Kelty Light Year XP Review

The Kelty Light Year XP 20 is a budget synthetic bag for wet weather backpacking. We recommend it for camping in very wet conditions. For all other conditions down bags offer more performance for as little as $20 more and other synthetic bags offer more warmth when wet.

It's important to underscore that the Light Year XP is a budget bag that squeezes under the three pound barrier that separates our backpacking bags from general use bags. This is a very basic bag that places little emphasis on performance; it's viable into the lower forties and cold below that. It's best application is as a wet weather summer bag. Below we list some of its drawbacks.

The draft tube on the foot vent is attached at the bottom of the zipper, making curious feet and gravity itself accomplices in cold air invasion. Our taller (six foot) testers found this to be a problem regardless of the temperature; their feet lifted the draft tube and rested along the zipper. Due to this problem, warm socks are mandatory in colder temperatures. Second, the cinching mechanism for the hood pull cord is miniscule in comparison to its counterparts on other sleeping bags. Loosening the hood requires either a delicate touch with dainty fingers, or a powerful outward force. A larger adjustment would benefit the bag. Third, the bag is a bit on the bulky side. The neck baffle and foot vent add weight and bulk.