and was a great option for what I needed!