The Bean designers have created a great shape for a backpacking bag, with plenty of room through the torso section for comfort and movement, without being excessively loose and drafty. The leg section tapers nicely, again eliminating wasted space, with just a little wiggle room. Every tester praised the fit, from the most petite to the burliest. But each also noted the weight of the bag – well over 3 pounds – as an obstacle to full enjoyment of the Adventure 25. Bulky and heavy, the LL Bean Adventure is nonetheless a comfortable, warm bag.

Compressibility
The Adventure 25 lofts up nicely, fluffing up into a billowy cocoon. But the 4-denier ripstop nylon shell and Bean’s ThermaTek synthetic insulation take up a lot of space. The fully fills the 9×17-inch stuff sack, with virtual no additional compression possible.

Warmth to Weight
That insulation – coupled with the efficient shape and design – does a good job as most of us felt it was comfortable well below freezing, but the overall weight pulls the warmth-to-weight ratio toward the bottom of its class.

Comfort
The roomy torso and well-contoured leg sections create a roomy fit without a lot of unnecessary – and heat-sucking – space within the bag. I loved the fit of the hood as it could be snugged securely into a custom fit around your head and face.

Durability
The 40-denier shell was one of the toughest we found, with no signs of wear or tear. The loft of the bag proved to a bit less durable than some others, but not my much. After repeated use, including some pretty wet outings in the Olympic rainforests, and two washings, the loft drooped a bit, but still stayed thick and warm enough to live up its with 25 degree rating—for a warm sleeper like me, anyway.

EN comfort limit = 36ºF / 2ºC
EN Lower Limit = 25ºF / -4ºC